MegaMapRaid/Baltimore

This wiki page is still under construction. Information on this page will change throughout the day. Please wait for the official announcement for when the MMR raid wikis are ready

Map Raid Baltimore is scheduled to run for approximately 4 days from Saturday, March 7, 2015 through Wednesday, March 11. It is part of a wide-scale MapRaid known as MegaMapRaid.

Please be sure to explore the Wiki page. Also, check back regularly in case of added materials.

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Welcome to Baltimore!

add group size and location, and what the editors will focus on

Raid Areas

add google maps link to groups and location of raid map

Raid Groups

PUR Areas

Mission

Our primary mission will be to handle the URs, and PURs, followed by Place validation, and general map verification.

Functional Classification (FC) has been fully implemented for the Baltimore area. Some road types deviate intentionally from the state DOTs classifications. If you find a road which you feel is not classified correctly or set to the right type, please contact a local champ or State Manager (SM) before making changes.

Local Hosts

CBenson (PM [Help])   - Mid Atlantic Regional Coordinator - generally available during daytime hours

kodi75 (PM [Help])   - State Manager - generally available on weekends, evening hours during the work week.

JasonN899 (PM [Help])   - Area Manager - flexible hours, change daily, mostly evenings

nzahn1 (PM [Help])   - Area Manager - generally available during weekends, and weekday evening hours

Bugladen (PM [Help])   - Area Manager - generally available during ???? hours

jr1982jr (PM [Help])   - Local Editor - generally available during daytime hours

Important!

Please do not alter any of the following road types without first consulting a Local Host: Freeway, Ramp, Major Highway, minor Highway, Primary Street.

Please do not mass-edit Do not perform edits which will affect large numbers of segments at once. The edit history of segments is highly valuable in the process of solving URs. Mass editing effectively mass erases this history, permanently. We ask that all necessary processes which might affect large portions of the map, or long stretches of roads, be reserved until near the end of the MapRaid. This includes the “Select entire street” function.

Anything locked at 5 or 6? Please check with a local editor before making changes. Rank 5 and 6 editors - consider keeping highlights active for locks 5 and 6.

Close nodes We make extensive use of the "micro-dogleg" technique, where a geometry node is carefully placed, at full zoom, directly next to a junction node, in order to set the angle to create a desired Turn/Stay/Exit prompt. Please watch for these if you move any junction node, and be sure to recreate the same angle at the new location.

Local Guidance

Functional Classification

In the United States, we set our road types using a national standard called Functional Classification (FC). You can read a detailed explanation in our Road Type Wiki

The Functional Classification has been completed in the Greater Baltimore Metro Area. Occasionally, we find short segments that were missed in the selection process for conversion, and it is important that these be corrected for routing continuity. In general, however, we ask that Road Types not be changed without consulting one of the Local Hosts. In isolated cases, we have chosen to deviate from official classifications, due to errors or outdated information in the MdTA FC maps, or to better accommodate real-life situations and Waze quirks. It is important that these remain intact. Sometimes dirt roads may appear higher on FC maps but shouldn't be used by Waze for routing.

If you find an area that doesn't seem to be complete please bring it to the attention of a Local Host for review.

We observe the following minimum lock levels for Waze road types:

Freeway (Fwy) - 5

Ramp - 5

Major Highway (MH) - 3

minor Highway (mH) - 2 - In some dense metropolitan areas, the minimum lock for mH is 3

Primary Street (PS) - 2

All others - 1, or as needed

Note that these are minimums and, for protection, certain segments may be at higher lock levels. If you find a road locked to a higher level than its minimum, please leave it locked no lower than that level when you have finished editing.

FC Maps

We have .KML maps available, compiled by {Username|nzahn1}}. Please contact him directly if you have any questions about the maps.

FC Maps

Place Editing

Not only were our URs and PURs out of control, places from both editors and trusted users have become a major issue. Misspelled names, wrong categories, missing addresses (EVERY business place should have an address!!) poor location and incorrectly assigned photos are all over the map. Use the powerful Place Browser (link below) and the information on the Place editing page to get these places corrected.

Gas Stations
Gas Stations should be locked to level 3 but, only after all data fields in the gas station have been filled. At least ensure that Brand, Name and Address have information. Remember to ask a hosting local if you need help identifying gas station information.

For editors below rank 3, once you have completely filled out a gas station with the min required information, please ask for a lock request.

Toll Roads / HOV / HOT / Truck Lanes

It is our custom to mark the Toll checkbox only on the entrance segments to Toll Roads. HOV and HOT road types have already been set correctly according to our local practices. If you have a question about one of these lanes, please contact a Local Host.

Special case: Do not alter the ETL (Electronic Toll Lanes) on I-95 North/South

Construction

There are a number of major construction projects in process within the overall MapRaid area. These construction projects can cause frequent intermittent road closures. Many closures change daily and cause great numbers of URs to appear. When handling URs in one of these areas, be aware that reports of "Turn not allowed", "Missing road", "Wrong driving direction" are common, but may not indicate a map problem that can be fixed, because the physical road situation will change before our edits can take effect.

LINKS:

U-turns

Alleys

DO NOT map NEW alleys without FIRST gaining approval from a Local Host (Area manager or higher).

If alleys are mapped (e.g. Baltimore City, Metro area), the road type should be set as Parking Lot Road, Other attributes (Name, city, direction, turn restrictions) should be set as if it were any other drivable road.

Please ensure use of GIS data and/or Street View to confirm the name of the alley.

Waze will route to the closest segment for a set of destination coordinates. This may result in the destination being in they alley.

To try to prevent this issue, please check the House Number and ensure it is closer to the "Named Street" and not the alley.

Refer to the FAQ for additional information.

UR & MP Guidance

Also, DO always leave a closing comment; no UR should be closed without one. | smalltext = Text for the top of article sections. }}

Cameras

For information on Cameras within the Baltimore metro/Maryland area please visit our Maryland Camera Wiki

Mapping Resources

Maryland GIS Resources

• MDMerlin (DNR website)

www.mdmerlin.net

Click on "Interactive Map V 2.0" tab near the top of the page to access the map. In the search box type in the city name to zoom to that locale, then enter the street address. Add the "Parcel Boundaries / SDAT data from the layer list on the left. Clicking on a polygon opens a link containing property data. Toggle aerial imagery if needed.

• Baltimore CityView

cityview.baltimorecity.gov

"City Map" is the official map for the city; find this by clicking on Base Map then selecting it out of the drop down box.

The "Property Information" layer will provide house numbers upon request; click on "Thematic Overlay" and then select "Property Information" from the drop down box.

• Baltimore County My Neighborhood

myneighborhood.baltimorecountymd.gov

Another source for street names and address locations. Note: The "Silverlight" plugin is necessary to load this page.

Make sure to agree to the terms/disclaimer, then click enter to view the map.

Communication

Communication will be handled mainly in Slack Group Chats and WME chat. WME Chat addon will be required (which can be found here). Chat rooms will be split up and named by location or group.

In addition, there is a Waze Forum dedicated to the MapRaid here, where questions can be asked, and specific issues may be identified as the Raid progresses.

Reference Links

The Basics

• New editor welcome page
• Waze Map Editor
• Best Map Editing Practice
• Editing manual
• Common editing mistakes
• How to make a Permalink
• All about using the WME Chat
• Community Plugins, Extensions and Tools where you'll links and descriptions to most of the editing scripts being used. Some of these are essential to good editing, and others make the editing process much easier. WME Validator, URO+, and WME Toolbox are highly recommended.

Recommended Tools for MMR Baltimore

• add the Baltimore overlay if it's available

• URO+ - adds a URO+ tab in the left-hand panel this tool provides various filtering options to show/hide update requests, map problems, and camera markers according to type, age, comment keyword, etc.

• UR Comments - a tremendous time and labor saving tool that integrates with URO+; helps to automate the process of working URs. Read the documentation.

• [TO BE EDITED] Place Browser - In combination with the Place Name Harmonization list, this is an invaluable tool for working on existing places. Be sure to click the About tab to get an overview of the tool.

• The WME Reference Sheet^[PDF] is a printable double-sided tri-fold quick reference guide to some of the common topics used in WME.

• Validator is a script that validates a map area in Waze Map Editor, highlights issues and generates a very detailed report with wiki references and solutions.
  

Download links:

* For Chrome, please download the script at Chrome Web Store
* For Firefox, please download the script at GreasyFork.org

Note: for Firefox you also need Greasemonkey or Tampermonkey installed.

• WME Chat Addon is a script that improves the WME chat GUI. For a list of all the features check the thread here.

 Tapermonkey/Greasmonkey is required to use this script

Baltimore Map Raid Forum

Click here to view the Mega MapRaid! Baltimore forum thread

Mapraid edit lists

Spreadsheets and forms are being used to streamline management of various group efforts and track important edits. Below you can find links to use these these forms, sheets, and see the lists.

Scheduled Edits

These are edits which need to be completed but must be postponed in order to retain history for UR Solving. These edits are designated to specific editors to complete, once they get the green light from the MapRaid! leaders.

Boots on the ground

We need local boots on the ground to check things. Please add requests for locals to go and scout things in person, as in on the road. Some examples when this would be used include to check and see if:

• The street view is accurate,
• A road is really closed,
• A turn really allowed/prohibited, etc.

To make a new request, or respond to an existing request, please use this form.

Click here to view this list in fullscreen

Results

MapRaid Promotions

Some editors really let their bright side out, and let their community skills shine. This is even more evident in a concerted group effort with high-density editing like a MapRaid!. Editors of all ranks working closely with each other and the Champs, really lets us everyone get to know each other, and allows certain editors to be recognized for their skills and effort.

When the Champs see someone consistently editing well, interacting well with the community, and knowledgeable of the various details from the Wiki, they can issue promotions. This can be anything from the size of a managed area, to a rank increase, or even a new role.

The following editors have all earned our respect, and gratitude for a job well done. Not all received a promotion, but all were noticed and appreciated.

Teams