Evangelizing Waze

I have recently started to use Waze which is a social GPS navigation application. It is different from regular GPS applications, as it crowdsources real time traffic information from other wazers in my area. The good part of it is that the source code is available under open source. Also, currently it is free to use, in return for users updating the quality of the maps either actively (By editing over the web), or passively (By driving with the Application on on their GPS enabled mobile device). The 'not so good' part is that the map data, which (though crowdsourced) is not open, but it is probably a small price to pay, in return of accurate map, navigation and real time traffic information. Read through the article, and judge yourself.
Now the questions that come in ones mind, and some lay-person type answer


What is GPS Navigation?
It is calculating your position in the world, using reference from GPS satelites, and calculating your path to your destination, super-imposing your real-time co-ordinates over map data


Why would I use it? In India I can ask the pedestrians for directions
In my opinion, GPS became popular in countries first, where you do not have a lot of people to ask for directions. However, even in places where you have people to ask for directions, it is beneficial in the following ways.
a. Every time you stop and ask for directions, you slow down, wasting precious fuel, lose valuable seconds to stop, and generally hold up traffic. And if you are really not sure where you are going, your seconds quickly add up to minutes and even hours
b. If you are travelling by public transport, you can get off at the right stop. Imagine getting off a kilometer from your destination and walking all the way, asking for directions


How accurate is the data?
Unfortunately, the current map data of Kolkata, India is not something great. You can understand the challenges of mapping a city like Kolkata, where there are numerous, lanes and by-lanes. The good part of waze is that it learns from your driving patterns, and more you drive, more accurate the maps will be. For India, Waze has partnered with Satguide, a native Indian GPS service provider, so the maps are fairly reasonable. (My opinion is entirely based upon Kolkata)


How will waze give me real time traffic information. How can I use that data
If there are a lot of users in an area, all using waze, then waze will have average driving speeds of the roads in that area. If at any particular instant, the wazers in that area are driving at a lower speed than the average, a traffic congestion alert will be posted to all the wazers in that area, so he can take a decision to re-route himself.
The data is crowdsourced, and users can also report active events through their mobile devices. Also, to keep up the spirit, waze also publishes a list of leaders based on their contribution to the map data


What mobile devices are supported?
Pretty much all smartphone OS are supported (iPhone, iPAD, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Mobile 7). You can read more about it at their web-site.


How much does it cost
Waze comes as free download. However, it would require an active data connection. There are economic modes, where you can download your local maps and use them without a data connection. However, to get the latest updated maps, and real time traffic information, you need a data connection. I use Vodafone Mobile Connect data plan in Kolkata which gives me 10Gb usage per month at Rs 499/-. However, I use it for a lot of other usage in my phone (other than waze). I would say, waze would probably use 50-100 Mb of data per month for normal usage, but it is better to check with them.


Why is Shubhrajit evangelizing this?
More the number of users in a location, better is the navigation. I am an waze user, and I would love to drive safely and reach my destination fast. That's a 'win' for me. I believe I am contributing to the quality of maps in Kolkata, which would help other citizens to drive safely and reach their destination fast. It's a 'win' for them too. If waze has a lot of users, they would make a lot of money for their shareholders , i.e. it's a 'win' for them too. So, essentially, in this application, everyone wins.


Why would I use it, if the map data I create is no longer open?
This company is providing us a service, for free, which other companies charge a lot of money. Other GPS providers in India charges more than Rs 2000 a year for annual map update contracts, and close to Rs 600- 700 for one time map update. They do not have real time traffic information, and the map does not update unless you specifically request for it. If waze becomes successful (and it would be if a lot of users start to use it), the quality of the maps will be way way ahead of its competitors. I think it is a win-win situation, and every company should be allowed to make money. I also take it that I am doing a community service, actively editing the maps of Kolkata, India and have a sense of fulfilment. Now the facts are open, if is for you to decide if you would like to join.