Google Maps Show First Sign Of Waze Acquisition With Real-Time Traffic Reports

Google acquired Waze and it seemed obvious the purchase was about making Maps better. Yesterday, Maps did indeed get a little better thanks to an update to its mobile maps apps that introduces Waze’s real-time incident reports to Android and iOS applications.

Related articles

• Another Billion-Ish Buyout: IBM Buys Israeli Security Firm Trusteer
• Waze Founder Uri Levine Talks About The Company’s Path To Billion-Dollar Success

On Waze, users can report things like accidents, cars stopped by the side of the road, construction and road closures in real-time as they drive. These reports are used to alert other Wazers to problems ahead as they happen. Users in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, UK and the U.S. will initially have access to these features, with more regions rolling out later.

Interestingly, the Maps update is red-only; users of the Google Maps apps can’t report incidents, just see the ones reported by Wazers. Waze’s own apps get updates today, too, however, providing them a little Google love in return for their service. Google is adding Google Search to Waze’s list of providers, and also adding Google Street View and satellite imaging to Waze’s Map Editor, which should be of benefit to Waze’s community of active reporters.
…

To continue reading this article, click here.
Via TechCrunch