Waze data employed by Lexicon for smart city solutions

TU-Editor

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18th July 2018

UK artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) specialist Lexicon Science has teamed up with crowd-sourcing mapping giant Waze to explore future smart city mobility solutions.

It will draw on Waze data from more than two million monthly users in the UK who each spend on average 14 hours per month using the app to avoid traffic congestion. The data will be used by Lexicon to model how changes to road design, traffic flow and smart navigation will ease movement around cities, improve air quality, and to develop systems for autonomous vehicles.

Thais Blumenthal de Moraes, global business development manager at Waze said: “There are over two billion people around the world whose lives can be improved by cities reviewing and improving the flow of traffic, and therefore reducing knock-on effects such as emissions. At Waze, we are actively seeking routes that will help to reduce the number of cars on the road and the amount of pollution being created. The team at Lexicon Science is involved with a number of highly promising projects where Waze data will make a key difference.”

Lexicon joins Transport for London, The Alan Turing Institute and Oxford County Council collecting data generated by Waze as part of its Connected Citizens Program (CCP), which is designed to help city planners, transport authorities, charities and research groups solve transportation challenges, improve urban planning, reduce traffic congestion and speed up the emergency response to incidents.

Austen Atkinson, chief executive, Lexicon Science, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Waze to use its data in a new way. Our partnership will enable Waze and its loyal users’ data to contribute to the smart cities of the future, and improve the current situation for travelers and governments who are battling with legacy infrastructure designed for a different era. By analyzing the Waze data, corroborating from space-based data via AI, and delivering with 2D and Augmented Reality, we can revolutionize transport. Humankind has never had access to data of this kind before and by going back to first principles and looking at things in a totally new and informed way, we can help improve the quality of life for everyone. So, we’re delighted that Waze has chosen us as its newest data partner.”

The data partnership follows a fierce battle Lexicon won for incubation from the UK Space Agency, in June 2018. The Agency had helped the company develop its Vanguard AR headset, an AI managed big data fueled AR visor.