At Limbwalker, we have always been a company committed to staying on top of new technology…particularly if it facilitates a better way of doing things.
In fact, innovation is one of our four tenets. Anytime that we can use technology to perform a service better or make things easier on our team or our clients, we are all for it.
That has been the case with geocoding.
Geocoding is defined as the process of turning a description of a location into an exact map location as a pair of coordinates. Now, a new geocoding system, what3words, is designed to identify any location on earth by encoding its geographic coordinates into three permanently fixed dictionary words.
You can visit the site and try it for yourself: https://what3words.com/
But how exactly does this pertain to Limbwalker? We recently began using a geocode tree location for some of the Louisville properties that we work on. This has not only been a fun process for us but it has also made locating trees on larger properties easier.
We have found that giving trees a unique location through what3words allows us to identify the specific spot where a particular tree is growing. This is a lot more useful than just giving a general physical description, like the “left front yard.”
While it might not be necessary for a property that only has a handful of trees, when we work on large properties that have many trees, it’s quite helpful. Any property with more than an acre, with multiple trees, can get confusing.
But this removes the guesswork.
Since we do work on some larger properties and farms, especially with Ash treatments, we have found a geocode tree location for individual trees to be incredibly helpful.
There’s no question that there are practical applications for this tool. But it’s also something that we feel is unique for people to try out themselves.
While what3words has definitely been a useful tool for us as landscapers, it’s also something fun. When you use a geocode tree location and you give a tree its three-word name, you personalize it.
There’s something about doing that, which makes it special and we have found that people appreciate that purpose as well.
As a company, we have had some fun with this. But we have also found that our clients like trying it themselves.
Your favorite tree on your property can now have its own address….and a unique name.
More than anything, we wanted to share this tool with you because we think that you’ll find it as fascinating as we do.
If this is something that interests you, you might also want to watch the Ted Talk that’s out there on what3words. It explains the origin story of this geocoding tool and its various current and future applications.
The Ted Talk explains how what3words has divided the world into 3-meter squares. The world divides into around 57 trillion 3-meter squares…and there are enough combinations of three dictionary words to name every square uniquely.
The Ted Talk even discusses how this form of geocoding (offering such precise locations) is solving problems in other countries. We think it’s worth five minutes of your time to listen to.
Try it for yourself and let us know what your favorite tree is named.
Or, perhaps you want to check out your home. Since homes are made up of multiple 3-meter squares, you’ll have a few different ones to choose from. I chose my favorite and turned it into a sign that I display on my patio.
While this is still relatively new, it likely won’t be long until you see this geocoding system used more widely in various applications. We know that if we are finding value in it for landscaper geocode locations, many others will find value too.
If you’d like to learn more about tree services for your Louisville home, get in touch and get your quote. We are always looking to adopt unique innovations to best serve our clients.