How do I use What3Words to find a patient when creating an incident?

What3Words (also written W3W) is a way to name any location on earth with three
simple words. Medic52 uses it on the Dispatch map so a caller who can't give a street
address — a lost skier, a runner on a back-country trail — can still tell you exactly
where they are. This article explains what What3Words is and how to use it from the
Dispatch map when you create a new incident and need to pin the patient's location.

What is What3Words?

What3Words divides the entire world into a grid of 3-metre by 3-metre squares, and gives
every square a unique address made of three dictionary words — for example
filled.count.soap. Instead of reading out latitude and longitude, a caller reads you
three words, and those three words point to one 3-metre square anywhere on the planet.

• The public app and website show the address with three slashes in front, like
  ///filled.count.soap. In Medic52 you type only the words, separated by dots:
  filled.count.soap.
• The address always has exactly three lowercase words, separated by full stops.
• Anyone can find their own What3Words address for free at
  findme.w3w.co or in the free What3Words app — they don't need
  a Medic52 account.

Before you begin

• You need permission to create incidents (write access to Dispatch). Read-only users
  won't see the GPS or NEW INCIDENT buttons on the map.
• Open the Dispatch map — this is where incidents are created and where the
  What3Words tools live.
• To text a caller a location link, the incident must have (or you must enter) the
  caller's mobile phone number.

How to open the location card

The What3Words tools live in the Create Incident location card. To open it:

1. On the Dispatch map, find the incidents panel.
2. Click the GPS button. The Create Incident card opens, showing a
   Latitude & Longitude section and a What3Words section.

You can also right-click anywhere on the map to start an incident at that point.

How to find a patient's location by typing their What3Words address

Use this when the caller can already read you their three words (from the What3Words app
or from findme.w3w.co):

1. Open the Create Incident location card (see above).
2. In the What3Words section, make sure Enter words is showing.
3. Type the three words into the box in the format what.three.words — all lowercase,
   separated by full stops.
4. As you type a valid three-word address, Medic52 shows matching suggestions with the
   nearest place name underneath. Click the correct suggestion to select it.
5. Click out of the box (or finish typing). Medic52 converts the words into map
   coordinates and drops the incident marker on that 3-metre square.
6. Check the marker is in the right place, then click Create to open the incident
   there.

Note: Medic52 works both ways. If you place the marker yourself — by entering a
latitude and longitude, or by dropping a GPS pin — the What3Words box automatically
fills in with the three words for that spot, so you can read them back to the caller.

How to text a caller a link to get their What3Words address

Use this when the caller doesn't know their three words. Medic52 sends them a text
message with a link that reads their location for them:

1. Open the Create Incident location card (see above).
2. In the What3Words section, click Send via SMS.
3. Enter the caller's mobile phone number and click Send. Medic52 texts them a link to
   findme.w3w.co.
4. Ask the caller to:
   1. Open the link in the text message.
   2. Allow location access when their phone asks.
   3. Read the three words shown on their screen back to you.
5. Click Enter words to switch back, type the three words the caller gave you, and
   follow the steps above to place the marker and create the incident.

Important: The text message only sends a link — it does not track the caller or
read their phone's location automatically. The caller must open the link and read the
three words back to you. This keeps the caller in control of sharing their location.

Frequently asked

What format do the three words need to be in?

The three words must be exactly three lowercase words separated by full stops, like
filled.count.soap. Leave out the three slashes (///) that the public What3Words app
shows — type only the words. If you type them in another format, Medic52 won't be able to
find the location.

Does the caller need the Medic52 app or an account?

No. The caller does not need Medic52 or any account. They only need to open the
findme.w3w.co link you text them, or use the free What3Words app,
and read their three words back to you.

What if the words won't resolve to a location?

If Medic52 can't turn the words into a location, check that you have exactly three words,
all lowercase, separated by full stops, and no extra spaces. Ask the caller to read the
words again — a single wrong word points to a completely different square. If it still
fails, enter the latitude and longitude instead, or ask the caller to describe a nearby
landmark.

Related articles

• How do I create an incident?
• How do I update an incident's location?