Someone brought this up some time ago on a navigation forum I frequent. One member pointed out that there has been a similar attempt by Google - they call it "Open Location Code" [OLC] or "
plus code". Just go to Google maps and look up a location. There will be a "plus code" off to the side. For example: the plus code for the Eiffel Tower is "V75V+8Q Paris, France".
And there have been a few other systems in use for quite a long time - such as the "
Maidenhead Locator System" used by amateur radio operators.
The thing is: none of these systems ever seem to catch on. They are just another way of expressing the same information as latitude and longitude. The only difference being that most people are already familiar with the latter ... the ever-increasing use of GPS not being the least cause. And since practically all position reporting devices use as an input and output their data in latitude and longitude coordinates, converting to yet another notation and back again begins to look like an unnecessary, even obfuscating step in the process.
This is evidenced by the need to download an additional app just to tell you what your "three words" are. If you are lost in a remote area, will you be able to even get a data connection to get the app? Or would it be simpler to just open the [most likely already installed on your phone] mapping/GPS app and report your latitude and longitude to your potential rescuers over a radio (which you should have if you had planned to go to some remote location with no cell service)? Or simply look at your dedicated GPS and get the coordinates from there? And what if your rescuers are unable - for whatever reason - to translate your three words into a sensible location? "Slurs.this.shark" tells me absolutely nothing about the location being referred to. However, "51°30′12″N 0°07′39″W" gives me a pretty good idea of where to look - even without consulting a map or GPS.
"What three words" has been around for a while now. And this is only the second time I have ever heard mention of it. If it helps save lives - great! I just don't see it catching on any better than all of the other attempts at replacing lat./lon.