Sault police credit app for helping find missing hiker
When technology works as designed, it can be helpful and police in Sault Ste. Marie say the free What 3 Words app helped save a missing hiker on the weekend.
Police said they received an emergency call around 5 p.m. on Sunday from a hiker who was lost on the Voyageur Trail, north of Sixth Line.
Dispatchers with 911 were able to pinpoint the person's exact location using the information provided by the app, which divides the world into three-metre squares that each have a unique combination of three words.
"The hiker was told to maintain their position and wait for officers," police said in a news release Tuesday morning.
"Two members of the emergency services unit attended the area using All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and were able to quickly locate the lost hiker and return them safely."
While northern Ontario is ripe with wilderness to explore, police remind adventurers to stay on marked and approved trails, stick to trails according to skill level and make sure to let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.
"Have a cell phone with you and ensure it is charged so you can call for help if you happen to get lost," police said.
The app will still work even if you are offline.
"Without phone signal, the app functions the same as when you have no data connection: you can view the location of any what3words address you enter. You can also navigate to it using compass mode," the app's website says.
"To share a what3words address over the phone or in a text message you need phone signal. To load maps, or share in other apps or social media, you need a data connection."
More on how it works here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Beyonce becomes most decorated artist in Grammys history; Harry Styles wins album of the year
Beyonce sits alone atop the Grammy throne as the ceremony's most decorated artist in history, but at the end of Sunday's show it was Harry Styles who walked away with the album of the year honour.

First tank sent by Canada for Ukrainian forces arrives in Poland
The first of the Leopard 2 tanks Canada is donating to Ukrainian forces has arrived in Poland.
Advocates come together to help sailors stuck for months on tugboats in Quebec port
Groups that advocate for seafarers are expressing concern for 11 sailors who are spending a harsh Quebec winter aboard three tugboats that have been detained for months in the port of Trois-Rivières.
At least 200 dead as powerful 7.8 earthquake hits Turkiye, Syria
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkiye and northern Syria early Monday, toppling buildings and triggering a frantic search for survivors in the rubble in cities and towns across the area. At least 207 were killed and hundreds injured, and the toll was expected to rise.
Drake, Michael Buble, Tobias Jesso Jr. among Canadian Grammy winners
Canadian pop favourites Michael Bublé and Drake each have a shiny new Grammy on their shelves, while singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. has two, thanks in part to Harry Styles.
'Natural power': 17-year-old undefeated Quebec boxer gears up for Canada Games
She started throwing punches to get exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now 17-year-old Talia Birch is gearing up to compete in the Canada Games as it opens up to female boxers for the first time
31,000 cards: Montreal woman passing along father's extensive collection of Expos baseball cards
A Montreal woman is passing along her father's extensive collection of over 31,000 Expos baseball cards. April Whitzman's father, Steve Whitzman, collected the cards from 1969 to 2016. A huge Expos fan, he's got every player covered.
Charles Kimbrough, best known for role in 'Murphy Brown,' dies at 86
Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen on “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86.
New study highlights increasing prevalence of muscle dysmorphia among Canadian boys, young men
Canadian researchers are drawing attention to the increasing prevalence of 'a pathological pursuit of muscularity' among Canadian boys and young men, with a new study that found one in four were at risk of developing what's known as muscle dysmorphia.