Seems like user error is a problem https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57156797
W3W are very protective of their app and software!The problem is people who are not aware of all this and who don't plan ahead, I understand MRTs will sometimes ask people to download the W3W app during the rescue process.
W3W lets you paste your location into a message, so would it not be easier for MRTs to share their phone number? Perhaps this has also not worked in practice once people are cold and in a pickle on the hill.
I would be interested to see the complete data. We're being given instances of incorrect locations, but what are these as a percentage of instances? I know a single error is unwanted, but it would be interesting to know how many times it's worked well.
Add in potentially poor phone signal and someone who is very stressed and I can see how it could get just as confusing as talking about grid references.
6 figures with an OS reference is perfectly adequate; especially with a description. I think the main point made by the MRT’s was that people are taking to the hills only reliant on the their phones.The examples given by the BBC look to be a feature not a bug.
for example, I'd guess the first was this:
https://w3w.co/jumps.legend.warblers which is the only one in the UK and just below the Old Man of Coniston.
Getting a number transposed in an 8-figure grid reference could give you somewhere plausible, but several kilometres out, which is worse than something that's in the wrong continent.
6 figures with an OS reference is perfectly adequate; especially with a description. I think the main point made by the MRT’s was that people are taking to the hills only reliant on the their phones.