Israeli start-up Waze aims to revolutionize the GPS and GIS services for mobile using you. Waze is a GPS client that lets users navigate and view maps just like any other service. They also provide the users to record new roads (in case the maps are not updated), to report traffic jams, accidents, police cars, speed cameras, and other warnings that are shared online with fellow drivers.
Every session is recorded and transmitted to the company servers so they can report the information to other drivers and also to recalculate routes and arrival times in real-time to drivers that may be affected by the information received.
The concept of the service is really nice, the usability and UI are also very practical but when you use the service, it is not without problems.
Maps – maps lack different details occasionally like circles, small streets and even small villages. There are streets with mixed up names and facilities that do not appear in the program’s address data. Another significant issue is the inaccuracy of the streets numbers.
A destination on a long street can bring the user to another point on that street which is several kilometers from where he navigated to.
In newer versions, there is an option to report about numbering problems but after reporting, we saw no change even after a month.
Traffic reporting – When a traffic jam is reported, the system adds it to the map.
There are many times you can see that there are traffic jams 2 hours after the jams disappeared or even reports of a traffic jam of 200 meters for a minute because of a traffic light. The system encourages drivers to report and they do, too much in our opinion.
The lack of an automatic system to clear irrelevant reporting is also apparent.
Meta information – the program doesn’t include information about restaurants, café, and other facilities you would expect a navigation software will have. The lack of such information requires users to get specific addresses on the internet prior to the planned drive which makes the process very cumbersome in some cases.
User feedback – algorithm bugs can be found many times in junctions where the program directs you to turn right and then left instead of going forward, taking you through very small and slow streets instead of a logical way, and other issues that can cause you lose your way or valuable time.
It is very strange that the company did not provide a way for its community to report such errors on site for them to check and fix in later releases. Such an option is a must have if the company plans to move out of Israel to much bigger countries with much more complicated roads.
Our summary to the service is that it is a very refreshing breeze to the navigation services but that the client and the concept should get a significant development in order to attract the audience and get them use the service regularly.
