Barrie police are crediting a cellphone app called What3Words for helping to locate a family that become lost in a south-end wooded area on the weekend.
City police received a call around 8:20 p.m., Saturday, from a mom who had become disoriented in Ardagh Bluffs while walking with her three kids and their puppy.
The time of night and low battery on the mother’s cellphone was cause for concern for her and her teen and two young children.
Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon told BarrieToday that while the family did the right thing after calling police by staying put, it was also the app What3Words that assisted greatly in the search.
“Mom got a little nervous as dusk was setting in and there were two little ones with her and the teenager. She did the right thing and called police, who told her to not move from the location she was in,” said Leon.
“What3Words is the app that was used and it was perfect in what it did," he added.
What3Words is a geocode system designed to identify any location within approximately three metres.
The app was used at 8:27 p.m. by the Barrie Police Communications Centre and from the global positioning system (GPS) co-ordinates that were obtained, the family was located at 8:48 p.m., safe and sound and free from injury.
Police officers, along with canine unit Thunder as well as the County of Simcoe Paramedics, responded to the area and quickly found the group.
“The app was so detailed that it provided the latitude and longitude as the best point of entry to reach the family quickly,” said Leon. “We encourage everyone to download it, especially if you hike or like to explore the wooded areas.”
The What3Words program was officially launched by city police on Jan. 25.
Additional information about What3Words is available by clicking here.
