IT consulting company IDC has has released the list of winners for its fifth annual Government Insights Smart Cities Awards and Virginia Beach is among the honorees once again.

In the category of “Transportation – Connected & Autonomous Vehicles, Public Transit, Ride-Hailing/Ride-Sharing,” the city shares top honors with Wilson, NC. There were 14 categories this year, with Virginia Beach being the only winner from the state. 

The awards are used to highlight cities showing “unprecedented progress in creating and sustaining smart city projects”, and Virginia Beach won this year thanks to its traffic data sharing partnership with Waze, a Google subsidiary known for its popular satellite navigation app.

The partnership means the city receives traffic information directly from Waze and thus can be more effective in responding to traffic events. Meanwhile, Waze can supplement its users’ gps data with information directly from the city about road closures, accidents, and more. From the city’s website: