Arlington Paves the Way for Roadway Data-Sharing

Published on April 16, 2016

It will soon be easier to find the best real-time routes around Arlington.

The County Board today approved Arlington joining Google's Connected Citizens Program, which includes a data sharing agreement between Arlington and Google.

Arlington will supplement what Waze users report with information on major planned closures, including closures from special events. This will directly benefit all Waze users as they navigate in Arlington.

In return, the County will receive real-time information -- crowd-sourced from the streets — on traffic conditions and flow in Arlington.  Warnings of high-impact traffic disruptions will soon be incorporated into the County's "My Arlington" app.

"This is one more way the County is improving access to information that makes it easier to live and work here," Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said. "The goal is to help our residents and visitors make better informed decisions about their commute using real-time traffic and road conditions at no cost."

The Board voted 5 to 0 to approve the deal.

The staff report on this item, #43, from the Saturday, April 16 regular Board Meeting, is available on the County website.

The new motorist-friendly data-sharing is part of Arlington's Open Government and Open Data initiatives, aimed at making it easier for anyone to access valuable information generated by County operations.

Arlington's participation in Google's Connected Citizens Program involves no fees or costs.

Waze, purchased by Google in 2013, is a separate app from the very popular Google Maps, although the two share data occasionally.