Cobb County transportation officials announced Monday that they will share data with the navigation application Waze to improve traffic in the area.
Waze will combine Cobb Department of Transportation traffic information with user-generated reports. The county will also collect anonymous, real-time data from Waze to help identify traffic trends and plan the future of Cobb.
The county said it wants to get a better handle on traffic with growth near Kennesaw State University, the Cumberland area,along with the addition of the Atlanta Braves' SunTrust Park and The Battery.
The Waze Connected Citizens Program gives Cobb "an unprecedented look at road activity, empowering partners to harness real-time driver insights to improve congestion and make better informed planning decisions," the county said.
Cobb DOT signed on as a partner in August and began sharing closure data with Waze earlier this month, according to Cobb DOT spokeswoman Torie Anderson.
But what does this international mapping company get from the municipality?
"In exchange, Cobb County is providing critical road closure and incident data to Waze, helping Wazers better circumvent major traffic events and real-time traffic blocks," said Adam Fried, Waze’s business development manager.
