Can You Trust Navigation Apps During a Major
Emergency?
By Aaron Mak
At least five wildfires have been blazing in
Southern California over the past week, engulfing
tens of thousands of acres and more than 150 homes.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported that
the Los Angeles Police Department advised drivers
not to consult navigation apps, which it said were
instructing users to drive towards streets in areas
that are on fire because they are less crowded at
the moment.
It raised a question that could have broader
implications: Can you trust the technology you use
for everyday navigation in the event of a major
emergency?
In this case, as the fires spread rapidly, the LAPD
isn’t pointing to a systematic issue with the apps.
Anibal Lopez, a representative for the department,
told Slate, “We’re not telling people not to use the
navigation apps. We want people around some areas to
use them with caution.”
He noted that not all navigation apps are
necessarily experiencing this issue, though he
declined to name specific apps on the record.
Officials at roads blocked off from the public due
to fires have had to turn back cars because drivers
have been directed there by their navigation apps.
According to USA Today, the Waze app did not alert a
reporter of fires in Bel Air on Wednesday morning.
There were also a number of people on Twitter
reporting problems with several apps:
LA peeps: DON’T USE WAZE to get past 405 fire. It is
taking people right into the neighborhoods that are
on fire! #SkirballFire #TechnologyFail #LAFire
— justin bellamy (@siliconbeacher) December 6, 2017
@waze Are you trying to kill me? #405closed #Fire
#LosAngeles pic.twitter.com/zdZCaHNQzP
— Michael Beatrice (@MichaelBeatrice) December 6,
2017
Google maps, waze, and apple maps all seem to think
I can take the 405 to work and drive right through
the fire without any problems. That's a problem.
— Punk&Spice Latte (@sch4) December 6, 2017
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Waze, which has received much of the scrutiny, was
active on Twitter in response. It says it’s working
with transit officials to keep maps updated with
road closures.
Southern California: Use Waze to find safety from
the #wildfires. Together with @LADOTofficial & the
#WazeCommunity we've marked 110 closures & 16
shelters, with more updates every minute. Need
assistance now? Type "help" into your search bar &
find your nearest, open shelter.
pic.twitter.com/3HHcrrPp8v
— waze (@waze) December 7, 2017
We're working with the @LADOTofficial and our
#WazeCommunity to keep the Waze Map updated with
road closures (currently at 110) & open shelters
(16) to help Southern Californians navigate safely
around the #wildfires. Please help us spread the
word. https://t.co/QN4T0TFD9R
— waze (@waze) December 7, 2017
Navigation apps do often have features designed to
assist users in the event of natural disasters or
other emergencies. Google launched the SOS Alerts
tool for its Maps app in July, which provides news
stories, emergency phone numbers, and other updates
related to crises in affected locations. Google
itself has released two maps that indicate the
locations and conditions of the fires. And during
Hurricane Irma in September, Google Maps marked road
closers and used crowdsourced alerts from Waze to
compile information on travel conditions during the
storm.
A spokesperson for Google, which owns Waze, sent
Slate a statement:
To provide access to accurate and useful
transportation information, we use algorithmic and
manual methods to account for everyday and emergency
road closures. These road closures also appear on
our LA Fire Crisis Map, embedded as part of our SOS
Alert on Search. We'll continue to update the map in
real time to address the changing conditions on the
ground and help Los Angelenos get around safely.
The prospect of GPS-enabled systems directing people
towards a crisis raises concerns for self-driving
car technology, which could face a similar flaw.
However, the U.S. Department of Transportation and
other emergency-preparedness researchers have been
studying how automated vehicles could actually make
evacuations for natural disasters like hurricanes
and floods faster. Hopefully, that would be the case
for fires as well.
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