Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Google
Many people believe Google Maps and Waze would eventually merge to give birth to an all-in-one application nobody can compete with.
However, Google has just proved to the world that it wants Waze to stick around as a stand-alone application, as the search giant is bringing a new-generation feature to its traffic navigation software.
The crowdsourcing engine sets Waze apart from the rest of the apps in the navigation space, allowing users to mark the location of traffic incidents like accidents, speed traps, broken traffic lights, roadkill, and others. Using this information, Waze can generate notifications for other motorists whose routes go through the same points.
Now, Waze wants to use the accident reports for another feature that'll make new routes more predictable, eventually making the time you spend behind the wheel safer.
Google announced that Waze will begin warning of road sectors and intersections with a history of crashes. The company will use accident reports submitted by users and its own analysis for things that could increase the likelihood of crashes, such as elevation changes.
Waze says artificial intelligence will play a key role in determining road sectors where you could come across potential hazards, eventually generating the notification that you'll see at the bottom of the screen. The warning is offered before reaching the flagged point and is different from the typical Waze alerts. It's displayed at the bottom of the screen on mobile devices. Google did not reveal if the history of crashes alert will make its way to Android Auto and CarPlay, but for now, it's exclusive to smartphones.
The feature's arrival is not surprising, as Google was spotted testing this feature approximately one year ago.
Google says you won't see the alert every time you get behind the wheel, as the feature's objective is to make the road more predictable. To do this, the alert will only show up for unfamiliar routes, so you won't get the warning for your daily commute when you typically use the same roads every day. The approach makes sense, though.
Waze will monitor your routes and issue alerts when driving on unfamiliar roads, so if you approach a point where certain road features might be a hazard, you should see the warning on the mobile device.
The feature is already available on Android and iPhone, and you must be running the latest Waze on your device. I took the app for a spin a few hours ago but didn’t get the warning, so I believe it needs more time before it flags roads with a history of crashes in all regions where the app is available. The warnings should appear in the coming weeks, as users flag accident locations in Waze, so the app has enough data to generate the notifications.
The crowdsourcing engine sets Waze apart from the rest of the apps in the navigation space, allowing users to mark the location of traffic incidents like accidents, speed traps, broken traffic lights, roadkill, and others. Using this information, Waze can generate notifications for other motorists whose routes go through the same points.
Now, Waze wants to use the accident reports for another feature that'll make new routes more predictable, eventually making the time you spend behind the wheel safer.
Google announced that Waze will begin warning of road sectors and intersections with a history of crashes. The company will use accident reports submitted by users and its own analysis for things that could increase the likelihood of crashes, such as elevation changes.
Waze says artificial intelligence will play a key role in determining road sectors where you could come across potential hazards, eventually generating the notification that you'll see at the bottom of the screen. The warning is offered before reaching the flagged point and is different from the typical Waze alerts. It's displayed at the bottom of the screen on mobile devices. Google did not reveal if the history of crashes alert will make its way to Android Auto and CarPlay, but for now, it's exclusive to smartphones.
The feature's arrival is not surprising, as Google was spotted testing this feature approximately one year ago.
Google says you won't see the alert every time you get behind the wheel, as the feature's objective is to make the road more predictable. To do this, the alert will only show up for unfamiliar routes, so you won't get the warning for your daily commute when you typically use the same roads every day. The approach makes sense, though.
Waze will monitor your routes and issue alerts when driving on unfamiliar roads, so if you approach a point where certain road features might be a hazard, you should see the warning on the mobile device.
The feature is already available on Android and iPhone, and you must be running the latest Waze on your device. I took the app for a spin a few hours ago but didn’t get the warning, so I believe it needs more time before it flags roads with a history of crashes in all regions where the app is available. The warnings should appear in the coming weeks, as users flag accident locations in Waze, so the app has enough data to generate the notifications.
Google News