Navigation App Waze Makes Crowdsourced Map-Building a Game
The latest edition of mobile navigation app Waze has just launched in the iTunes App Store and on the Android Market Place with the Symbian and Windows Mobile versions available on the Waze website. In this updated version, the company has added even more features to their already popular "munching" game which sends a Pac-Man like character loose on the roads to help build the company's mapping database and validate the roads already in place.
Unlike other mobile navigation apps, Waze "crowdsources" its map-making process, reliant on its users to switch the app on when driving around town. Then, using the phone's built-in GPS capabilities, Waze uses the information sent back to create base maps and determine traffic patterns in order to warn other users of traffic jams ahead.
Although Waze is an application dependent on critical mass to become successful, they've already had good results since their original launch in Israel. In less than a year's time, Waze was able to map 91% of the country thanks to user involvement. The company believes they will have similar results here in the U.S. with highly populated urban areas being mapped first with the rest of the country following over the coming months.
Making Maps is Just a Game
To encourage users to contribute to the map-building process, the company came up with an idea to make it more of a game. Originally, the Waze character would appear and munch dots on the screen when you ventured onto a road that didn't previously exist in the company's database.
Now, with Waze 2.0, the gaming elements have been enhanced even further. Users will now munch on other goodies like cherries, hammers, and small gift packages which generate bonus points. The extra goodies will be placed on locations where the map has issues with the higher-point items on maps with the most issues.
To kick off this new release, the company is also hosting a contest dubbed the "Holiday High Points Challenge" which runs from November 25th through December 9th. During this time, which includes the busy traveling period of the Thanksgiving holidays, Waze hopes to tap into the high number of drivers who will be trekking around town and across the country to visit relatives. The top three users who earn the most points during this period will win Amazon gift cards in the amounts of $500, $300 and $200, for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively.
Crowdsourcing: Better Maps, Faster
The Waze application was one of the more innovative companies to appear at the most recent DEMO conference where they launched their turn-by-turn directions feature. Because they're not using map data from Tele Atlas or Navteq - the two big names that license map data to other companies for use in applications - Waze saves money while also being able to sell their own data to other companies at reduced rates. The company also claims that their crowdsourced method has dramatically shortened the months-long update cycle for maps.
While Waze may not be ready to replace your in-dash GPS just yet, it gets closer every day as more roads are mapped and more users join the service. Early adopters who want to contribute to the project can download the mobile application from the company's homepage here.
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The obvious question that immediately sprung to my mind : why not OpenStreetMap... I found it in Waze's FAQ at http://www.waze.com/faq/#17. Here is an excerpt of the answer :"When looking at the OSM licensing terms, we felt that they might limit us from certain business models in the future".
In plain language, Waze wants to own the data and benefit from restricting access.
So if you wish to spend the time and effort to contribute to a mapping project, why not chose one which will let you whatever you want with the data and who will always keep it that way ?
OpenStreetMap is like Wikipedia for maps. It creates and provides free geographic data such as street maps to anyone who wants them. The project was started because most maps you think of as free actually have legal or technical restrictions on their use, holding back people from using them in creative, productive, or unexpected ways.
If you enjoy mapping, give it a try : http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Main_Page
We are entering a whole new world of digital place making. This seems to be a double edged sword. On one hand, we are able to share our collective knowledge about a place, creating almost a digital history of a location. On the other hand, it seems by engaging with this technology, we are almost taking away from actually experiencing a place. Also, I'm curious as to how you work out property rights in this digital recreation.
Either way, the end-product is still a result of user engagement and their willingness to share collective information, which is generally a good thing for place making and community building.