Dive summary:
- Google has purchased Israeli mapping startup Waze for $1.03 billion in an effort to maintain the lead in mapping services.
- The Waze social map mobile app offers real-time traffic information; users can flag bad traffic, construction or severe weather.
- Google is mostly interested in the data from Waze's 50 million users; the Waze technology will be integrated into the Google Maps.
From the article:
"The Waze acquisition coincides with a planned Google Maps makeover. Google will add data from Google+ into its maps, such as restaurant recommendations along your route."
