What3words / Google Street View

To undertake a Virtual Challenge, you will need to familiarise yourself with W3W and Google Street View. When you type a three-word location into W3W on your PC or laptop, the two will work in tandem to enable you to explore Street View images to locate and solve clues.

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What3words (W3W) is a geocodng system that divides the world into three metre squares and gives each one a unique three-word address. It is based in London, but is used all over the world to find, share and save precise locations.

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​​​​​​​​​​Google Street View is a feature within Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets around the world. It allows users to virtually explore streets, landmarks, museums, and more through stitched panoramic images.

 

'Pegman', a little yellow man icon will assist you as you work your way around an 18 Clues Virtual Challenge. To locate a clue, follow these instructions:
 

Open W3W on your laptop or desktop app and enter the three W3W words denoting the clue location. You will see the location you are seeking broken down into squares, with one specific square highlighted. This square is three meters by three metres and your clue will be within, or in the vicinity of, this square. 

 

Look for the little yellow man, known as ‘Pegman’ in the bottom right hand corner of the map. Click and drag Pegman across the map and drop him into the W3W square. This action will immediately open up Google Street View and you will be able to view the area from Pegman’s perspective. You can now use your mouse or mousepad to navigate and explore your surrounds in search of the clue.