The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in Washington, D.C. recently teamed up with Waze, a crowdsourced navigation app.
Waze is a two-way data share app that allows drivers to update traffic information and also receive traffic reports from others, which helps provide more efficient traffic monitoring and more accurate real-time updates.
“DDOT is pleased to partner with Waze to provide our customers with real-time traffic conditions,” DDOT Acting Director Leif Dormsjo said. “Armed with reliable information from DDOT and the ability to provide their own information, the driving and riding public can help the transportation system in the District operate more efficiently.”
Through its Connected Citizens program, Waze receives information from road sensors, as well as incident and road closure reports from participants. It then publishes the information on its free app.
In return, participants commit to using Waze data to improve their cities’ efficiency. They also are expected to measure and share their findings with other participants.
“Waze is an app built by a global community of citizens,” Waze Connected Citizens Program Manager Paige Fitzgerald said. “It’s a free mobile platform that already enables and empowers drivers, and we want to bring entire cities that same level of connectivity. The immense data the District of Columbia can contribute to the Waze app makes it a key partner moving forward.”
To date, more than 80 cities have applied to be Connected Citizens partners even though the pilot program only began in October and has not been officially advertised.
“Traffic is a universal problem,” Waze Head of Growth Di-Ann Eisnor said. “Word has spread quickly because this is a solution the community has never seen before. We’re dedicated to answering every call to manage the demand.”
