REDLANDS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global smart-mapping leader Esri today announced a new partnership with Waze, the free, crowdsourced traffic and navigation app that makes it easier for governments of every size, anywhere in the world, to begin building intelligent transportation systems in their communities.
Governments already using the Esri ArcGIS platform can quickly and easily exchange data through the Waze Connected Citizens Program, a free, two-way data share of publicly available traffic information. Waze has set the gold standard on how to share and harness the power of anonymous, aggregated data to promote greater transportation efficiency, deeper insight into travel conditions, and safer roads. Esri is the industry leader in geospatial analytics, empowering more than 300,000 organizations in making location-based decisions. Starting today, governments that have not already subscribed to Esri technology or joined the Waze Connected Citizens Program can sign up online to start sharing road closure alerts and other information with their citizens right away.
"Municipalities can now leverage real-time reports without having to invest in sensor networks or an Internet of Things infrastructure," said Andrew Stauffer, manager of civic technology at Esri. “Waze allows local governments to share open data with a purpose—in an application that is already popular with constituents, commuters, and tourists."
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, to make their communities operate smarter—and safer.
Importantly, the partnership 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," said Paige Fitzgerald, head of new business development—data acquisition for Waze. "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."
In 2014, Waze pioneered data standards for road closure and incident reporting, which are embedded within customized data feeds provided to each partner. Established as a two-way data share, Waze provides partners with real-time, anonymous, Waze-generated incident and slowdown information directly from the source: drivers themselves. In exchange, partners provide real-time, government-reported construction, crash, and road closure data to Waze to return one of the most thorough records of current road conditions.
For more information on how to get started, visit go.esri.com/pr-waze. For more information on the Waze Connected Citizens Program, visit www.waze.com/ccp.
About Waze
Waze is the social navigation pioneer, leveraging mobile technology and a passionate global community to redefine expectations of today's maps. Waze is home to the world's largest network of drivers who work together daily to outsmart traffic and save time and money. The app consistently recommends the fastest routes based on real-time driving and data from more than 65 million users. From traffic reroutes to low gas price alerts and relevant offers from favorite brands, Waze is one of the most comprehensive driving companions in the marketplace.
About Esri
Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. As the market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 350,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.
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