Esri partners with Waze Connected Citizens Program to deliver open data-sharing options to governments
12 October 2016
Leading geographic information systems (GIS) company Esri is partnering with Waze, the free, crowdsourced traffic and navigation app, to make it easier for governments to begin building intelligent transportation systems in their communities. Governments already using the Esri ArcGIS platform can now quickly and easily exchange data through the Waze Connected Citizens Program, a free, two-way data share of publicly available traffic information.
In 2014, Waze pioneered data standards for road closure and incident reporting, which are embedded within customized data feeds provided to each partner. Waze provides real-time, anonymous, Waze-generated incident and slow-down information directly from drivers themselves. In exchange, ArcGIS makes it easy to provide real-time construction, crash and road closure data to Waze to return one of the most succinct, thorough overviews of current road conditions today.
Governments that have not already subscribed to Esri technology or joined the Waze Connected Citizens Program can sign up online.
Municipalities can now leverage real-time reports without having to invest in sensor networks or an Internet of Things infrastructure. Waze allows local governments to share open data with a purpose—in an application that is already popular with constituents, commuters, and tourists.
—Andrew Stauffer, manager of civic technology at Esri
The simplicity and structure of the data feeds allow local governments to merge information into existing enterprise systems, such as emergency dispatch and street maintenance systems.
The partnership also enables communities to extend the reach of the data they map and manage by sharing it with Waze, which has more than 65 million monthly active users worldwide. This free, public-private partnership allows greater government transparency and collaboration with citizens to help people better navigate their streets and highways.
The Waze Connected Citizens Program empowers municipalities to harness real-time driver insight to improve congestion and make better informed planning decisions. With 100 partners worldwide, Waze provides each partner with the same set of free, data-driven tools and resources to foster collaboration and communication between all partners. Working with Esri allows Waze to further scale the program and creates additional opportunities for our partners to collaborate, helping each other incorporate the power of crowdsourced data into their traffic management strategies.
—Paige Fitzgerald, head of new business development—data acquisition for Waze
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