The latest application to hit smartphones is Waze, which is being touted as the Way to Go as it is a social media smartphone app allowing drivers to passively send GPS trace points to others in the community; thus helping other drivers not only receive information about the location and road maps, but also help fix problems and other such problems for others.
The driver’s speed is relayed to Waze servers and depending on the speed, the quality of traffic is judged. If the traffic is clogged, then that information could be given to other users. Waze takes social media to the next level: to driving. It allows the driver to reveal hazards, traffic jams, map errors and other such issues directly to the Waze community. Using GPS for smart phones had never been such fun!
If you run into roads that are not in the map, they just get added for you and others in the Waze community to use later. You could also visit their website and edit the maps if you think something can be modified. These facilities would certainly help the user to ascertain driving conditions, receive live help and support from the community, and also a sense of belonging to the community.
However, at the moment you can only use Waze in San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago and Boston. This limits the potential of an otherwise amazing service. Nevertheless, the lucky ones who stay in these areas can send road tweets, learn routes, search for alternative routes and make driving an enjoyable experience. Waze has a huge potential to grow especially if it can be used in rural areas and also on national highways. However, one may need to be under Internet coverage for this to work.
