TomTom adopts what3words addressing system

TomTom and what3words will collaborate to bring what3words addressing to TomTom’s customers globally.

what3words addressing will roll out to TomTom consumer and automotive customers in the second half of 2018. TomTom made the announcement at TU Automotive Detroit.

what3words is a simple way to talk about location. The world is divided into a grid of 3 x 3-meter squares, and each square is assigned a unique three-word address. As such, what3words will complement TomTom’s existing maps, allowing people to accurately find any location and share it more quickly, easily and with less ambiguity than any other system.

The three-word address for TomTom’s head office, for example, can be found at ///pancake.climbing.beaker. The easy-to-use addressing system works well in areas where traditional maps and addressing don’t, including off-road locations and countries without standardized addressing systems such as India and the Middle East, the company said.

GPS World’s sister site, Geospatial Solutions, first discussed the innovation of what3words in 2015. It has since seen adoption by countries (such as Mongolia, Djibouti and Sint Maarten), and national mapping agencies of countries such as Norway and Switzerland. Sygic also adopted it for its fleet solutions.

“Whether you’re trying to find an address in the center of Turin, or on the streets of Tuvalu, TomTom wants to get you there quickly and efficiently,” said Antoine Saucier, managing director of TomTom Automotive. “Our collaboration with what3words demonstrates our commitment to embracing new addressing technology that is easy-to-use and integrates simply into our navigation offering.”

“We are delighted to partner with TomTom, and bring the benefits of more accurate addressing to their customers,” said Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of what3words. “By using what3words, drivers are able to navigate to any precise location — as specific as a side door, gate or parking spot. Equally, destinations that previously have been unaddressed now have a simple, reliable and easy-to-remember three-word address.”