Google said it has begun integrating into its online maps features from the Waze traffic app it acquired earlier this year in a deal said to be worth some US$1 billion.
“No one likes getting stuck in traffic. That’s why the Waze and Google Maps teams are working together to harness the power of Google technology and the passion of the Waze community to make it easier to navigate your daily life,” said the tech giant’s Brian McClendon in a blog post.
“Users of Google Maps for Mobile will now benefit from real time incident reports from Waze users,” he added.
McClendon said so-called Wazers’ reports on accidents, construction, road closures and other issues will appear on the Google Maps app for Android and iOS in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, Britain and the US.
In June, Google announced plans to buy the crowd-sourced map app Waze, which was launched in Israel to help users of Apple and Android smartphones.
In addition, the Waze Map Editor now includes Google Street View and satellite imagery to make it easier to correct map errors reported.