Posts Tagged ‘traffic’



New Version Featuring Exclusive Moods For Top Scoring Wazers

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

This new version consists mostly of  bug fixes and clean ups, but  for those of us who work hard to make it to the top weekly charts in our state there’s a cool new feature – Exclusive moods, available just to us!  Exclusive moods are Gold, Silver and Bronze wazers that are open only to users that scored the highest on the weekly chart the previous week.   If you were a high scorer, you’ll be driving around with this mood for an entire week.

Waze 6 minutes demo at DEMOfall09

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Here’s noam’s 6 minute demo yesterday at DEMOfall09

Waze on Google’s Crowdsourcing of Traffic

Friday, August 28th, 2009

When we use the term crowdsourcing it implies active participation by humans with smart phones. Regarding Google’s recent news, this is a very important difference from their use of the term crowd-sourcing which engages a phone to provide data about humans.


We launched our crowdsourced daily driving app (traffic, turn by turn navigation and live reports) because current traffic and map technologies are flawed. We want to disrupt the entire method of collection and open it up to people as a free service. Since then, lots of folks are adopting this approach. This is incredibly validating. It will be a race.


At waze, we believe that the strength of the “crowd” is more than just as a passive source for  data collection.


We are dedicated to engaging the community for the good of all its members.  Wazers are helping build our service from the ground up, by editing the map, reporting events, adding pictures and text, sharing their GPS points, validating traffic, testing new releases, giving us feedback, helping each other on the forum and a variety of other community actions.  With this vibrant community, we aim to build a better service than just colors on a display map.


So…  as we work hard on our next release that will be full of the community’s suggestions, comments and needs – we would like to thank our wazer’s for their participation and assure you that, to us, you are more than a cheap data point.  We are doing our best to incorporate your feedback into the upcoming release and look forward to building, together, a superior service.

Waze extra: the most congested spots in N. CA’s Bay area

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Editor’s note: From time to time we’ll have content on the blog that might be region-specific or a little off-topic in terms of our normally product-focused postings. Just think of it like a little somethin’ somethin’ extra.  ;-)

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Commuters and soccer moms alike know that driving in the Bay Area is a challenge of its own. The highway lanes aren’t as wide as Los Angeles, and San Francisco has one of the highest population density rates in the United States. Carpool lanes are sparse and typically ineffective anyway.

The goal of the Bay Area driver is to get around the traffic and arrive at their location as quickly, easily, and safely as possible. With most smartphone apps, you’ll only get direct directions to your destination. No traffic info, no alternative routes.  Waze, however, keeps up-to-date on the slowdowns, accidents, speedtraps, and more in the area – all with the help of real drivers. There is also the ability to learn new routes to redirect drivers stuck in traffic, so goodbye rush hour and hello smooth sailing.

East Bay

The East Bay includes the counties Alameda and Contra Costa. Through these two counties, the Interstates 80, 680, 580, 880, 238, and Routes 92, 84, and 4 run. That comes out to eight major thorough ways for drivers to travel on, or get stuck in traffic on. The following are three major areas of traffic in the East Bay.

Altamont Pass

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The Altamont Pass connects the Central Valley (e.g. Tracy, Stockton) with the East Bay cities of Pleasanton, Livermore, and everything west of that point via Interstate 580. Commuters pack the freeway westbound during morning commute hours and create a heavy flow eastbound at the end of the workday. The 580 connects with the I-680. Take the 238 to connect to 880 South, or continue on the 580 to arrive at the 880 North. Waze will be able to reroute you around the dreaded traffic, which can be tough, especially with heavy construction going on around the junctions. The app learns routes, and can help you determine the best with the assistance of other wazers in your area.

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Want to get healthier? Join waze!

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

When we started waze we knew that the problem we are trying to solve is not traffic itself, but the lack of immediate and actionable information about it, the inability to make informed decision, and the frustration and stress that comes as a result. (more…)