TEDGlobal 2017
Chris Sheldrick: A precise, three-word address for every place on earth
克里斯西爾德里克: 地球上任何角落都能有個精確的「三字地址」
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Readability: 4.6
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克里斯西爾德里克和他的團隊用三個字把地球切割成三公尺的方塊，並給予每個方塊一個由三個字組成的識別碼，比如「著名的．接合．作家」或「方塊．平均地．繁殖」，讓世界上數十億沒有地址的人也能有精確的地址。在這場關於大理想的簡短演說中，西爾德里克解釋了當每個人都有正確地址之後，在經濟上和政治上有什麼意涵──從建造基礎建設、運送援助到災區，到把熱騰騰的比薩送到家。
Chris Sheldrick - Entrepreneur
Chris Sheldrick is providing a precise and simple way to talk about location, by dividing the world into a grid of three-meter by three-meter squares and assigning each one a unique three-word address. Full bio
Chris Sheldrick is providing a precise and simple way to talk about location, by dividing the world into a grid of three-meter by three-meter squares and assigning each one a unique three-word address. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
According to the UN,
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根據聯合國的資料，
00:15
billions of people still live
without an address.
without an address.
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有數十億人的住所是沒有地址的。
00:19
The economist Hernando de Soto said,
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經濟學家埃爾南多德索托說過：
00:21
"Without an address,
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「若你沒有地址，
00:22
you live outside the law.
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你就是住在法律之外，
00:24
You might as well not exist."
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那和不存在沒有兩樣。」
00:27
I'm here to tell you how my team and I
are trying to change that.
are trying to change that.
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我來此告訴各位，
我和我的團隊在試圖改變這點。
我和我的團隊在試圖改變這點。
00:31
If you go to an online map
and look at a favela in Brazil
and look at a favela in Brazil
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如果你去看線上地圖，
去找巴西的一個貧民區，
去找巴西的一個貧民區，
00:35
or a township in South Africa,
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或是南非的一個鎮，
00:37
you'll see a few streets
but a lot of empty space.
but a lot of empty space.
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你會看到少數幾條街，
和非常多的空地。
和非常多的空地。
00:40
But if you flip to satellite view,
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但如果你切換到衛星畫面，
00:42
there are thousands of people,
homes and businesses
homes and businesses
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其實有數以千計的人、
住家、及企業，
住家、及企業，
00:45
in these vast, unmapped
and unaddressed spaces.
and unaddressed spaces.
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在那沒有被畫上地圖
也沒有地址的廣大空間裡。
也沒有地址的廣大空間裡。
00:49
In Ghana's capital, Accra,
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在迦納的首都阿克拉，
00:51
there are numbers and letters
scrawled onto the sides of walls,
scrawled onto the sides of walls,
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有數字和字母被潦草地寫在牆邊，
00:55
where they piloted address systems
but not finished them.
but not finished them.
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他們開始嘗試地址
系統，但並沒完成。
系統，但並沒完成。
01:00
But these places,
these unaddressed places,
these unaddressed places,
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但這些地方，這些沒有地址的地方，
01:03
hold huge economic potential.
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有著很大的經濟潛力。
01:07
Here's why the issue
of addressing stuck with me.
of addressing stuck with me.
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我之所以這麼執著於地址議題，
01:10
I worked in the music
business for 10 years,
business for 10 years,
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是因為我在音樂界工作了十年，
01:12
and what you may not know
about the music world
about the music world
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你們可能不知道，在音樂世界裡，
01:14
is that every day, people struggle
with the problems of addressing.
with the problems of addressing.
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每天，人們都會被地址問題所苦。
01:18
So from the musicians
who have to find the gigs
who have to find the gigs
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音樂家得要找到表演的場子，
01:21
to the production companies
who bring the equipment,
who bring the equipment,
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製作公司要帶來器材，
01:23
everyone somehow always gets lost.
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大家似乎總會有辦法迷路。
01:25
We even had to add someone
to our schedules
to our schedules
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我們甚至得在計畫表中加上一個人，
01:27
who was the person you called
when you thought you'd arrived
when you thought you'd arrived
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這個人是你認為你到達了
但接著發現其實沒有時，
但接著發現其實沒有時，
01:30
but then realized you hadn't.
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就打電話求救的人。
01:32
And we had some pretty bad days,
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我們有些相當糟的日子，
01:34
like in Italy, where a truck driver
unloaded all the equipment
unloaded all the equipment
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在義大利，一個卡車司機
把所有的裝備都御貨在
把所有的裝備都御貨在
01:37
an hour north of Rome,
not an hour south of Rome,
not an hour south of Rome,
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羅馬北邊一小時的地方，
而非南邊一小時，
而非南邊一小時，
01:40
and a slightly worse day
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也有更糟一點的日子，
01:41
where a keyboard player
called me and said,
called me and said,
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一個鍵盤手打電話給我，說：
01:43
"Chris, don't panic,
but we may have just sound-checked
but we may have just sound-checked
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「克里斯，別慌，
但我們剛做的聲音測試，
但我們剛做的聲音測試，
01:46
at the wrong people's wedding."
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可能誤做到別人的婚禮了。」
01:48
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
01:49
So not long after the fated Rome event,
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所以，在不幸的
羅馬事件之後沒多久，
羅馬事件之後沒多久，
01:52
I chatted this through
with a friend of mine
with a friend of mine
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我和一位朋友聊到此事，
01:54
who is a mathematician,
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他是個數學家，
01:55
and we thought it was a problem
we could do something about.
we could do something about.
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我們認為這是個問題，
且我們能做點什麼。
且我們能做點什麼。
01:58
We thought, well,
we could make a new system,
we could make a new system,
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我們認為，我們可以做個新的系統，
02:00
but it shouldn't look like the old system.
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但它應該要和舊系統不一樣。
02:03
We agreed that addresses were bad.
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我們都同意，地址不好用。
02:06
We knew we wanted something very precise,
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我們知道，我們想要高精確度。
02:08
but GPS coordinates,
latitude and longitude,
latitude and longitude,
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但 GPS 座標、經緯度，
02:10
were just too complicated.
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這些都太複雜了。
02:13
So we divided the world
into three-meter squares.
into three-meter squares.
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所以我們把世界
切割成三公尺的方塊。
切割成三公尺的方塊。
02:16
The world divides into around 57 trillion
three-meter squares,
three-meter squares,
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世界被切成 57 兆個三公尺方塊，
02:20
and we found that there are
enough combinations
enough combinations
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我們發現，用字典中的三個字，
02:22
of three dictionary words
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就能創造出足夠的組合，
02:24
that we could name every three-meter
square in the world uniquely
square in the world uniquely
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來給予世界上每個三公尺方塊
一個獨一無二的名稱，
一個獨一無二的名稱，
02:28
with just three words.
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只要三個字。
02:30
We used 40,000 words,
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我們用了四萬個字，
02:32
so that's 40,000 cubed,
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那就是四萬的三次方，
02:33
64 trillion combinations of three words,
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三個字就有 64 兆個組合，
02:37
which is more than enough for
the 57-trillion-odd three-meter squares,
the 57-trillion-odd three-meter squares,
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對於 57 兆個三公尺方塊
來說是綽綽有餘了，
來說是綽綽有餘了，
02:40
with a few spare.
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還有可以備用的。
02:43
So that's exactly what we did.
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所以我們就這麼做了。
02:45
We divided the world
into three-meter squares,
into three-meter squares,
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我們把世界切割成三公尺的方塊，
02:48
gave each one a unique,
three-word identifier --
three-word identifier --
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給每個方塊一個
由三個字組成的識別碼，
由三個字組成的識別碼，
02:50
what we call a three-word address.
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我們稱之為「三字地址」。
02:53
So for example, right here,
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比如，在這裡，
02:56
I'm standing at mustards-coupons-pinup,
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我現在站在「芥末．
折價券．釘飾」上，
折價券．釘飾」上，
02:58
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
03:00
but over here ...
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但到這裡……
03:02
I'm standing at pinched-
singularly-tutorial.
singularly-tutorial.
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我就站在「擰捏．奇特．教程」上。
03:09
But we haven't just done this in English.
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但我們並不只有用英文來做。
03:11
We thought it was essential that people
should be able to use this system
should be able to use this system
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我們認為重要的是要
讓人們能用自己的語言
讓人們能用自己的語言
03:14
in their own language.
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來使用這個系統，
03:15
So far, we've built it into 14 languages,
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目前，我們已經建立了十四種語言，
03:18
including French, Swahili and Arabic,
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包括法文、斯華西里語、阿拉伯文，
03:20
and we're working on more now,
like Xhosa, Zulu and Hindi.
like Xhosa, Zulu and Hindi.
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我們還在努力做更多，
如科薩語、祖魯語、北印度語。
如科薩語、祖魯語、北印度語。
03:25
But this idea can do a lot more
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但這個點子還有更多其他用處，
03:27
than just get my musicians
to their gigs on time.
to their gigs on time.
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不只是能讓我的音樂家
準時到表演的場子。
準時到表演的場子。
03:29
If the 75 percent of countries
that struggle with reliable addressing
that struggle with reliable addressing
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如果 75% 苦於沒有
可靠地址可用的國家
可靠地址可用的國家
03:33
started using three-word addresses,
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開始使用「三字地址」，
03:35
there's a stack of far more
important applications.
important applications.
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那會有非常多更重要的應用。
03:40
In Durban, South Africa,
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在南非的德爾班，
03:42
an NGO called Gateway Health
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有個非政府組織叫做「健康入口」，
03:44
have distributed to 11,000
three-word address signs
three-word address signs
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已經分發了 11,000 個
「三字地址」標誌
「三字地址」標誌
03:47
to their community,
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到他們的社區中，
03:48
so the pregnant mothers,
when they go into labor,
when they go into labor,
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這麼一來，當懷孕的母親
開始臨盆陣痛時，
開始臨盆陣痛時，
03:50
can call the emergency services
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能打緊急求救電話
03:52
and tell them exactly
where to pick them up from,
where to pick them up from,
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並告知他們應來的正確地點，
03:55
because otherwise, the ambulances
have often taken hours to find them.
have often taken hours to find them.
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因為，若不這麼做，救護車
需要幾小時才找得到他們。
需要幾小時才找得到他們。
03:58
In Mongolia, the National Post Service
have adopted the system
have adopted the system
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在蒙古，國家郵政服務
採用了這個系統，
採用了這個系統，
04:02
and are now doing deliveries
to many people's houses
to many people's houses
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現在能送信到許多從來沒有
04:04
for the first time.
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收過信的人家。
04:06
The UN is using it
to geotag photos in disaster zones
to geotag photos in disaster zones
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聯合國用它來標記
災區照片的地理位置，
災區照片的地理位置，
04:09
so they can deliver aid
to exactly the right place.
to exactly the right place.
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這樣就能把援助準確送達。
04:12
Even Domino's Pizza
are using it in the Caribbean,
are using it in the Caribbean,
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甚至達美樂比薩也在
加勒比海使用這個系統，
加勒比海使用這個系統，
04:15
because they haven't been able
to find customers' homes,
to find customers' homes,
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因為他們找不到客人的家，
04:17
but they really want to get
their pizza to them while its still hot.
their pizza to them while its still hot.
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但他們真的想把比薩
熱騰騰地送到客人手上。
熱騰騰地送到客人手上。
04:21
Shortly, you'll be able to get into a car,
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簡言之，你可以進到一台車裡面，
04:24
speak the three words,
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說出三個字，
04:26
and the car will navigate you
to that exact spot.
to that exact spot.
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那台車就會把你載到正確的地點。
04:29
In Africa, the continent
has leapfrogged phone lines
has leapfrogged phone lines
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非洲大陸跳過了有線電話，
04:33
to go to mobile phones,
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直接使用行動電話，
04:34
bypassed traditional banks
to go straight to mobile payments.
to go straight to mobile payments.
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越過了傳統銀行，直接用行動支付。
04:39
We're really proud that the post services
of three African countries --
of three African countries --
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我們很驕傲，有三個
非洲國家的郵政服務：
非洲國家的郵政服務：
04:43
Nigeria, Djibouti and Côte d'Ivoire,
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奈及利亞、吉布地、象牙海岸，
04:45
have gone straight to adopting
three-word addresses,
three-word addresses,
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也直接採用了「三字地址」，
04:48
which means that people in those countries
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意思就是，在這些國家的人民
04:50
have a really simple way
to explain where they live, today.
to explain where they live, today.
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可以用很簡單的方式
說出他們現在住在哪裡。
說出他們現在住在哪裡。
04:55
For me, poor addressing
was an annoying frustration,
was an annoying frustration,
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對我來說，編得很差的地址
是種很惱人的挫折，
是種很惱人的挫折，
04:58
but for billions of people,
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但對數十億人而言，
05:01
it's a huge business inefficiency,
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它會使商業非常沒效率，
05:03
severely hampers
their infrastructure growth,
their infrastructure growth,
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嚴重妨礙了他們的基礎建設成長，
05:06
and can cost lives.
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還可能造成人命損失。
05:08
We're on a mission to change that,
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我們的使命就是去改變它，
05:10
three words at a time.
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一次三個字。
05:11
Thank you.
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謝謝。
05:12
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chris Sheldrick - EntrepreneurChris Sheldrick is providing a precise and simple way to talk about location, by dividing the world into a grid of three-meter by three-meter squares and assigning each one a unique three-word address.
Why you should listen
It's a fundamental logistical problem: not everyone, or everywhere, has a traditional address, and GPS coordinates can be tough to use. While working in the music industry, Chris Sheldrick noticed that bands and equipment kept getting lost on the way to gigs, and he took up the mission to create a better addressing system for the world. He worked with a mathematician friend to devise the what3words algorithm that has named every 3-metre square in the world. Started in 2013, the system is being used by eight national postal services, and has a range of integration partners across the world in fields as varied as humanitarian aid, logistics, and in-car navigation.
Chris Sheldrick | Speaker | TED.com