Canberra invention WanderSafe has received international help, with British app what3words integrating with the device.
WanderSafe is a handheld device, which pairs with a free app and aims to provide awareness and information about the safety of an area and the equipment to help protect yourself if something did happen.
The devices are non-violent and designed to disorientate and scare an assailant, potentially giving someone enough time to save their life. When activated - and paired with the app - an SOS message and the person's exact location are sent to three emergency contacts.
Since its launch, WanderSafe's SOS beacon has been activated 800 times to thwart attacks, each of which could potentially be a crisis averted.
"This is a powerful statistic for our team. This means we are doing our job, and will ultimately lead to a reduction in the number of assaults," founder Stephenie Rodriguez says.
However, it is expected with the new integration of the what3words system, WanderSafe's capabilities can be amplified.
What3words is a geocoding system that turns geographic coordinates into three words.
The system divides the world into 57 trillion squares, each measuring 3x3 metres with a unique randomly assigned three-word address.
For example, the National Carillon is known as "butter.fork.credit".
The system is considered to be as accurate as GPS coordinates and is already being used by British emergency services, travel book Lonely Planet and Mercedes Benz.
"What3words is new to the Australian continent but is the ideal partner for WanderSafe as they understand the depth and breadth of our mission - to help people navigate the planet better and safer," Rodriguez says.
"The integration of what3word's precise and accurate location capabilities with the WanderSafe application will allow our users - travellers, commuters, women and vulnerable people - to communicate simply and more effectively about where they are in an unfortunate event resulting in activating the SOS Alert."
What3words' geocoding system has been integrated into WanderSafe's SOS feature. When a user activates the SOS, they are shown their what3words location, and it is also sent to their preset emergency contacts.
These coordinates can be shared with law enforcement, friends, family, or - in cases where a business has integrated WanderSafe into their employee safety programs - a manager.
"What3words makes location recall effortless, and easy for a person to remember especially under duress," Rodriguez says.
"We feel this is a feature that will be understated for many, (those who never need activate the SOS alert feature) but when that need arises, will be something that reduces the response time significantly.
"In instances of human trafficking, victims may not know exactly where they are and in parts of the developing world, there are millions of houses and residences that Google sees but does not recognize. Longitude and Latitude are archaic forms of location identification."
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