This page serves as the primary resource for editors of Kansas. 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.
No general message at this time.
Introduction
Kansas is a part of the Plains region, which includes the states and/or territories of:
Before editing the maps in Kansas, 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.
Johnson County Cities of De Soto, Edgerton, Fairway, Gardner, Lake Quivira, Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam, Mission, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Olathe, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Shawnee, Spring Hill, Westwood, Westwood Hills
Reno County Cities of Buhler, Haven, Hutchinson, Nickerson, South Hutchinson
Riley County Cities of Fort Riley (partial), Leonardville, Manhattan, Ogden, Randolph, Riley
Sedgwick County Cities of Bel Aire, Cheney, Clearwater, Colwich, Derby, Goddard, Haysville, Kechi, Maize, Mulvane, Park City, Sedgwick, Valley Center, Wichita
Shawnee County Cities of Auburn, Rossville, Silver Lake, Topeka
See Kansas/Resources for guidance in Kansas that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
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 Kansas.
New editors should consider checking into the formal mentoring program available at no charge.
Kansas Map Editors Community
We have a free Discord server available for all those editing in Kansas. Editors can discuss issues and ideas from around the state, seek input from fellow editors, get unlocks for road segments locked above your level, etc. If you would like to join, click this link: Plains (PLN) Discord Server
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).
Some states and territories manage a separate page on cities and towns to identify the specific city names that should be entered, and no others. For states that do not have a separate page to track the names, see this Wikipedia link and find the state or territory in question.
Kansas highways are named as K-### (e.g. K-7, K-7 N). This includes their related business, loops, and spurs. (e.g. K-7 BUS) This shortened version takes up less space on the map screen and is announced correctly as "Kansas Highway ###" while navigating with the Waze app.
County Road Naming
County roads with the name designation of "County Road ###" are named as CR-### (e.g. CR-110). This shortened version takes up less space on the map screen and is announced correctly as "County Road ###" while navigating with the Waze app.
Functional Classifications
Kansas uses the Functional Classification rules outlined in the Road types page
The table below shows a cross reference for the minimum road types in Kansas. Keep in mind that these are only minimums, and may need to be upgraded based on the qualities defined on the road type guidelines page.
KDOT Classification
Waze Road Type
Interstate
Freeway
Other Expressway
Major Highway
Other Principal Arterial
Major Highway
Minor Arterial
Minor Highway
Major Collector
Primary Street
Minor Collector
Primary Street
Local Road
Street
**Kansas numbered state highways should be set to a minimum of Minor Highway.**
Lock Levels
Kansas uses lock levels common among the USA/Plains region.
In Kansas 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.
Kansas Minimum Locking Rank Standard
Segment Type
Statewide
Freeway
4
Ramp
Highest rank of connected segments
Major Highway
3
Minor Highway
3
Primary Street
2
Street
1
• • • • Ferry • • • •
5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
2
True Elevation
NOTE: If you have any questions, please seek guidance from a Kansas State Manager or one of the Plains Region Leadership team.
The Plains Region uses the concept of True Elevation (TE) to better represent segments in relationship with its surroundings/ground level. Most segments should have an elevation of Ground unless they pass over another segment, waterway, or natural feature. True Elevation applies to both drivable and non-drivable segments.
Definitions
Bridge
Segment travels over another segment (also known as Overpass).
Segment travels over a large river or large body of water.
Segment artificially elevated to pass over large ground level objects and large natural features.
Tunnel
A tunnel is any road segment that is underground and thus the GPS reception is inconsistent.
Examples
Simple Interchange
More Complex Interchange (requiring junctioning of ramp segments to maintain ground elevation)
Major Circular Interchange
Complex Interchange
Raised Freeway (over preserve area)
Visuals
Below are two images showing the difference in Live Map rendering when True Elevation is not applied and then when True Elevation is applied. Take note on the shading along the edge of the segment when True Elevation is used and how it is missing when it is not. At the time of this writing (August 2022) the Waze app does not show this different shading.
Segment over water without True Elevation
Segment over water with True Elevation
Implementation
Elevations of overlapping segments should be set relative to each other, with the lowest segment as Ground (unless that segment is a tunnel).
Only elevate/lower the actual bridge/tunnel section of the road.
Bridges should be cut at the start/end of the bridge where the land falls away. You can usually see guardrails at the start/end of the bridge section. Also the pavement type may change (Asphalt to Concrete for example).
Do not cut segments for elevation purposes if the bridge starts/stops within 60m/200ft of an existing junction.
Maintain some uniformity for display purposes when determining where to make the splits.
Elevated bridge segments should be 15 meters (50 feet) or greater. Bridges smaller than 15 meters, such as over a creek or box culvert, most likely should not be elevated. Check with SER Leadership before elevating sub-15-meter bridge segments.
Only set elevation as low/high as necessary. For example, no segment should be Elevation +2 unless it passes over another segment with Elevation +1.
Tunneled segments shall have lower elevation relative to ground and Tunnel should be checked.
Only segments that are actually underground should have negative elevation.
Tunnels should be cut at least 15m/50ft before and after the tunnel, to allow time for the GPS to regain signal.
The use of common sense is paramount in using True Elevation.
Special roads
Drivable roads
Kansas 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.
We have special rules which enhance and modify the general map guidelines provided by Waze. We ask that when editing in Kansas you follow these rules for special road types.
Unpaved and Dirt Roads
In many Kansas counties, the Off-road / Not Maintained Road type should apply only to roads that are truly dirt/low-maintenance. Well-maintained gravel roads should NOT be set as the “Off-road / Not Maintained” type. They should be at least Street type and potentially as high as Primary Street status. The reason some of these gravel roads qualify for Primary Street status is based upon their functional classification designation. These roads may be gravel, but they are intended as main routes between towns (especially in rural areas) and are often wider and more frequently maintained. However, any drivable road which is not paved with asphalt, tar-and-chip, or concrete should have the Unpaved checkbox applied so the routing server can respect user navigation preferences.
Alleys
Alleys are to be mapped since they are sometimes required to access parking lots, businesses, and residences. Alleys are to be the parking lot road type and the name should be set to "Alley."
Parking lots
Following the spirit of mapping all drivable surfaces, parking lot roads are to be mapped in Kansas. Please follow the parking lot general guidelines and use discretion to provide functionality without overcrowding the map.
Driveways
Rural driveways in KS should frequently be mapped (as Parking Lot Roads), even if shorter than the general Driveways recommendation of 50 meters. Drivers will often be travelling at a high speed, and an upcoming turn provides advanced warning of their destination. Driveways also serve as useful navigation landmarks on otherwise featureless rural roads, especially during night time navigation. If they are not mapped, a Wazer driving on one may be mistakenly snapped to a nearby road and interfere with the speed data or provide confusing directions.
If the addresses for properties on the driveway are known, delete the relevant House Numbers and add Residential Place Points (RPPs).
The RPP must be complete including the address number, street name, city name, and entry/exit point as noted in the Things to remember section of the HN page under the If the correct stop point for a house/business is on a different road than its address road bullet point.
Ensure the entry/exit point is placed clearly to one side of the road segment, not on top of the road segment.
Urban driveways do not qualify for mapping in most circumstances unless they meet certain route-aiding criteria as defined in the national standards for Driveways.
Speed Limits
Kansas primarily follows the USA Speed limits page with some clarifications
Ramp Speed Limits
For ramps that are for accelerating to a road with a higher speed limit, use the higher speed limit of the destination road that the ramp goes to.
For ramps that go from a higher speed limit to a lower speed limit such as a freeway off ramp, do not place any speed limit on the ramp.
For ramps where the start and end have the same speed limit, keep the same speed limit on the ramp.
Do not use advisory speed limits that are black text on yellow signs.
Rural segments of freeway 75 mph with 40 mph minimum
Check with your Area or State Managers for clarification if needed.
Closures
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.
See Kansas/Closures for guidance in Kansas that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
Places
Kansas 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.
Hospitals / Urgent Care
Only Hospitals, Emergency Rooms, and Urgent Care Facilities should use the Hospital / Medical Center category. This category is to be used for places offering urgent / emergency care. Other medical facilities such as clinics and medical offices which do not offer urgent medical care for walk-ins should be categorized as Office. Hospitals should be mapped as an Area Place encompassing the entire medical facility. Additionally, hospital Emergency Room entrances should be mapped as a Point Place at the ER entrance to aid in navigating to the proper entrance.
Gas Stations
In the Plains region, stations are named as Station Name (Brand). If the station brand is unknown, then Station Name. If the station name and brand are the same, then Brand. For example:
MinitMart (Shell)
[Store Name (Brand)]
Joe's Gas & Tackle
[Store Name with no Brand]
QuikTrip
[Store Name & Brand are the same]
Places Minimum Acceptable Information
All Places added to the map must contain the following entries:
Proper Category
Place Name
Address (including address numbers)
Placed in the correct location on the map
This is the minimum acceptable amount of information for inclusion on the map.
Places Locking Standard
Kansas Place Lock Level Standards
Place Type
Lock Level
Military Installation / Airport
4
Hospitals / Urgent Care / Police & Fire Dept
4
National & State Parks and Monuments
4
Gas Stations / Charging Stations
3
Schools / Universities / Colleges
3
Government Buildings / Consulates
3
City and Local Parks
3
All other places with complete information
3
Complete information includes at a minimum:
Proper Category
Place Name
Address/City (including address numbers)
Placed in the correct location on the map
Hours of operation (if available)
Phone number
These locks are in place to prevent loss of data due to automatic acceptance of Place Update submissions from Trusted Users, or Place Update Request approvals from other editors without careful examination.
If you do not have a high enough enough rank to lock the place as indicated, please lock it as high as you can, and notify a higher rank AM, SM, CM, or Champ to lock it higher.
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 Kansas.
Based on information researched at the time this page was created, Kansas does not have any laws regarding red light or speed cameras, therefore they may be present in the state.
Missouri has instituted red-light cameras in the KC Metro area in the past, but at this time (May 2015) they have been deactivated pending Missouri Supreme Court cases to determine the legality. At this time, the1who has removed them. KCTV5 News Article
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.
See Kansas/To do for guidance in Kansas that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
Area Managers
The table below identifies the editors also designated as Area Managers or higher who are editing in Kansas. If you have any questions, please consider contacting them directly as needed. If you are an Area Manager that covers Kansas, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Kansas, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username) in the correct rank section.
The editor who also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Kansas 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.
Kansas — Area, State, Country Managers, and Regional Coordinators
