What3Words – The biggest disruption since Google Maps?

I have an addressing problem. The apartment block I live in has a rear entry for visitor parking. It doesn’t have a street number. I direct guests to the right alley, and then make them call me, so I can tell them which garage door to access. I am usually in the middle of cooking something complex when they ring.

Until recently, the only alternative I had for directing guests to the right spot was “-33.884891, 151.217647”, and hope they can remember and interpret these numbers. Good luck with that. (I’m not even mentioning datums or projections, or visitors who don’t know what to do with GPS coordinates)

Chris Sheldrick

Three months ago I spoke with a young Briton named Chris Sheldrick. He used to work as an event manager, organising festivals and the like, and was paying people to meet delivery trucks at the edge of town, and explain to drivers exactly where to park, drop the chairs, or unload the catering.

Chris wondered why there wasn’t a simple, clear-cut, easy to remember system to communicate location in natural language. Addresses don’t work if there isn’t a property or building to address, and coordinates are hard to remember or interpret.

That’s why Chris created What3Words (http://what3words.com/; available for IOS and Android), and it’s now taking the world by storm.

Perfect storm of exciting Geo-events surrounding GeoNext in Sydney

If you are interested in all things to do with geographic and location-based technology trends, you'd want to be in Sydney 25-27 February, where no fewer than five key events are converging on the city: the SSSI "Remote Sensing and Earth Observation" Seminar on the 25th, the NGIS Google Maps User Forum and Bootcamp also on the 25th, the third annual "why location matters" GeoNext conference on the 26th, and finally the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network's e-Research workshop on the 27th.

All events are either free or very affordable, and better still, with minimal overlap timewise, the truly committed could attend four out of five of these. Geo-overload at your own risk!

The highlight is undoubtedly the 3rd annual GeoNext conference, with a better program than ever, covering a myriad of applications of location data, including innovative transport solutions, hyperlocal wearable technologies, indoor positioning (where you can try out a pair of Google Glass!), the future of retail, and much more.

And don't forget the GoGet Hackfest prize winners, and GeoRabble drinks to conclude the day!

GeoNext 2013 - Why Where Matters

GeoNext
27^th February 2013, Australian Technology Park, Sydney
Be informed, be inspired, be connected.

I'm really proud to be once again associated with this great event.
Join me and the extended Geo Community at GeoNext – a conference on location-based technology & business. GeoNext is aimed at all practitioners of location-based technology. The audience will comprise experts from the fields of GIS, mapping, mobility, software development and business – anyone with an interest in the next evolution of geo and the opportunities it brings.

Highlights this year include:

• A keynote from VISA on the future of Digital wallets and their impact on location-based marketing
• The State of Cartography - a gallery of interesting, quirky and plain beautiful maps
• A showcase of Geo Startups, demonstrating their cool new things and pitching to the crowd

For just $350 + GST join the conversation with leading developers, businesses and entrepreneurs, and learn about the future of location technology, data sharing, the latest location start-ups and much more.


Click here for the complete program or here to register to attend

Major Policy Breakthroughs Announced at Spatial@Gov 2012

The first day of this year’s Spatial@Gov conference saw two major government policy announcements: the establishment of a National Foundation Spatial Data Framework, and the imminent whole-of-government licence of PSMA’s Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF).

The National Foundation Spatial Data Framework defines the ten data themes that form the authoritative geographic data layers that underpin other data and decision making. The policy recognises these as so critical that government will focus its energy and resources on ensuring its authoritative, reliable supply.

The whole-of-government G-NAF licence means that individual departments no longer need to separately get a G-NAF licence, saving a lot of money and greatly extending its potential utilisation. It is my hope that this could extend beyond government as well.

The Rise and Fall of Bushfire Connect

This week, Bushfire Connect closed up shop, after more than two years collecting and sharing Australian bushfire information and alerts with local communities.


The official statement is here. In this post, I’m sharing some personal views and experiences.