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Saying seemingly random words like “foil, bumpy, limes” or “butter, mugs, liability” to pretty much anyone would likely lead to a blank stare - but they could save your life.

It was three words just like that helped Humberside Police locate a terrified victim of sexual assault who was being held hostage in Barton, and it was all thanks to a clever mobile phone app.

What3words splits the entire country, and the rest of the world, into no fewer than 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares and uses an algorithm to convert GPS co-ordinates into unique three-word addresses.

(Image: what3words)

The developers say the designated code words for each place will never change and, because of its accuracy, it can even pinpoint destinations out at sea or in fields where there are no designated street names.

They also claim that unlike lengthy map co-ordinates, words are easier to remember and less prone to error when communicating, which in turn could save lives.

The geocoding app also accounts for spelling errors and other typing mistakes, and will automatically make suggestions based on three-word addresses nearby.

(Image: what3words)

Though it may seem like a bit of a novelty seeing the words which correspond to your house, it has already proven to be extremely useful in our area by Humberside Police.

Officers managed to locate a sexual assault victim who was being held captive after the call handler talked the victim through the app leading to the unique three-word address being created. The officer then searched for the words in the app, which generated an address for officers to attend in Barton.

Only seven British police forces and emergency services have integrated what3words into their operations with the app used to recover a lost child, retrieve a calf stuck in the mud and find two missing people in a country park.

(Image: what3words)

The three-word code eliminates the old-style questioning from call handlers saving valuable time when locating incidents, giving a precise location in places with no addresses or where addresses cover large areas.

It also conveniently works offline, so you don’t even need to have a mobile connection to use it which is handy when people find themselves in an emergency in remote areas.

The size of the app is also very small at 20MB meaning it can easily fit into your smartphone.

(Image: what3words)

There’s no pattern to the words the app uses so there are some very random addresses for places in North East Lincolnshire such as:

Blundell Park – hype.exists.finest

Cleethorpes Pier – sides.limbs.refers

Freshney Place – stick.birds.ideal

People’s Park – grapes.policy.melt

Weelsby Woods – panels.riches.shirts

Grimsby Minster – slice.salsa.famed

Cleethorpes Country Park – pack.lease.lions

Cleethorpes Boating Lake – gown.edge.nation

Immingham Museum – guesswork.valid.wept

Fishing Heritage Centre – saints.round.losses

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