Verbeter je vaardigheden
gebaseerd op een tekst geschreven door moweez
Introductie
Welkom op deze Wiki page. Je hebt waarschijnlijk van een andere editor het advies gekregen om deze pagina of een specifiek deel van deze pagina te lezen. Dit advies is gegeven om de kwaliteit van je kaartaanpassingen te vergroten. De edits waarvoor je werd verwezen zijn misschien ondertussen alweer gewijzigd of verwijderd. Dit kan jammer zijn, nu mis je misschien een bepaald voorbeeld. Dat mag zo zijn. realiseer je dat het doel van het advies is om jouw editting vaardigheden te vergroten, terwijl ondertussen de kaart up to date blijft. Wanneer je op deze pagina bent gekomen zonder een specifieke vraag, lees dan gewoon globaal de informatie door. Kom terug, wanneer je bepaalde uitleg nodig hebt en lees de betreffende paragraaf nog eens goed door. Probeer niet alles op deze pagina in een keer te begrijpen, dit kan te veel voor een keer zijn.
Elke editor heeft fouten gemaakt en iedereen doet dat af en toe nog steeds. Dit is de manier waarop meeste mensen leren. En vaak zijn het niet eens fouten. De editing richtlijnen zijn door de jaren heen ontwikkeld. Iets dat een jaar geleden volgens de richtlijnen was, kan nu verouderd zijn en kan aangepast worden.
Deze Wiki pagina is geen volledige handleiding voor het aanpassen van de Waze kaart. Het is een overzicht met onderwerpen die vaak verwarrend kunnen zijn voor startende editors. Wanneer je de richtlijnen nog niet kent lijkt het vaak logisch het editen anders aan te pakken. Dat is niet zo vreemd. Veel van de standaarden zijn aangepast in de loop der tijd. Wanneer je geschiedenis niet kent, kan je niet altijd de logica ontdekken. Alle (startende) editors hadden dit probleem. En omdat de standaarden nog steeds aangepast worden en zullen blijven wijzigen, zal dit ook weer de meer ervaren editor overkomen. Daarnaast ontwikkelt de Waze app zelf ook continu.
Op deze Wiki pagina, hebben we geprobeerd technische kennis van Waze te combineren met de richtlijnen zoals ze in Nederland gelden. Om dubbele teksten te voorkomen refereren we hier en daar aan andere Wiki pagina's.
Het beste advies dat we aan startende editors kunnen geven is, begin gewoon en maak gebruik van de gemeenschap.
Probeer, wanneer iets onduidelijk is, eerst het antwoord te vinden in onze Wiki . Wanneer je het antwoord op je vraag niet vindt, steld dan je vraag aan de gemeenschap in een van de Slack kanalen. Andere editors willen graag helpen. Houd tijdens het lezen van de Wiki, en bij de antwoorden vanuit de gemeenschap voor ogen dat, net als in het echte leven, ook in Waze het niet altijd zwart/wit ligt. Daarom zeggen we dat we geen stricte regels hebben, maar richtlijnen. Het is mogelijk dat je van twee ervaren editors verschillende meningen krijgt; beiden kunnen correct zijn. Hieraan toegevoegd: uitzonderingen op de richtlijnen zijn mogelijk en niet een probleem wanneer je goede argumenten hebt voor de afwijkende keuze.
De meeste fouten komen voort uit de misvatting van het basisprincipe: Waze is geen topografische kaart, maar een navigatie tool. Veel startende editors proberen de kaart zo aan te passen dat het zoveel mogelijk een exacte copie van de werkelijkheid wordt. Wegen met gescheiden rijbanen worden gesplitst, voet- en fietspaden toegevoegd; bochten worden perfect rond ingetekend. Het uiteindelijke doel van Waze is om de beste navigatie instructies te geven. Des te minder detail op de kaart, des te gemakkelijker en sneller kan de getoonde kaart gebruikt worden tijdens het rijden, vooral op de kleine smartphone schermen.
Een andere reden om het detailleringsniveau laag te houden is snelheid. Des te minder details, des te minder bandbreedte is nodig voor het downloaden van de kaart. Maar ook, hoe minder kruisingen er zijn des te sneller is de route berekening. Het aantal kruisingen dat Waze kan hanteren voor de berekening van een route is gelimiteerd. Dus, het aantal kruisingen beperkt houden maakt langere routes mogelijk.
Wij hebben een reeks richtlijnen opgesteld om je te helpen. Daar gaat deze pagina over.
Edit fouten zijn onontkoombaar
Iedereen kan zonder voorkennis of oefening beginnen met het bewerken van de Waze-kaart. Daarom accepteert Waze het risico dat gebruikers wijzigingen aanbrengen die voor hen logisch lijken, maar tot ongewenste resultaten leiden. De Waze-community is enthousiast en actief, waardoor de fout vaak snel wordt opgemerkt. Een meer ervaren redacteur zal contact met u opnemen om de fout te corrigeren of zelf de correctie uitvoeren. Het is niet bedoeld als kritiek, maar als aanmoediging om meer te leren over editen.
Fouten zijn vaak het gevolg van een verkeerd begrepen of onbekende richtlijn, of een gebrek aan technische kennis. In feite is er maar één echte "fout" die u kunt maken, namelijk niet communiceren met andere editors.
Zorg ervoor dat andere editors contact met je kunnen opnemen
De enige echte fout die je als editor kunt maken, is dat je onbereikbaar bent voor andere editors. Als editors je bewerkingen met een ongewenst resultaat zien, of als ze de reden niet begrijpen waarom je deze bewerking hebt gemaakt, zullen ze proberen contact met je op te nemen. Ze willen de kwaliteit van de kaart verhogen en je tegelijkertijd helpen om een betere editor te worden. Als andere editors je niet kunnen bereiken, kunnen zij je ook niet helpen! Bovendien zullen ze je bewerkingen waarschijnlijk aanpassen aan hun eigen interpretatie van de situatie.
Zorg er daarom voor dat je e-mails van Waze kunt ontvangen door een geldig e-mailadres op te geven. Check regelmatig je mailbox. Controleer ook of e-mails van Waze niet in je spam-folder terechtkomen. Misschien wil je een filter maken om de e-mails van Waze naar een specifieke map te verplaatsen, of zelfs een aparte mailbox voor Waze maken. Pas zo nodig je Waze instellingen aan.
Communicatie
Hoe kan ik contact opnemen met Waze? Waar kan ik meer informatie vinden? Waar kan ik mijn vragen plaatsen. De lokale champions zijn verantwoordelijk voor Waze in jouw lokale gemeenschap. Voor vragen en assistentie kun je contact met hun opnemen.
Slack
Slack is een goed startpunt voor het vinden van meer informatie. Je ontmoet hier andere editors; leest de laatste informatie; leert van vragen van andere editors. Je kunt hier ook zelf vraag stellen. Slack is het meest gebruikte communicatieplatform. Je kunt toegang tot Slack aanvragen door dit formulier in te vullen. Je ontvangt een uitnodiging voor Slack, waar je een account moet maken. In Slack zijn er verschillende kanalen, privégroepen en je kunt directe berichten (DM) verzenden. De kanalen zijn opgesplitst per onderwerp, probeer aub het juiste kanaal te gebruiken voor uw vraag of opmerking. Ga voor meer informatie over Slack naar onze Slack Wiki-pagina.
Forum
Het Nederlandse forum wordt tegenwoordig vooral gebruikt voor kaartaanpassingsverzoeken en wegwerkzaamheden/afsluitingsverzoeken. Je kunt inloggen met je standaard Waze-login en wachtwoord dat je ook in de app en de editor gebruikt. In het forum kun je ook gebruik maken van Privé Berichten (PM), dit is een soort inbox, net als je e-mail. Wanneer je een PM ontvangen hebt, ontvang je een e-mail om je op de hoogte te stellen van het nieuwe bericht. Ook als je de WME Toolbox hebt geïnstalleerd krijg je een bericht in de editor van nieuwe PM's. Hoe je omgaat met je PM's kun je hier lezen. Ga voor meer informatie over ons forum naar onze Forum Wiki-pagina.
Chat
Wanneer je aan het editten bent, kan je direct hulp vragen in Waze Map Editor/Chat. Wanneer je om hulp vraagt, kan je zien met welk niveau editor je spreekt. Houd er rekening mee dat de meeste editors bereid zijn om te helpen, maar dat ze niet allemaal de technische kennis of bewerkingservaring hebben om u het beste antwoord te geven. Omdat de ingebouwde chat niet altijd naar wens werkt, hebben we ook Slack.
Wiki
Veel informatie is beschikbaar in de Nederlandse Wiki. De Wiki-pagina's zijn beschikbaar in verschillende talen, die u bovenaan de pagina kunt selecteren. Je kunt altijd updates voorstellen in het Slack-kanaal #team-wazeopedia. De richtlijnen gelden alleen voor Nederland, wijzigingen moeten eerst worden goedgekeurd. Ga voor meer informatie over onze Wiki naar onze Wiki Wiki-pagina.
Start met het lezen van de Wiki op de Hoofdpagina. Voor editen is er de WME Quick-Start Guide.
Basic principles of Waze
Many misunderstandings have their origin in the fact that the fundamental principles of Waze are not clear. Waze is developed for drivers of cars and motorcycles and should not be used for other means of transportation like pedestrians, pedal cyclists, public transport or taxi's, or commercial transport. Also, Waze is not meant to include your personal favorite places, historic railways and illegal shortcuts.
Usability
When it comes to the map, the first and foremost goal of editing is to provide the driver with a map that is easy to follow on a small display, and to produce sensible verbal instructions when (and only when) they are needed.
Simplicity
It is not a goal to model the physical roadway lane-by-lane. Doing so often leads to unnecessary complexity - which means a cluttered map, confusing verbal directions, and lots and lots (and lots!) of extra map maintenance.
Retention
As a result of people driving over them, road segments retain certain information (e.g., average speed) that is used in route optimization. When a segment is deleted, that information is deleted too. Given a choice between deleting a tangle of segments and creating new ones in their place, vs. untangling them and reusing them, it is often better to "recycle".
Another reason to be cautious with deleting segments is that another editor had a reason to add it. It can be very demotivating when someone just deletes work without any consultation. Everybody can make a mistake, or guidelines can be changed over time. Preferably consult the editor who added the segment, rather than change the segment yourself.
Common functional problems
Incorrect or incomplete data can have a negative effect on the navigation or even make it impossible to navigate to a specific location. They should be corrected as soon as possible. These functional mistakes are, if noticed by an other editor, often directly corrected because of the great impact to the functionality of the App.
Unnamed roads
When a road does not have a city- or street name, it will get a red outline in WME and it won't be used for navigation. These roads can originate from
- Paving roads, who have not been confirmed in the WME.
- an editor added a road, but forgot to give it a name.
Fill in the city and street name by selecting the segment, than click
in the top left of the menu. If you don't know the name of the street or the city, check None.
Before you delete a segment, first consult the editor who added it. If you think the segment is an improvement to the map, fill in the missing data. Also check the junction arrows; when an editor has forgotten to fill in the name, probably the junction arrows are not set either.
Read more information in: Create a road.
Junction Arrows (JA)
Junction arrows used to be called Turn Restrictions. Junction Arrows are the red, green en orange arrows when you select a segment. They control which turns are allowed. Green is allowed, red is not allowed and orange is partially restricted. You can also restrict entrance based on vehicle type but this feature is not yet functional in the routing calculation.
When you change the driving direction of a segment always remember to check the junction arrows. The WME does not adjust them automatically based on the driving direction. The quickest way to correct hem is to select the junction and press q and w or click on the button 'Allow all turns'. When creating a new road by default all JA's are red. In the advanced settings of the editor check the option 'Draw new roads with all turns allowed'. If you select this option, it is advised to also check the option 'Draw new roads as two-way'.
An easy way to check incorrect red junction arrows is Shift-Z. This will show all the red arrows in the area on your screen, also for the not selected segments. Of course these are not all incorrect, but you can check them. It is advised to before you do the correction, you press Shift-Z again and select the segment with the red arrow. Otherwise you can not see which segment has the red arrow.
Disconnected segments
Even when segments appear to be connected on your screen, it does not necessarily mean they actually are properly connected. The fastest way to check this is to select one of the segments. When you don't see the Junction Arrow(s) light up, it is not connected.
When a road should be connected, please check the Junction Arrows. If it is not connected, move the end node away from where it should connect, and drop it somewhere else. Than pick it up again and drag it to where you want the junction to be. WME now automatically creates a junction. Again, check the Junction Arrows.
If you cannot connect a segment using the above described method, one of the segments could have a lock level higher than your editing level. In that case you cannot solve this functional mistake yourself and you might want to ask for an unlock. If the segment is a pedestrian boardwalk, check whether this segment should be connected anyway. If you are unable to connect the segment and cannot get a hold of a more senior editor that can make the connection, leave a gap between the 2 segments. That way it is clear to other editors that this segment still needs to be connected. If you place it onto the other segment it will look ok at first glance but routing instructions will not function properly.
Locked segments
To protect the map from unwanted errors, some segments are secured with a lock. Important main roads will show higher locks than small side streets. Locked roads can only be changed by editors with a rank the same or higher than the lock level. Even if you succeed to edit such a segment, you won't be able to save your changes. Also, you will not be able to connect other roads to locked roads. If you try to do that, it will result in disconnected segments, like described in the previous paragraph.
When you want to change a segment with a higher lock level than your own rank, propose your changes to a higher rank editor, or ask a temporary decrease in lock level. You always need to make a permalink, and specify the region or city, and the needed rank.
Use one of the following methods:
- Use the appropriate Slack editing channel.
- Use a private message (DM or PM, in Slack or forum) to ask the last editor, who is visible at the bottom left of your screen when selecting the segment. If you do not get a response, you can also ask the Area manager or one of the Local Champs of your country instead.
Incorrect use of roundabouts
When approaching a roundabout specific instructions are given. For a standard roundabout (4 exits) the instruction is 'Turn left at the roundabout'. For other roundabouts the instruction will be 'Take the third exit at the roundabout'. If these instructions are not correct for the situation, please don't use a roundabout. A dead-end street should not have a roundabout at the end. If there is no road sign for a roundabout don't use a roundabout. This will give incorrect instructions, where a driver thinks he is approaching a roundabout, when this is not the case. For more information about how to create a roundabout see our Roundabout page.
Private access roads that distort routing
Many new editors enthusiastically start mapping all small streets, alleys, driveways, parking lot roads, etc. They think "if I can drive on it, I should map it". But this can have some negative effects. Of course it means a lot of extra data (bandwidth) and extra calculations. Also it can make the map less clear on small screens. But the biggest disadvantage is that it can distort the routing.
The way Waze works is that is it finds your destination based on GPS coordinates, in a lot of cases from Google. Based on those coordinates it pins your destination. Then it looks for the closest drivable road, without looking at the name of that road. So that means if the driveway of the rear neighbors is closer to the pin of your destination then you will be lead to the wrong road. And when this is a long road, it can be far of from your actual destination.
Local agreements (that are not logical at first glance)
Waze users have gathered to make agreements on how to best implement Waze's functions and features. In addition, every country has different laws, habits and regulations. Therefore, agreements within local communities of Waze also can vary. These agreements may not always seem logical at first. However, they exist to ensure the best navigation possible, with the features Waze offers, and the with the least amount of data used. If you have made edits that were not in accordance with these agreements, you might have been asked to update them. Here is where you can read why.
The relation between the satellite view and map
Starting editors often tend to draw the map exactly like the satellite view shows. However, the Waze map should be as simple as possible, in a way that yield the best navigation instructions, with a clear and simple map on screen. This implies that sometimes roads or parts of roads are even not drawn, or drawn differently from the satellite view. In addition, the satellite view may be outdated or doesn´t show everything. For example, a road in a forest is probably not visible on the satellite view. Thus, use the satellite view as a source, not as a goal to copy. In case the road is mapped differently, please consult the previous editor or the area manager.
Many examples can be found on our KISS page.
Too many geometry nodes
Too many geometry points can slow down the build of your screen. Also, it is harder to maintain the map. Therefore, we use as few nodes as possible, even if that means that a road in Waze does not exactly follow the road in the Satellite View. If a segment has too many nodes, please remove them by hovering your mouse over the nodes, and press d.
If you prefer more rounded corners than square ones - right picture - you can use two geometry nodes instead of one for creating a corner. For more information see the Create a road paragraph in the Quick Start Guide.
Simplify an intersection
More examples of drawing complex situations can be found in KISS.
Road types
Starting editors often tend to change the road type of a segment. Choosing the type of a road segment has many implications, due to the consequences for visibility, routing and such. These typics can vary across countries and you will see some of these differences when choosing another language in WME. Thus, some road types are differently used than expected at first sight, and some are even not used. If you think a road type should be changed, please consult the last editor or the Area or Region Manager.
For more information check the Road types page and sub-pages.
Freeway / Highway
Freeway and Highway are both translated to the same word in Dutch ('Snelweg'). In Waze however, these road types are mainly applied based on the amount of traffic they bear compared to other roads in the neighbourhood, the distance they serve in routing, and the passage possibilities. Therefore, a small local road can be defined a minor highway, and a normal street in a city that serves ongoing traffic as a major highway. This way of dealing with Road types is called Functional Classification (FC). Most of the roads that serve ongoing traffic, will be locked. Changes to these segments can only be made by experienced editors with a rank similar or higher than the lock level. If you think a change to a locked segment is needed, ask an editor with the appropriate rank, or place your request on the Slack channel #editing Nederland.
Pedestrian boardwalks and cycle paths
In general both Pedestrian boardwalks and cycle paths should not be added to the map of Waze, because Waze should only be used by motorvehicles. There are some exceptions and they are explained on the Pedestrian Boardwalk and Walking trail pages. In the Netherlands Pedestrian boardwalks are used for non-drivable roads without destinations, important to connect a parking place with possible destinations and also for public transport (except taxis). Walking trails are used for walking path with destinations. Both non-drivable road types should be connected to the other roads.
Parking Lots
Also parking lots should be drawn as simple as possible with the aim at good navigation instructions. There is no value added to draw every lane on a parking lot and with the inaccuracy of GPS Waze probably does not know on which lane you are exactly, resulting in wrong instructions. Roads on parking lots have no name, excepts when the road has a housenumber of an official address that can not be linked to regular street. For further information see the Parking Lot Road page.
Splitting up roads
Splitting roads into two single segment for both lanes should only be done when it is needed for navigion. The fact that a road is physically splitted, is not a reason. With Junction arrows you can make sure that physically impossible turns are restricted. Splitting (or unsplitting) an existing road should only be done after consulting with the area or region manager. Be aware that unsplitting a road takes about the same effort as splitting it. See also the Road Aspects page.
Update request (UR)
While driving, a driver can report a problem by submitting an Update Request (UR). Often there is not enough time to fully describe the issue. Therefore, Waze developed the possibility to start a conversation in the UR. Whenever you respond to an UR, you should take this seriously. The user does not report if he or she doesn't encounter a problem! It is your task to solve the problem as best as you can, or find the help needed to solve it. By solving the user's problem, we can improve Waze to serve the needs of all Wazers. Never just close a UR, even if you think it is bogus. Some general guidelines:
- Start with thanking the reporter for reporting the issue.
- If the report is clear and you can solve this issue directly, please do and explain to the reporter what you have done. The reporter receives a message of your comment, and will feel valued for his/her addition. In addition, other editors can learn from your solution and it can help solving other issues in the neighborhood. You can close the UR as solved.
- When the issue is not clear, ask the reporter politely for more information.
- If the reporter doesn´t respond to your question within 5 days, you may send a reminder message. It often happens the reporters do respond only after a reminder.
- When the reporter also does not respond to your reminder, within 8 days, you can close the UR as "Not identified", with a comment in the conversation why you closed it.
Officially, nobody ´owns´ a UR. However, if another editor is already handling the problem, don't close or take over without consulting this editor.
More information about UR's see our Update request page. Elaborate information on URs can be read on the global Wiki page Update Requests. Be aware, that some global guidelines may differ from ours.
Starting editors: what they can do and what not
Everywhere you have driven using Waze you can edit. In our country the maps are quite good. Altough at first you might think there is not much to do for you, please zoom in and you can almost always find something to improve. Even in areas with a lot of editors you will find missing house numbers, charging stations or missing parking lot roads or a part of a street is missing. Also sometimes streetnames are missing or misspelled. Other work you can do is remove unnecessary geometry nodes, see the paragraph Too many geometry nodes. For more ideas check out the Starters Summary. Read the Wiki and just start editing, that way you will learn to use the editor and earn points to get to a higher level.
Because the maps in our country are already quite good, there is also a risk with editing. You can break things that are working fine. Please be aware that some things might look incorrect or not logical to you, but can be correct based on the Basic principles of Waze. Be carefull with changing and deleting work of other editors. In case of the slighest doubt, first contact the previous editor.
To make this more clear we have made two lists, one of things you can do as a starting editor and one you should not do or be extremely cautious.
Things a starting Waze-editor can do
- Read the Quick start guide and then look at the [[ Starters Summary]].
- Check if streetnames are filled in and spelled correctly. Use sources, that we are allowed to use, to check.
- Check if the city is filled in correctly.
- Check the driving direction of streets. You can base this on Google Streetview , your own local knowledge or other sources. When the source is older than the last edit on the segment, assume that Waze is more up-to-date than your other source and don't change it.
- Check if Junction Arrows are set correctly. With Shift-Z you will see all the red arrows. When you suspect a red junction arrow to be incorrect, first do Shift-Z again and select the segment connected to the junction. That way you can see which segment has the red junction arrow.
- Check the category, name and address of places . The name should be the official name of the place. If you know this place is called most of the times different, please add that name as a alternative name. That way the search will improve. Also check if this place is vissible on the live map, if not, please convert it to a point place, when applicable.
- Inform your area or region manager of possible issues. See the section Communication how to do that.
- Monitor road-closures in your neighboorhood, see our Closures page on how to report them.
Risky activities for starting editors
Unless you work together with a more experienced editor be very careful with doing one of the following activities.
- Deleting road-segments. This also deletes the historic traffic information, e.g. the historic average speed.
- Do not change or delete segments that are connected to locked segments.
- Do not split roads, even when there lanes are physically split.
- Do not add without consultation non-drivable roads, like pedestrian boardwalks or cycle paths. Do not add road types as railways, runways and bus lanes. This all seems harmless, but they can result in a wrong navigation advice. It will also clutter the map and increase the amount of bandwidth used.
- Do not add parking lots roads when there are already roads on the parking lot.
- Do not change the roadtype, this has a big influence on the navigation.
- Be careful with adding roads, especially private roads and driveways. The same risks as for non-drivable roads apply.
- Do not close update requests or make changes based on them. If you want to help, because you have local knowledge, please make a comment that can help a more experienced editor.
- Do not add restrictions based on not (yet) implemented vehicle types.