Pinpointing Progress: A New Way to Think About Utility Mapping

What happens when we allow ourselves to think differently? What if we weren’t held back by the way things have always been done?

I’ve been working with utility organizations and local governments for over 20 years, and there’s a phrase I’ve heard in every region, from nearly every team: “That’s how we’ve always done it here.”

It’s not wrong. That mindset gets the job done. It keeps the lights on. But as new generations step into leadership and as digital tools evolve, there’s an opportunity, maybe even a responsibility to ask: Is there a better way?

Think about this: What if your office wasn’t at 1234 Main Street anymore?
What if it was at ///clever.river.laptop?

That might sound strange at first, but it’s not science fiction. It’s a real way to describe an exact 3-meter square on the planet and it changes how we think about mapping, logistics, service delivery, and access.

In the U.S., especially in urban areas, we’re used to street addresses. They’re baked into how we navigate and how utilities deliver service. Step outside of that context into rural America or remote parts of West Africa and the system starts to break down.

What about that ranch with 40 acres? Sure, there’s a street address for the main house, but what about the shop that’s 10 acres away? Or the irrigation control center across the field? Or the nursery with multiple structures, all technically under one address? Try running a line extension estimate for a customer like that, and suddenly the traditional address model starts showing its cracks.

We’ve seen this firsthand. At Powerful, we’ve built line estimator tools for utilities like Emerald People’s Utility District in Oregon, Rio Grande Electric Cooperative in Texas, and Central Electric Cooperative, also in Oregon. And every time, the same core challenge comes up: how to communicate where service is needed when a single address isn’t enough.

That’s why I found the TED Talk from the co-founder of what3words inspiring. It introduced a simple idea: the entire world divided into 3-meter squares, each labeled with three unique words. No GPS coordinates, no complex systems, just a smarter, more human way to talk about location.

It made me wonder:
What could this unlock for the utilities we serve? What changes when a customer can say, “I need power at finance.weekend.riverbank,” and the utility can instantly know where that is — no ambiguity, no site visit, no delay?

We’re not just talking about innovation. We’re talking about a new way to think.

A Smarter Way to Say “Here”

One of the best explanations I’ve seen of this concept came from a TED Talk by what3words co-founder Chris Sheldrick. It’s worth a watch, not just because of the tech, but because of the story behind it. He explains how, after a series of frustrating moments trying to get equipment delivered to the right spot, he realized there had to be a better way to describe location, especially in parts of the world where streets and addresses don’t tell the whole story.

That message hit home for me, not just because of the innovation, but because we’re working with utility organizations every day that could benefit from this kind of thinking.

Take Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), for example.

We had the opportunity to design and launch LEC’s website a couple of years ago, and we continue to support their digital presence. But more than just a website, we got to understand what utility service looks like in a country where most homes and businesses don’t have addresses at all. Liberia is a place where English is spoken, yes; but the infrastructure isn’t set up the way it is in the U.S. There are no grid systems in rural areas. Entire communities exist outside any formal addressing model.

For a utility like LEC, that creates real friction:

• How do you identify a location for a new service connection?
• How do you dispatch crews when the customer can’t describe where they are?
• How do you document infrastructure when roads don’t exist?

This is where what3words becomes more than a cool tool; it becomes revolutionary.

Imagine a customer in a remote village saying, “I live at ‘shield.rocky.panels’.” That exact phrase identifies a 3-meter square anywhere in the country. It removes ambiguity. It enables remote estimation. It helps planners, field crews, and contractors work from the same shared understanding. And most importantly, it levels the playing field for customers in underserved areas.

Utilities Around the World Are Already Using What3words

While adoption is still in the early stages, several international utility organizations are already proving how this approach can work:

• UK Power Networks, which serves over 8 million customers in the UK, used what3words to locate downed power lines and storm damage sites in rural areas where addresses are limited or non-existent.
• Severn Trent Water, one of the UK’s largest water utilities, uses what3words to pinpoint manholes, underground assets, and field sites to speed up repairs and reduce confusion for crews.
• The United Nations, through its World Food Program, has used what3words for emergency logistics and aid delivery in disaster zones where infrastructure is compromised.

Closer to home, what3words is already integrated with ArcGIS, a platform used by thousands of utilities for mapping and asset management. That means this isn’t a rip-and-replace situation, it’s something that may be able to layer onto your current workflows with minimal friction.

Empowering Customers, Contractors, and Crews

When we talk about modernizing utility systems, we often focus on back-end improvements: GIS upgrades, smarter meters, streamlined ticketing systems. But what about the front lines, the customer who’s trying to get service to their new workshop, or the contractor trying to meet a field crew at the right pole in the middle of a pasture?

This is where what3words becomes a bridge between people and systems and where utilities have a chance to create customer experiences that are both simple and smart.

For Customers: Clarity Without Complexity

Let’s go back to that 40-acre property. A homeowner wants to install power at a new shop, located well beyond the main building. Today, the utility might ask:
“What’s the address?”
The answer? “Well… it’s the same as the house.”

That’s not good enough. It might lead to incorrect estimations, unnecessary delays, or even site visits that waste time.

But with what3words, the homeowner can simply drop a pin at ///power.crane.driveway (or whatever the 3-word location is), and say, “This is where I need service.”

No special training. No complex GPS coordinates. Just a clear, precise answer and one that can be passed directly into the utility’s system.

For Contractors and Third Parties: Shared Language Without Shared Systems

Utilities often work with external crews, inspectors, vegetation management teams, and engineers who don’t always have access to internal GIS or asset databases. what3words levels the playing field.

Instead of describing a location like “near the third pole after the bend,” a utility can say:
“The site is at ///signal.truck.branch” and that’s it.

This improves safety, reduces field confusion, and gets everyone working from the same map, even if they’re using different apps or tools.

For Field Crews: Less Guessing, More Doing

Field technicians often spend more time finding the work than doing the work — especially in rural and hard-to-map areas. With what3words integrated into a mobile GIS or work order app, the pin drops exactly where they need to go. Not the general area. Not the customer’s house. The exact transformer, pole, or vault.

What Becomes Possible When We Think Differently

The most exciting part of this? It’s not just about mapping. It’s about mindset.

We’re seeing more utilities move from “fix and maintain” to “predict and plan.” That requires better data and better ways to connect that data to people. what3words fits neatly into this shift. It makes things faster, clearer, and more inclusive for the communities many utilities have struggled to serve effectively for decades.

At Powerful, we talk a lot about humanizing digital experiences. This is what that looks like:

• Tools that remove ambiguity.
• Systems that give people confidence.
• Ideas that work globally, but feel personal.

The best part? You don’t need to overhaul your tech stack. If you already use ArcGIS, ESRI, mobile work apps, or web forms, what3words can likely layer in as a new lens on top of what you already have.

All it takes is the willingness to say: “We don’t have to do it the way we’ve always done it.”

Because maybe the future of your utility isn’t at 1234 Main Street.
Maybe it’s at ///finance.weekend.riverbank, and it’s time to build from there.