Waze integrates Cities Data with Google Cloud tools for partners’ ease of use

GPS navigation service Waze is helping partner organisations more easily analyse its traffic data by integrating it with Google Cloud tools.

Cities Data is a collaborative programme built on the traffic data crowdsourced from Waze users, which the company offers to partners like municipalities and first responders to improve existing city infrastructure.

Waze says Cities’ partners will have access to data warehouse tool BigQuery and data visualisation tool Data Studio, which make the data easier to interpret and communicate to non-technical audiences.

Partners can analyse up to 1TB of data and store up to 10GB of data for free each month.

It adds that partners will remain in complete control of their data and can securely and privately store and analyse their own data or perform their own analytics buttressed by Waze’s Cities Data.

Any public agency is eligible to apply for the programme by clicking “Apply Now” on the Waze for Cities homepage. Existing Cities partners will receive more information on how to integrate their existing account.

Google Cloud product management director Sudhir Hasbe explained that integration with Google Cloud will make it easy to view Waze for Cities Data and layer in other transportation-related data sources to see the full picture in one place.

He added that this means Cities Data partners also won’t need to build their own tools or have different systems for different data sources.

Smart Selangor Delivery Unit (SSDU) managing director Dr Fahmi Ngah said since partnering with Waze for Cities Data in Sept 2016, the SSDU has successfully identified pot holes in various locations based on the reports submitted by Wazers, enabling swift repairs of these same pot holes.

“Apart from that, it has also aided us in identifying locations prone to flooding. We are excited for the integration of Waze for Cities Data & Google Cloud, as it will make the experience even better,” he said, in a press release.

Cities Data, formerly known as Connected Citizens Programme, launched in October 2014 with 10 city partners and has grown to more than 1,000 partners globally.

Source: TheStar