Drivers Now Can Update With Google Waze App

Florida Joins Google "Waze" To Bring Real-Time Traffic To Drivers

The Florida Department of Transportation has reached an agreement to join in a data sharing partnership with Waze (www.waze.com), a free navigation app that uses information from millions of drivers to outsmart traffic in real-time. 

At the time of its acquisition by Google in June 2013, Waze had attracted more than 50 million users

Waze is a free navigation app for iOS, Android and Windows smartphones that calculates real-time road conditions based on traffic data from local drivers, known as “Wazers.” Wazers report traffic pileups, road hazards, construction sites and more, and their GPS patterns build and modify an up-to-the-minute accurate local map as they drive. This information is then used to calculate the fastest routes for any destination and help citizens avoid road congestion.

The Waze smart phone application is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore; the Google Play Market; or by visiting http://m.waze.com from a smart phone. In addition to real-time, crowd-sourced traffic data, Waze offers a number of hands-free features, such as:

• Voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation
• Voice-activated user reporting of road hazards, construction, incidents, and congestion;
• Voice commands to user-set “Favorite Places” like “Home” or “Office;” and
• Automated verbal notification of upcoming incidents or conditions.

FDOT and Waze will non-exclusively cross-license their traffic data to each other to enhance each partner’s ability to provide needed traffic information to the traveling public.

Florida 511 system has been providing real-time traffic information on Florida’s interstates, toll roads and major metropolitan roadways. Waze data will augment data collected by FDOT to provide traffic information on crashes, congestion, construction, as well as providing segment travel times.

There are four ways for motorists to receive updates on traffic and roadway conditions via Florida 511:

• Call 511 toll free for updates in English and Spanish.
• Visit FL511.com for interactive roadway maps showing traffic congestion and crashes, travel times and traffic camera views.
• Download the free Florida 511 mobile app available on Google Play and iTunes.
• Follow one of the 12 statewide, regional or roadway-specific feeds on Twitter.