Faith Signals

Bronze winner of Clio Health Awards 2026 for Student Creative Use of Data and Student Culture

Every year, more than 50,000 people walk over 200 kilometers along highways in Brazil as part of a religious pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Aparecida. While deeply meaningful, this journey exposes pilgrims to serious road risks, as many routes lack proper infrastructure or protection from traffic. Faith Signal was created to make these journeys safer. Inspired by the rosary — a symbol of spiritual protection in Catholic tradition — Waze developed a smart location pin that can be attached to pilgrims’ rosaries or clothing. The device shares real-time location data with the Waze app, allowing drivers to see pilgrims on the map and receive alerts to reduce speed and drive more carefully. The pin also includes a fall detection sensor, enabling faster emergency response when help is needed. By combining cultural relevance with navigation technology, Faith Signal helps prevent accidents and creates safer journeys for both pilgrims and drivers. Because every journey deserves to reach its destination safely.