So a couple years ago I looked into a company called Dash which was/is providing a GPS product that incorporates user-generated content (UGC) which helps the driver decide on the best route to take from A to B. The problem with UGC products like these is that you need a certain amount of users to really gather good data. And with Dash’s product costing more than I was willing to spend, I decided not to go ahead with the purchase. Oh, and I didn’t own a car
Fast forward to today and I now have a car and also a commute that takes about an hour if there’s no traffic. After the big rainstorm that we had in SF and the ensuing problems with flooding, accidents, and traffic, I decided to take a look  into what’s out there. Before embarking on my journey to SFO to drop off a friend, I scoured the twitter feeds to see what areas were closed, where there was accidents… Although it gave me information, I had to search beforehand and plot out my course. Enter Waze. I’m hoping that this FREE application that I downloaded onto my iphone will help me plot the quickest and easiest way when I drive around. I haven’t tested it out and I’m guessing that initially it won’t be helping me out too much as it’s a new app and there needs to be more traction before I get any good information. I’ll fill you in once I’ve used it for a couple of months. I’m also intrigued by their business model which allows people to use the app for free and once Waze has gotten a good amount of data, then they will be able to license the data to other bigger mapping companies. Here’s a TechCrunch article I read about the company and also here’s a demo: