We chuckled at the Facebook post that told of how the popular navigation application, Waze, somehow thought it was ok to make a run for it at 100+ mph to work, because, I guess it was in a hurry to get there. The driver wisely decided not to make the 59-mile journey in the 39 minutes he was informed it could be done. But, what can we expect? As these navigation apps become even more useful, they may become even less trustworthy.
We’re not sure exactly what went wrong in the work commute above, but our guess is that there was bad data for the application to process.. We’re assuming the developers of the widely distributed program used to make a very simple mileage-speed-time calculation that many people can do in their head, tested it for accuracy. Incorrect data in the backend of the system led the program to produce incorrect information for the user. “Garbage in garbage out,” is the old saying.
It’s not always incorrect data that happens to be there by some mistake, however.
Interactive GPS navigation is a growing business. Google Maps, Waze, BackCountry Navigator, HERE WeGo, MapQuest, Polaris Navigation, Scout GPS (formerly: Telenav), are just a few of the popular ones. As the applications rely more and more on independent data sources, the integrity of the data itself will come more and more into question.
An in-depth article by Auto Connected Car News explains how apps that allow users to provide feedback on routes for drivers is designed to help drivers avoid accidents, obstacles and heavy traffic, but that’s not always the case. Residents of thickly settled areas will falsely report accidents or log in false reports of heavy traffic to the driving apps to keep other drivers away from their quiet neighborhoods.
So, just like anything else, use common sense, and don’t trust everything you see on your smart phone.
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