PennDOT creates data-sharing partnership with Waze navigation app

Updated Dec 17, 2015

Waze app Philadelphia PennsylvaniaThe Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has entered into a partnership to provide real-time traffic data to the state’s drivers through crowdsourced navigation app provided by Waze.

This follows a move last month by Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to partner with Waze to share traffic data with motorists travelling through the three states.

“PennDOT is always looking for ways to make it easier and safer to travel on our roadways,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards says. “This partnership will advance our efforts in showing a government that works by improving our data while providing verified information through the app.”

The agency will send Waze road condition reporting data to share with users (called Wazers), and then used data reported by Wazers to supplement its internal traffic-condition monitoring efforts.

The partnership is part of the Waze Connected Citizens Program, which has been designed to “help users of the app, along with drivers and local communities collaborate together to improve the accuracy, timeliness and availability of roadway information.”

Waze reports it has more than 417,000 active users per month in Philadelphia and 80,000 active users in Pittsburgh.

“Waze is only as strong as the information it receives from its users,” says Paige Fitzgerald, Connected Citizens Program Manager at Waze. “With many Pennsylvanians already using Waze and partnerships with more than 25 U.S. municipalities including the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Waze already enables and empowers drivers. Our goal is to further connect Pennsylvania cities through this data exchange. The immense data PennDOT can contribute to Waze makes them an important partner moving forward.”

More details about the Waze Connected Citizens program is available at  https://blog.waze.com/p/connected-citizens.html. The Waze app is free and available for iOS and Android platforms at http://www.waze.com.