If Carmageddon showed what Wazers can do against traffic, 2012 proved they can help in other powerful ways.ĭuring Hurricane Sandy, the Waze Community helped FEMA address gas shortages in New York and New Jersey by reporting which gas stations were open and had fuel available. They’ve edited as many as 2.5 million segments in one Map Raid.Ĭarmageddon helped prove the value of real-time traffic alerts in 2011. With the foundation set, the next step in the map’s evolution was making targeted improvements.įor bigger changes, Map Editors rallied around the idea of “ MapRaids,” internationally coordinated efforts to adjust specific areas of the map. “It was exciting to be there at the start and build something from such an early level.” Taking the Waze map to the next level “It was all just a basemap that no one had ever edited.” He took up map editing in earnest, spending time driving around to fill in the blanks and help build the map in the US. “It wouldn’t route you anywhere,” he remembers. In Louisiana, Marc had a similar revelation. It was a relaxing activity to pair with my night duty at the hospital.” I got hooked on the gamification and editing on an empty roadmap. “Someone gave me an iPhone 4 and I downloaded a map app that was in the early stages of development. “I started editing by accident,” she says. Tracing roads with the app in new areas on the map. But enough people saw the potential in the blank canvas, like Susana, a Map Editor in Spain. In many places, the map hadn’t been drawn yet. Early users didn’t see much when they downloaded the app. The app launched in the United States in May of that year and worldwide that November. Waze made its brand debut in January 2009. So there you have it - the truth behind why we’re Waze not Ways. “Waze,” on the other hand, was 25x cheaper. When the team reached out to see if they’d sell, the owner demanded a pretty steep price. “Ways” was actually the first choice, but someone already owned it. If you’re wondering where the name “Waze” came from and guessed it was related to “ways,” you’re on the right track. We have millions and millions of users, and I’m user 102.” - Ron Vaisman Waze is available globally Here’s a cool fact: I’m user 102 in the entire world. By 2009, that number had grown to 17,000, and the app had yet another new name. By 2008, there were 2,500 drivers and a new name: Linqmap. What started with a few hundred drivers mapping 5,000 kilometers in Israel soon expanded. The original Map Editor tool was called “Cartouche,” a word with roots in Egyptian hieroglyphics.
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