Mobility, participation and data: the case study of Waze for Cities Data in Joinville (SC)

Abstract

This article describes Smart Mobility’s methodology, a project responsible for the implementation of Waze for Cities Data. Developed by the Secretaria de Planejamento Urbano e Desenvolvimento Sustentável (Sepud) of the city of Joinville (SC), the project’s methodology has its mobility plan based on traffic data collected and provided by Waze. Grounded in the concept of Smart Cities, the study’s theoretical framework analyzes the application of Big Data in data-driven urban planning, as well as the importance of citizen's participation in technology projects. When it comes to the study’s methodology, a qualitative exploratory case study is presented, in which a systematic/non-participant observation was used as data collection instrument. The study also presents a brief historical background of Waze and the bidirectional data sharing program Waze for Cities Data. Results demonstrate that the use of data collected by technology platforms can contribute to the optimization of urban management through solutions that are closer to the population's reality; what could generate benefits in time and productivity. The project also positioned Brazil as a world reference in the adoption of data collected by Waze, reinforcing, then, the need of similar initiatives that are less technocratic and more citizen-centered.

Keywords:
Smart Cities; Waze; Data; Mobility; Participation