(HALFWAY LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK, ON) – On July 17, 2022, at 10:17 p.m., members from the Nipissing West Detachment and Emergency Response Team (ERT) of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to three missing hikers on a trail that left from Halfway Lake Provincial Park.
With the assistance of “what3words” app, the location of the three missing people was provided to police, who advised the hikers to remain at their location.
ERT members were able to locate and assisted the missing hikers back to the campgrounds without any medical concerns.
The OPP would like to remind the public of the “what3words” App is offered for free by both android and apple devices to download. The app labels every three squared metres with a unique three-word location string which can be converted into latitude and longitude coordinates for entry into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system in use at the OPP Provincial Communication Centre (PCC).
Even if the caller does not have the app previously downloaded on their mobile device, the PCC communicator can send a link to the caller’s cell phone which will enable the caller (with data access and connectivity), to find their what3words location. The app is available in 43 languages but shares the location in English.