One of the global leaders in location intelligence and mapping software systems, Esri, has announced that Waze live traffic alert data will now be available for integration into its ArcGIS geographic information, analytics and visualization platform.
Waze, the free, crowdsourced traffic and navigation app, is now fully supported by Esri’s ArcGIS Online cloud-based platform, where its live feed of mapped traffic alerts and other information, such as accidents, congestion and street damage, can be used in applications in minutes.
The data is available through Esri’s ArcGIS Marketplace and is free to members of the Waze Connected Citizens Program, a two-way sharing of publicly available traffic and road condition information that offers governments and agencies a stream of data, constantly updated in real time, whenever they need it. This enables personnel to make data-driven infrastructure decisions and improves the efficiency of incident response.
Much of the information government organizations and transport planners rely on to make decisions is becoming obsolete, as communities are starting to use new technologies, such as multiple types of sensors and drones to monitor the quality of roads, bridges and utilities.
The Waze Connected Citizens Program gives municipalities the power to harness crowdsourced driver data to not only improve safety and congestion, but also make better-informed decisions by giving planners an edge to start building infrastructure that meets the demands of 21st century urban life, while paving the way for future smart city deployments of multiple integrated systems.
Governments can sign up for the free Waze Connected Citizens Program and start working with the alert data in ArcGIS to create operational dashboards that departments can use right away. Municipal personnel, such as traffic engineers and transport planners, can start using this data to analyze where the biggest problems exist on the roads so they can create targeted solutions. For instance, by seeing exactly where the most crashes are occurring, engineers know where they need to place more officers, replace street signs, or adjust the timing of traffic lights.
“Municipalities can now leverage near up-to-the-minute reports without having to write code or purchase additional software,” explained Andrew Stauffer, manager of civic technology at Esri. “Mapped Waze data is available immediately in all ArcGIS apps, where traffic engineers and even city planners can use it to maintain and build safer, more efficient transportation systems.”
Waze’s global partnerships manager, Adam Fried, commented, “Our Connected Citizens Program is all about removing any barriers to innovation. We want to help our partners leverage existing infrastructure and be able to make better data-driven decisions. Now, with just a couple of clicks, a city can easily access and analyze Waze data within Esri ArcGIS and use those insights to improve roadway management and build safer roads for its citizens.”
