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According to developer Waze, more than 30 million people have turned to its like-named crowdsourcing navigation app for Android and iOS for help finding the best route from point A to point B. Its large user base was seen as an opportunity by the White House and FEMA to aid with the gas shortages left in the wake of hurricane Sandy. And, on Friday, Waze was asked by the Fed to offer a solution.
Developers of the free GPS app started by leveraging its chit-chat feature, the instant messaging tool that's usually used to see how the traffic is moving up ahead. Now, it prompts Wazers in view of open gas stations to report if there's fuel and how long the line of cars waiting is. The app's integration with Yelp, Google, YP Mobile, Foursquare, Bing and Facebook also can help lead those in need to shelters and soup kitchens.
MeetUp and Friends location-sharing features provide an easy way to share information privately, either through text, email or messaging. Facebook integration also can be used to share information by posting one's GPS location with a short message.
PUBLISHED NOV. 9, 2012
