More help, free of charge! That's what the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced Tuesday in a a new partnership with popular crowd-sourcing traffic navigation mobile app Waze. The DOT says it can enhance your daily commute through Waze's real-time information and latest updates before you hit the roads.
Now the Wisconsin DOT will verify and then post that information on it's website and app.
Elizabeth Schneider, Wisconsin Department of Transportation Freeway Operations Engineer, says "We're able to get road closure and hazard information on roads faster, which means we can report on it, confirm it, and respond to it faster than in some other data sources. And we can do this for more roads then we currently can."
In return for the up-to-date crowd sourcing information, Wisconsin DOT will give Waze the latest information on construction, crash, and road closures throughout the state. The hope is that this exchange will help drivers better plan their routes and reduce congestion.
Paul Keltner, Wisconsin Department of Transportation State Traffic Operations Center Supervisor, and avid Waze user, says he loves this partnership. "Finding hazards such as potholes, fog areas more quickly, those can be tough to capture, and this just gives us a bigger data set that we can draw off of," reasons Keltner .
This data-sharing partnership is just the beginning. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation plans to incorporate Waze's data into the 511 Wisconsin Website redesign this spring. This change will give drivers faster updates, personalized camera feeds, and better knowledge to know well before you hit the roads.
For more information about Wisconsin DOT's partnership and information on the roads visit their website.
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