Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/FloodMapp
Waze has become a must-have application not only for drivers who want to find a faster route to their destination but also for those who want to avoid dangerous road sectors.
FloodMapp, best known for its real-time flood intelligence platform available for enterprises and authorities, has recently joined forces with Waze and the city of Norfolk, Virginia, to provide drivers with alerts about flooded streets.
The city of Norfolk provided additional guidance on Twitter, telling drivers to avoid flooded roads with Waze. The partnership provides users with real-time, street-level alerts about flooding, helping them "avoid property and life-threatening hazards."
The local authorities also ask users who see the notifications in Waze to confirm the flooding, therefore making the reports more accurate. Providing feedback is needed to validate the report and improve accuracy, the authorities explain, adding that users can see the alerts when they drive in a flagged region.
Waze integrates a crowdsourcing engine, allowing users to send reports on a wide variety of incidents, including traffic jams, potholes, speed traps, roadkill, broken traffic lights, and more. Once users send a report, other drivers running the app receive a warning when driving in the same region. Eventually, Waze helps make the road more predictable by providing notifications in advance.
The flood alerts work like the rest of the warnings and include popup icons and audio alerts when driving toward a flagged location.
Meanwhile, Waze is trying to simplify the reporting experience by removing some redundant categories within the app. For example, the latest beta and stable builds have gradually removed certain reports, such as the police on the other side of the road. More recently, users reported that the hidden police option also went missing.
While such options going away might seem frustrating initially, Waze's priority is to simplify the reporting experience by eliminating unnecessary options. The hidden police option is going away because users can still send standard police reports, which serve their purpose correctly and alert users about an upcoming speed trap.
I provided additional information on Waze's long-term strategy in this story, but what you need to know is that Google doesn't plan to kill off the application despite the increased focus on Google Maps. Waze and Google Maps will continue to co-exist, with Google seeing the two applications as completely different beasts with different audiences. Waze focuses on traffic navigation, whereas Google Maps includes more components, such as an exploration module that lets you visit any location worldwide from the comfort of your sofa.
You don't need to update Waze to get the new food alerts in Norfolk, though installing the latest version helps make sure that you don't encounter the most recently reported bugs on your smartphone or Android Auto and CarPlay.
The city of Norfolk provided additional guidance on Twitter, telling drivers to avoid flooded roads with Waze. The partnership provides users with real-time, street-level alerts about flooding, helping them "avoid property and life-threatening hazards."
The local authorities also ask users who see the notifications in Waze to confirm the flooding, therefore making the reports more accurate. Providing feedback is needed to validate the report and improve accuracy, the authorities explain, adding that users can see the alerts when they drive in a flagged region.
Waze integrates a crowdsourcing engine, allowing users to send reports on a wide variety of incidents, including traffic jams, potholes, speed traps, roadkill, broken traffic lights, and more. Once users send a report, other drivers running the app receive a warning when driving in the same region. Eventually, Waze helps make the road more predictable by providing notifications in advance.
The flood alerts work like the rest of the warnings and include popup icons and audio alerts when driving toward a flagged location.
Meanwhile, Waze is trying to simplify the reporting experience by removing some redundant categories within the app. For example, the latest beta and stable builds have gradually removed certain reports, such as the police on the other side of the road. More recently, users reported that the hidden police option also went missing.
While such options going away might seem frustrating initially, Waze's priority is to simplify the reporting experience by eliminating unnecessary options. The hidden police option is going away because users can still send standard police reports, which serve their purpose correctly and alert users about an upcoming speed trap.
I provided additional information on Waze's long-term strategy in this story, but what you need to know is that Google doesn't plan to kill off the application despite the increased focus on Google Maps. Waze and Google Maps will continue to co-exist, with Google seeing the two applications as completely different beasts with different audiences. Waze focuses on traffic navigation, whereas Google Maps includes more components, such as an exploration module that lets you visit any location worldwide from the comfort of your sofa.
You don't need to update Waze to get the new food alerts in Norfolk, though installing the latest version helps make sure that you don't encounter the most recently reported bugs on your smartphone or Android Auto and CarPlay.
????? Rain is heading our way. Avoid flooded streets with the @Waze app.
— City of Norfolk, VA (@NorfolkVA) September 22, 2023
???? Get real-time flooding updates: the app provides pop-up icons and audio alerts to warn of flooded streets along your route.
Download Waze here: ?? https://t.co/xbVrWNgB8C pic.twitter.com/BrGYqcA4ZF
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