Waze just better at finding parking - are Google's self-driving cars next?

Google's easy-navigation app Waze is getting a boost that will help take the pain out of finding parking while adding more tools to the company's belt in the digital age of driving.

The app, which uses real time data to avoid traffic congestion and other bumps in the road, is now teaming up with transportation data firm INRIX to help users find places to park in their area, according to The Verge.

Waze already sports a parking feature that allows users to search for places to leave their car before they arrive, but now that the Google-owned company is teaming up with INRIX, the results will be much more accurate, instantaneous, and helpful.

INRIX gathers traffic and infrastructure data for use by car manufacturers, governments, and even news sources, aggregating information Waze would find useful such as available parking areas and fares, if applicable.

The extra help couldn't come any sooner. According to an official business statement, drivers in North America and Europe wasted an average of 55 hours last year rubbernecking for a place to park.

"Driving from point A to B is only part of the journey," said INRIX vice president and general manager of parking, Alex Israel. "The addition of INRIX parking enhances Wazers' end-to-end driving experience."

Driving Miss Wazey

Speaking of end-to-end, a longer term advantage of Waze's partnership with INRIX could be improving self-driving cars.

While it remains unconfirmed if the Google-owned Waze will use its technology to support the company's well-known autonomous vehicle division, the data could provide ways for self-driving vehicles to not just get between destinations, but also find places to stop at the end.

Certain concepts for self-driving cars still require the driver to get hands-on for certain procedures when driving - particularly searching around the destination for a place to stop. With Waze's tech and INRIX's data, Google could - could in theory - outfit its cars to handle the tedium instead of the driver.

We haven't heard much from Google's auto-automotive division since this year's I/O conference, but we wouldn't be surprised if the company continues to step up its self-driving game.

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Source: TechRadar posted by Admin