Waymo and Waze to share pothole data with US cities

Waymo and Waze have launched a pilot programme to share autonomous vehicle-generated pothole data with city transport authorities across five US metro areas. The programme feeds Waymo’s on-road detection data into the Waze for Cities platform, giving municipal departments of transportation an additional source of road condition information alongside user-submitted reports.

Waymo’s perception and physical feedback systems identify potholes as its vehicles operate, with the data made freely available to city officials through the Waze for Cities platform. The information will also be visible to Waze app users in relevant areas, who can verify detections to improve accuracy.

The pilot launches across the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta metro areas, where Waymo has already identified approximately 500 potholes. The company said it plans to expand the partnership to additional cities over time, including those with freeze-thaw cycles that increase road surface deterioration.

In a statement, Arielle Fleisher, Policy Development and Research Manager at Waymo, said: “Waymo is already making roads safer where we operate. We want to build on the safety benefits of our service by partnering with organisations and city officials to help improve the infrastructure we all depend on.”

Source: Waymo