Waze is Wayward Once Again

We've seen Waze direct unsuspecting drivers into dangerous favelas in Brazil and read the stories about unwary Israeli Defense Force soldiers being drawn by Waze into dangerous Arab neighborhoods. Now, we have Waze and other navigation apps guiding drivers into and onto highways and side streets made impassable by flames in Southern California.

https://tinyurl.com/y8nhq9d7 - "LAPD Warns Navigation Apps May Steer Drivers Toward Fires" - Bloomberg

Waze has gotten better over the years at integrating user inputs to assess real-time conditions on roads while also working to enhance its traffic prediction capabilities, but the app's underlying inclinitation to seek out less-trafficked roadways remains its Achilles heel. If there is no traffic - as reflected in the probe data derived from drivers using the Waze app - it looks like the road is open and available for use.

Waze has tried to flip this script by working directly with local traffic authorities in order to tap into more up-to-date info from official sources regarding road closures and detours. I happened to be in Southern California myself this week and can attest to the alerts being regularly broadcasted to mobile phones regarding high winds and fire danger.

But the struggle to cope with severe weather events and natural disasters remains a challenge. To this day, no good dynamic and reliable source of traffic information has emerged for hurricane evacuation routes, for example. This is in spite of the availability of a wide range of probe data sources capable of conveying real-time vehicle info.

There are two important takeaways here. Maybe three.

A) Traffic information is free

In the struggle to monetize the data associated with driving apps, the emergence of Waze has brought about a race to the bottom such that vehicle probe data for traffic information services has been reduced in value to nearly nothing. In this context, it is difficult for suppliers to justify making big investments in improving traffic information which is perceived as a free service accessible via smartphone.

B) TV and radio traffic reports still matter

The ability of television to portray the broader traffic context is unmatched, except for the local radio-delivered traffic report built upon spotters communicating eye-witness traffic accounts to a traffic reporter compiling the field inputs into a traffic report with specific recommendations. Radio traffic reports still matter.

C) We still have a problem

In spite of all the traffic spotters; DOT specialists and law enforecment tracking, responding to and sharing incident info; and mobile apps and vehicles sharing their movement information in real time - it's still tough to get an accurate picture of the traffic information that is relevant at a particular place and time. In spite of the devaluation of traffic information, there is still room for improvement.

The answer may lie in the connected cars of the future. Before cars can connect with and communicate with each other they will increasingly communicate with the wireless network. As automatic emergency braking systems proliferate there will be an emerging opportunity for cars to share the camera data from those front- and rear-facing cameras with a cloud-based data repository.

Companies like IOnRoad and Nexar have sought to convince consumers to mount their smartphones on their vehicle dashboards with their cameras facing forward for the same purpose. But tapping into the video feeds of cameras already built into cars offers the promise of a solution.

A short-term fix is better interpretation of the information from traffic cameras. Two years ago, TrafficLand introduced the concept of "visibility" based on its traffic camera feeds. Such cameras do not offer universal coverage of all roadways, but it is a way to contradict or validate traffic information from other sources.

The real lesson here, though, is we should never blindly follow the guidance of software-based systems. Waze can be helpful but one shouldn't venture out on a trip without a backup plan in the event that Waze fails or wireless connectivity is lost. An over-reliance on Waze or any other navigation app can get you in a mess of trouble and could even cost you your life. So Waze with care.