User-based navigation service Waze made waves last year when it was acquired by Google for $1.1 billion, indicating big things were coming to the traffic fighting app. Now we know that one of those big things would be Waze teaming up with city governments to gain access to even more real-time data about traffic conditions for its apps users. Jakarta recently became one of those cities.
“Jakarta has become one of the 10 cities targeted by our smart city program in the area of traffic flow,” said Paige Fitzgerald, program manager for Waze, after meeting with Acting Governor of Jakarta Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama at City Hall today.
Fitzgerald met with Ahok and the Head of Jakarta’s Transportation Agency, M. Akbar, to discuss the exchange of information between Waze and the Jakarta Government.
Fitzgerald said the information Waze received from the city government about traffic conditions, traffic accidents and government activities would immediately be communicated to residents through the Waze app so that congestion in the capital could, hopefully, be reduced.
“By enabling Waze, users can get the data on actual traffic conditions,” Fitzgerald said.
Users can also leave information on the cause of an obstruction or congestion so that other users can use an alternative route.
That kind of crowdsourced information is one of the advantages Waze has over Google Maps. Waze users can file all sorts of reports on traffic conditions that then become instantly accessible to others.
After Waze was purchased by Google, Google Maps began integrate Waze data into its route suggestions earlier this year. But Waze still gives users access to more real-time data from other users.
Transportation Agency Head M Akbar, said that, in the next few weeks, his agency will begin exchanging traffic information with Waze.
“The agreement was signed in September 2014 and we’re currently following-up so that these applications can be enjoyed by the public,” he said.
Waze is a free app for mobile phones and tablets. There are versions of the app for iOS devices, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian and BlackBerry.
Source: Antara
