Google introduced this week the first integrations between its Google Maps for Mobile and the newly acquired Waze traffic app (Google purchased Waze for $1 billion in June). Obstacles such as construction, accidents and road closures reported by Waze users will now be available via the traffic tab on the iOS and Android versions of Google Maps. The Waze app will support Google search, while its map editors will have access to Google’s satellite imagery and Street View.

“Given the substantial overlap between Google Maps and Waze, it’s interesting to see what the company does to bring them together and keep them distinct,” suggests AllThingsD. “Adding Waze incident reports is the obvious choice, but also a substantial one; Waze users report millions of blockages and accidents per month.”

According to Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps, Waze will continue to focus on its community and helping those who commute — while the strengths of Google Maps will still involve search, exploring, finding nearby businesses and offering imagery.

“Another potentially interesting area of overlap between Waze and Google Maps is monetization,” notes AllThingsD. “Google (duh) has taken a search ads approach — it just added ads on Google Maps for iPhone and iPad, after having them on the Android version for a while. Waze has struck deals to display a smattering of businesses on its map (mainly Taco Bell, it seems) when users are approaching them.”

“Waze has a materially different model,” said McClendon. “But, it’s early days for local advertising and I think we both have good ideas, and right now lots of experiments.”

According to The Los Angeles Times, the integration of real-time information between the apps is great news for Google Maps users, but also bad news for its challengers.

“When Google bought Waze, it wasn’t just buying a startup — it was also buying a highly engaged community of users willing to provide real-time traffic information,” notes the article. “And that community is key to Google’s effort to stave off rival mapping apps, namely Apple Maps.”

Related Stories:
Apple Buys Another Mapping Company, Embark, The Wall Street Journal, 8/22/13
Apple Acquires Embark, Another Mapping App with Transit Information, TechCrunch, 8/22/13
Waze Brings Google Search and Street View to the Community, Waze Blog, 8/20/13
Google to Acquire Traffic Mapping App Waze for $1 Billion, ETCentric, 6/12/13