This page serves as the primary resource for editors of Alaska. Review all the sections to better understand how the guidelines for this state might deviate from the overall USA or worldwide guidelines. If you have any comments or questions about this page or state refer to the community links below.
Welcome to the Alaska wazeopedia page. Currently under construction.
Introduction
Alaska is a part of the Northwest region, which includes the states and/or territories of:
Before editing the maps in Alaska, be sure to fully review and understand the editing manual.
The Waze user community follows the Waze etiquette guidelines discussed in the Wiki. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these guiding principals while editing the maps and this Wiki, as well as when communicating with other Waze users.
GIS Resources
Useful Scripts
WME GIS Layers displays public GIS data on your WME screen including parcels, address points, and Mile Markers for state roads. The larger municipalities and boroughs have this data available, but not all do.
WME GIS Buttons provides a toolbar with links to open local GIS resources.
WME AK GIS Map opens a map in a new tab that contains most Alaska GIS sources, and keeps that map synced with your WME view.
All of the state's roads are typed and set according to AKDOT functional classification. Alaska follows the Functional Classification (FC) system for both state and non-state roads. This change from the previous road-typing guidance was changed in September 2014. Please cross reference using the functional classification table
If you want to know more about the Federal Functional Classification check the Functional Classification article.
Community
The Waze forum is a great place to find answers to previously asked questions and also a place to ask new ones. Below are links to the forums specific to Alaska.
New editors should consider checking into the formal mentoring program available at no charge.
Discord - Waze NWR Editors
Discord is a all in one voice text chat that's free for anyone to use. We are moving away from Google hangouts (GHO) and encourage editors to use the discord channel.
Join NWR Discord
Discord - Waze NA
This is the North America waze channel we encourage editors to join but not required.
Join Waze NA Discord
Cities and towns
One of the most common errors when editing the maps is when an editor creates a road and does not confirm the road by setting the city and road name (or stating it has none).
In Alaska, it can be difficult to determine the proper City name to use in Waze roads and places. Alaska is not fully divided into Counties like other states. The closest comparison are Boroughs, which are typically large areas with regional governments. These may or may not contain any incorporated first-class Cities. Many areas of Alaska do not have official city governments. Additionally, there are several local governments which combine the functions of a Borough and City - the Municipality of Anchorage is the largest example - these "cities" may have other "town" names within their jurisdiction.
Procedure
To determine the City name to apply to road segments, follow this procedure:
If you are within the official City Limits of a first-class city or municipality, use the name indicated by that government. Note a few large cities contain towns with different names. These are indicated by a zip code with a different city name. Known examples within Anchorage are Eagle River, Chugiak, Indian Creek, and Girdwood. Douglas within the City and Borough of Juneau is another example.
If you are outside city limits, use the Census Designated Place (CDP) name. The Cities Overlay script indicates the CDP area names. Then apply the USPS ZIP code city name for the area as an Alternate city name - conveniently indicated by the WME USGB Script.
If you are not within a CDP, check the "No City" box. Then apply the USPS ZIP code city name for the area as an Alternate city name.
Place Names
To determine the address for a place point or area:
Use the address published by the business on their website, otherwise:
Use the address from the ZIP code lookup site at USPS.com, otherwise:
Follow the instructions for road segments above, including using parcel addresses from GIS sources.
WME GIS Buttons provides links to local GIS resources to determine city boundaries
Municipality of Anchorage
The Municipality of Anchorage publishes a GIS web page to determine official addresses, as used by the 911 system.
Anchorage Official Addresses Shows zip code boundaries within Anchorage. All areas except Eagle River, Chugiak, Indian, and Girdwood have "Anchorage" as a city name. Click on a parcel to determine official address.
In Alaska we have a set minimum standard for locking roads based on segment type. Any road of a certain segment type must be locked at least to the rank (level) in the chart below. Roads may be locked higher for protection and special situations (areas with construction, tricky design, frequent mistakes, imaging inaccuracies, and the like), but should not be locked lower.
A great time to implement these locks is while bringing the road types of an area into compliance with the current US road type standards (FC and highway systems). Lock the roads based on type after they've been set to current US road type standards.
Alaska Minimum Locking Rank Standard
Segment Type
Statewide
Freeway
5
Ramp
5
Major Highway
3
Minor Highway
3
Primary Street
2
Street
1
• • • • Ferry • • • •
5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
2
Note: Certain roads may be locked higher than the above minimums. Please do not lower locks unless approved by the RC or SM of Alaska.
Note: Before locking these roads to these standards, you must verify that the name of the road, direction of the road, and turn functionality is correct. If this information is not correct, it should not be locked unless we are having issues with editors in the area. The only exception here is Freeways due to the routing priority. Refer to Unlock Requests if you need a section of road altered or unlocked to correct an issue.
Name Normalization
Alaska uses the following standards for road naming:
Road Name as the Primary Name (ie. "Glenn Hwy")
State Route Number as Alternate Name, if applicable (ie. "AK-1")
Interstate Number as Alternate Name, if applicable (ie. "A-1")
All Alaska highways are owned and maintained by the state DOT. They all have names, and these are the primary names used on signs and by residents. Only some highways are assigned numbered routes, and signs are posted infrequently. See this link for a map and table. Additionally, some Alaskan highways are designated as Interstate Highways by FHWA, but are most are not constructed to expressway standards, and there are no signs indicating this.
There are no US Highway, County, or Town road numbers in Alaska.
Road Elevations
These are the general guidelines for elevation in Alaska:
Drivable and non-drivable segments are handled the same way with elevation.
Set elevation to ground in most cases.
Segment(s) passing over other segment(s), rivers, major waterways, and all bridges shall have higher elevation, relative to ground.
Only elevate/lower the actual bridge/tunnel section of the road.
Elevation of overlapping segments should be set relative to each other, with the lowest segment as Ground (unless a tunnel).
Tunneled segments shall have lower elevation, relative to ground.
Only segments that "cannot see the sky" should have negative elevation (i.e. tunnels).
Only set elevation as low/high as necessary.
If you use the Bridge tool to join segments, be aware that it raises the elevation of the joined segment. Lower the joined segment as appropriate.
"Seagull" guidelines apply to elevation in Alaska.
Bridges should be cut at the start/end of the bridge.
Tunnels should be cut at least 15m/50ft before and after the tunnel, to allow time for the GPS to regain signal.
Do not cut segments for elevation purposes if the bridge/tunnel starts/stops within 60m/200ft of an existing junction.
Special roads
Drivable roads
Alaska follows the standard USA guidelines for all of the following special road types.
Review the Wiki guidelines for non-drivable roads to ensure compliance with the general guidelines.
Guidelines that vary by state or territory
The following special roads are managed slightly uniquely in some states and territories. This state uses the following standard guidelines found in the Wiki.
When managing a section of roadway under construction or being closed for a major event, follow the Wiki guidelines on construction zones and Real time closures.
The Federal Highway Administration keeps a website indexing all states that can provide highway and construction project information. Go to the page, find your state, and check the links for the desired information.
Places
Alaska follows the USA standard for Places. Do not deviate from the guidelines without first obtaining consensus to do so via the state forum linked on this page.
Cameras
Not every camera-looking device at an intersection is a speed or red light camera. Generally speaking:
a speed camera takes a photograph of a vehicle when it passes by the camera at too high a speed.
a red light camera takes a photograph of a vehicle that enters an intersection after the light is red. In some areas, it takes the photograph when a vehicle is not clear of the intersection some period after the light turns red.
When adding a camera, be sure to review the camera placement recommendations.
Laws regarding speed and red light cameras vary between the states and territories, so be sure to understand the details of camera legality in Alaska.
As of January 2016, Alaska legislature has not approved the use of red-light or speed cameras anywhere in the state. These camera types should not be mapped in Waze. Please delete any of these cameras that get posted to the map!
To do list
Many states and territories keep an active list of pending or closed actions that need to be done in the state by the editors. All editors are welcome to contribute to the list of activities.
This state does not currently have an active "to do" list at this time. Check in the Alaska section of the Waze forums to discuss creating one.
Area Managers
The table below identifies the editors also designated as Area Managers or higher who are editing in Alaska. If you have any questions, please consider contacting them directly as needed. If you are an Area Manager that covers Alaska, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Alaska, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username) in the correct rank section.
The editor who also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Alaska is automatically listed at the top of the table. That editor may not be highly active in this state and therefore may not be listed separately in the table.
Alaska — Area, State, Country Managers, and Regional Coordinators
Anchorage, Mat-Su Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Kodiak Island Borough, and Denali Borough
Resident of state
The following editors are also editing in the state and may be working towards an Area Manager position. Feel free to contact them for assistance in their respective areas.
