Those who love the outdoors and frequently visit Nashville’s parks, greenways and wooded areas for recreation can now take advantage of state-of-the-art technology in the event they become lost or stranded.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Metro Parks, the Department of Emergency Communications today announced a partnership with What3Words to assist dispatchers in pinpointing the locations of individuals who become lost so that help can be immediately sent.
What3Words, integrated into RapidSOS dispatch, is a tool that encodes geographic coordinates from 10x10 foot squares into three dictionary words that callers can provide to a dispatcher. An app is available for smartphones, or a dispatcher can provide callers with a link through text message that detects their phone’s GPS signal, even without internet access.
“I believe this innovative technology, used across the globe, will shorten the times persons remain lost a large grid search by police officers and emergency management staff,” Chief John Drake said.
Metro Parks Director Monique Horton Odom said, “This tool is going to be a tremendous asset for the thousands of people who hike and bike our trails, particularly those in remote areas. It’s another resource we can utilize to help keep people safe. Our Parks Police and Outdoor Recreation staff will find this a very useful app for helping to locate those who are lost or in crisis.”
“The broad use of cell phones allows callers to report emergencies anywhere they occur, which means some locations that simply do not have a physical address. Using this solution, Metro Nashville dispatchers are better prepared to send the right help to the right place at the right time,” DEC Director Stephen Martini said.