The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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LMGI COMPASS | Summer 2018 • 29 chops.wolves) or 'The Land- ing Strip Crossover' (doubt. rats.letter). It can also be useful to direct the producer to the restaurant you have suggested while he/she is visiting in Lon- don, I would suggest (thus.task. dining), otherwise known as PJ's Bar and Grill. There are many applications for what3words but for a location manager, this could be a true way forward in simplifying one of the core pillars of our role. In 2013, now co-founder and CEO Chris Sheldrick worked in the music industry. He experi- enced many of the issues refer- enced earlier, while coordinating equipment deliveries and band arrivals at venues—with both the artists and their gear getting lost, despite the most detailed directions and exhausting every current method of navigation. From traditional addresses to eight-figure grid references, it became clear that a better addressing system needed to be created to solve a universal issue. Thus, the journey began! Chris enlisted longtime friends Mohan Ganesalingam (Cambridge Uni- versity mathematician) & Jack Waley-Cohen (quiz master, also founded Quiz Quiz Quiz, the UK's large quiz events company) to assist in the creation of an addressing system that could be used universally to navigate to specific positions on the planet, without the advanced navigational skills of a military scout. Sitting in the front room of Chris' home, what3words was born on the back of an enve- lope. Chris, Mohan and Jack calculated that the world could be divided into 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares (roughly 10ft x 10ft squares) and that by using a combination of 40,000 English dictionary words, 64 trillion unique three-word combina- tions could be generated. This was more than enough word combinations to assign one to every square on the planet. With an envelope, an algorithm and a lot of drive, the three men set out to change the way the world navigates. Since its inception, what3words has grown from a company of three working out of a living room to an international team of more than 70 with a head office in London, secondary offices in Mongolia and Johannesburg, and a small satellite team in Riyadh. The company has developed its API technology so that it can be licensed and integrated into other applications and is currently being utilized in new Mercedes Benz navigation software. The future-proof algorithm is providing a new solution to many old, outdated address systems across the globe. Mongolia is leading the adoption of this revolutionary system, recognizing its ben- efits to a nomadic, scattered population. Some other cool uses include supporting the NATO disaster response training in Bosnia and Herzegovina, medical service response for music festivals such as Glastonbury, security coordination of the Rio Olympics, desert off-road rally car race circuit naviga- tion for Fun Drive (a two-day race across the UAE desert) and recently, the key to solv- ing a case on CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles. Company partners include NATO, UNICEF, United Nations, Aramex, Mercedes Benz, Navmii, Domino's Pizza and the film industry app aHeadsUp. While there is still a way to go for what3words and its three- word addresses to be accept- ed as a day-to-day norm, the company is fully committed to achieving its mission of be- coming the global-addressing standard. It is without a doubt, an incredibly versatile application that should be the international film industry standard for navigation. Making the lives of location man- agers everywhere that little bit easier. For more information about what3words, please visit the company site www.what3words.com To download the ap- plication, please scan the below QR Code with your chosen smart- phone device camera. Happy trails! Location manager and LMGI business member (LocoMats) David Smith also has a thing for what3words. When he discovered them, he immediately saw the benefits for location pros and integrated their API into his workflow. Now aHeadsUp aheadsupapp.com is an official partner with what3words. Using aHeadsUp to pin the location you are scouting will automatically add the what3words address (and link) to the map in the email that the app generates for the user. This, along with a calendar, photo and even an optional pdf attach- ment can be sent to the user's contacts in about a minute. You will find you have more time to do your work if you can quickly and accurately notify your team of the date, time and exact location you will be using. aHeadsUp also saves all your projects in the cloud, so you can easily access your work history eliminating the need to search through past emails for job details. There is much more included with the subscription price. David is offering a two-week free trial, so download the iOS and Android versions on their respective app stores.