Paragliding Pilot Retrieve

Send message with your location to your retrieve team

As a XC paragliding pilot, you might land in a different location than anticipated. In this case you may want to inform the retrieve team where they can pick you up or just inform them on your status.

This app determines your location in the what3words (w3w) format, in one of the 27 available languages, and allows you to send a message with a few clicks to the retrieve team.

You just pick the message from a list, which might be quite handy given the situation.

How to use the app

1. Switch on your GPS

2. Start the app

After having enabled the GPS, give it 20-45 seconds to perform an accurate location fix. The location will be presented in 3 words. While waiting for an accurate fix, the corresponding w3w location information is updated on the screen.

3. Select the desired language

In the bottom left corner, a two-character language code is displayed. Click on the code to open the language selection screen. Select the language you want to use for the w3w location information. After selecting the language, it will be set as your default. Your language code will now be displayed in the bottom left corner of the screen.

4. Call the team

This is useful if you only want to communicate your location by voice over radio or phone. Pressing the speaker icon next to the language code will have the w3w location spoken in the selected language. So, if you're having trouble reading the text, this might help.

5. Select message

Click on the ‘Select message’ button. A screen opens and will display a list of 12 messages of which you can select one. Just click on the required message and you will be returned to the main screen where the button will now display the text 'Message selected' and where the message is also displayed. You can always change the text by clicking this button again.

6. Send message without location

If you have selected a text stating that you are making your own way back or are back at base, there’s no need to add location information. In that case just click the ‘Send message’ button. Your smartphone will now open a screen allowing you to select the messaging service you want to use. Follow the steps indicated by the messaging service. The app will send the selected message, but will allow you to add more text if you like.

7. Send message with location

If you want to also send the location information, the process is the same as under 6. but the location information is added in w3w as well as latitude/longitude format.

App properties

Minimal data transfer

The app is designed to be extremely ‘light’ on the data transfer, in order to cope with marginal internet connections often encountered in the field. To get the w3w address only 150 bytes are transferred. Also around 150 bytes are sent in the retrieve message.

What if there’s no internet connection?

In this case the w3w address cannot be determined and most of your messaging services won’t work. Except one: SMS. That’s why the app also provides the latitude/longitude values along with the w3w address. Your GPS works independent of your internet connection, as does SMS. So that’s the fallback option. You will still get your location and message across.

Mind the GPS performance

Obviously the app is meant to be used in open spaces, our natural flying habitat. In this way reception of the GPS signals is optimal and allows for accuracies of several meters. The app is not meant to be used indoors.

Why what3words?

what3words divides the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigned each one a unique 3 word address. It means anyone can accurately find any location and share it more quickly, easily and with less ambiguity than any other system. Especially if a location has to be communicated by phone, it is far more easy then using the standard latitude/longitude figures. More info on what3words can be found at http://what3words.com/