The Australian countryside boasts an incredible diversity of natural landscapes and is home to a thriving agricultural industry worth over A$66 billion. However, poor addressing can be a daily frustration for many people living and working here. Places like fields, barns, and forests have no addresses at all, while rural postcodes cover broad areas and are not accurate enough to direct deliveries, visitors, and vehicles to specific locations, costing precious time and resources.
Chris Sheldrick, CEO of what3words grew up on a farm and developed a new global addressing system by building on his deep understanding of poor addressing and the challenges faced by rural communities around the world. He says:
“When it comes to describing where things are in the middle of a field things can get really complicated. Growing up, I would often spend time waiting by the roadside to flag down incoming delivery vehicles that would otherwise miss our entrance by miles and frequently get stuck down narrow lanes, typical of the British countryside.”
Chris went on to co-found what3words in 2013.