The tech is part of a public-private partnership meant to improve connectivity to Waze and other navigation apps from underground.
Waze has entered a partnership with the New York MTA and Port Authority aimed at improving navigation for drivers in New York City.
Several tunnels in the city now boast Waze Beacons, an open-source technology meant to allow users of navigation apps to stay connected even when they don't have a signal—particularly useful for drivers entering tunnels, the company expects. The tiny devices stick to tunnel walls and can support any navigation app, not just Waze. Chaim Gartenberg explains in The Verge:
"The Waze Beacons themselves are just battery-powered microcontrollers that use low-powered Bluetooth signals to communicate with smartphones, allowing for Waze to provide alternative location services to drivers even when out of GPS range (relying on Google’s near-field Eddystone technology to communicate)."
Boston, Chicago, and Pittsburgh are among the cities already using the private infrastructure, now also online in New York's Holland, Lincoln, Queens-Midtown, and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnels.
FULL STORY: Waze adds Beacons to NYC tunnels so drivers can stay connected to GPS apps
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