JackWager.com

Why Integrated Into Every Automobile?

Integration can help in two ways:

1. More users means more data, more data provides potential for better travel time estimates, and alternate routes if X occured in location Y
2. As autonomous cars become more common, the more data that exists, the better autonomous cars can be

Integration can also collect more data. For example, Drivers A and B might leave the same general area and be headed to about the same destination. Let's say Drivers A and B take the same route, but Driver A gets there before Driver B. There's a lot of reasons why this can happen, but some obvious reasons are lane selection, willingness to weave through traffic, travel faster than the speed limit, hit the gas on a yellow light, or a host of other reasons. If Waze could track gas and brake pressings by percentage, and also how often lane changes occur, it will provide much more information about a driver's habits. Waze can use this data to create an 'average' driver to determine if Driver A or B is an outlier. Knowing what an average driver is can help with estimated travel times and which route to recommend. If Driver A is an outlier on Route C, and Route D is more favorable for average drivers, then Driver B can be directed to Route D instead of Route C.

Alternate Routes

Many times Waze suggests a route for me to take, although I end up not taking it. Waze never asks why, it realizes I'm off-course and re-routes me to the next 'best' route. I mostly avoid a route because there is more traffic than Waze reports. Sometimes an onramp is backed up for 1/2 mile or more and Waze shows everything as 'OK'. I could drop a 'traffic' symbol, but Waze will misinterpret it, thinking I mean the rest of the road or freeway is the problem.

Timing and Setting Routes

I drove to the same destination 5 days a week for 5 years. I know many different routes, and which I like or dislike. Although whenever I ask Waze for directions, it picks routes it thinks either I want based on my driving habits (when the app is open), or what it thinks is the current fastest. All I want are the routes I pre-selected and their estimated travel time. Based on my experience with each route and my interpretation of Waze data, I can pick what I believe is the best route. Also it'd be nice if Waze would time each route. If I setup 5 different routes to a destination, Waze should log the time it takes me to get from A to B every time the route is taken. I should be able to review these times, see the slowest, fastest and average times. Decide if I want to keep or eliminate this route, or just use that data to further influence my decision as to which route to take. Also a comparison of Waze estimated time and the actual time it took me to complete each route would be insanely appreciated.