Google has today confirmed that it has acquired social mapping service Waze as it looks to improve Google Maps. The company did not disclose how much it paid for the Israeli startup, but it has revealed that it plans to integrate some of its popular features into Google Maps.

“To help you outsmart traffic, today we’re excited to announce we’ve closed the acquisition of Waze. This fast-growing community of traffic-obsessed drivers is working together to find the best routes from home to work, every day,” Google announced on its official blog.

As expected, the Waze development team will remain in Israel where Google already has its own office, and it will continue to operate separately “for now.” But you can expect to see some of Waze’s features making their way into Google Maps.

“We’re excited about the prospect of enhancing Google Maps with some of the traffic update features provided by Waze and enhancing Waze with Google’s search capabilities,” Google said. “We’ll also work closely with the vibrant Waze community, who are the DNA of this app, to ensure they have what’s needed to grow and prosper.”

It certainly doesn’t look like Google is planning to pull a Yahoo! and shut Waze down right away. But it’s unclear how long it will remain in its current form. For now, at least, Waze users have nothing to worry about.

• SourceGoogle