Case Study: Aurecon achieves scalable, remote addressing of informal settlements with what3words

Giving Every Home an Address Town Planning with Aurecon

what3words provides a simple global addressing system that divides the world into 57 trillion 3 m × 3 m squares, and Aurecon is a global engineering firm experienced in urban planning and working with informal settlements. Together they faced the challenge of giving thousands of homes in unaddressed or informal settlements usable addresses — a process that is slow, costly and impractical when done house‑by‑house at scale.

Aurecon’s Geo‑Locate solution combines the what3words grid with satellite and aerial imagery to automatically identify property footprints, select the most relevant 3‑word addresses and compile area‑wide address lists. Piloted in Sinethemba, this approach enables bulk assignment of permanent or temporary addresses that can be shared with governments, NGOs, residents and service providers, improving urban planning, service delivery, health access and eCommerce without door‑to‑door fieldwork.

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