Social GPS navigation app Waze has released an update to both its iPhone and Android versions that it says presents “new real-time tools for real-time problems.” With version 3.6, users are now able to report and close roads on the map instantly, helping others better route to their destinations without delays or complications. As the service pushes past 40 million users (it ended 2012 with 34 million),Waze has amassed a great deal of information about the roadway. From understanding where traffic accidents, police speed traps, and hazards are along their route, the service does so well because of its community support. Just taking a look at the past year, users worldwide have helped share 90 million reports of things happening on the road (30 million of which happened in the US) and drove 6 billion miles. Over 500 million edits were made to Waze’s maps reflecting 1.7 million changes on-the-ground.
