Waze declares the global availability of its platform for community crowdsourced maps. By forming different groups, drivers have started using Waze to build local maps in more than 20 countries that include Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Trinidad Tobago. As a result of ever-growing drivers’ demands, this service can now be used to create accurate real-time maps from anywhere in the world by easily driving around with Waze’s free mobile app.
With a community-based approach, Waze uses the data created by drivers to build navigable road maps. When users drive through the way, this application running on their smartphones automatically and anonymously sends back GPS points. The data is then utilized to build and update the road grid, road changes and other information. Drivers can play a major role by participating in the map editing arm of the community online at world.waze.com.
“Even without specific country support, we were amazed to see wazers on our live map in clusters all over the world self organizing,” said Noam Bardin, CEO of Waze. “We are committed to fostering this community of users and supporting them with the new infrastructure launched today. I would like to thank these motivated wazers from all over the world for helping us bring better maps, free navigation and an improved daily commute to their regions.”
Ever-growing demand from the international community stimulated Waze to open its platform globally, after considering its success in Israel and the US. Owing to Waze’s technology, users can create maps by covering every road as they drive. Patented technology allows users to create precise maps in less time. Once the map is created, the app offers free turn-by-turn navigation along with real-time traffic and community-generated road reports to several users in the region.
“Traditional map making technologies are labor intensive thus expensive,” said Mark Fitzgerald of Strategy Analytics. “Real-time maps and crowdsourced data can provide both the functionality and the free-to-consumer cost structure to serve as the map for the mobile generation, just as Wikipedia serves as the Encyclopedia for the Internet generation.”
The company released its first mobile application in Israel which has been downloaded by over 200,000 users. It claims that the app is a booming navigation application in this market with exceptional real-time traffic and a navigable map created by community’s users. Waze is also available in the US.
Android, iPhone, Symbian and Windows Mobile users can use Waze services. Waze is looking out for partnerships with commercial map owners worldwide looking forward to participate in their crowdsourced mapping initiative.