Waze To Share Traffic Data With Governments

Waze is launching a data-exchange program that aims to improve the accuracy of traffic reports and conditions.

The company, acquired by Google last year, will partner with local governments worldwide in a program called “Connected Citizens.” The project will collect anonymous, crowd-sourced traffic data in real time before handing the information over to government agencies — and in return, governments will grant Waze information on public projects, construction plans and pre-planned events such as road closures or repairs.

According to The Next Web, the Connected Citizens program will launch with 10 partners, listed below:

• New York Police Department
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Barcelona, Spain and the Government of Catalonia
• San Jose, Costa Rica
• Boston
• State of Florida
• State of Utah
• Los Angeles County

Waze offers a free GPS-based smartphone app which alerts users to changing traffic conditions by crowdsourcing data. The community-based app also aims to give drivers a heads-up on accidents and police activity, and can also suggest quicker and better routes for your trip home.

Di-Ann Eisnor, head of growth at Waze, told The Next Web that the data exchange will only include public alerts and that the company will not share “anything beyond that, such as where individuals are located and who they are.”