Philippines/Editing resources

Map Editing Guide for the Philippines

While most of the content here on the Waze Wiki are applicable for the Philippine road network, the Waze map still needs to be tweaked and customized for the Philippines. Below is the general guideline for Waze map editing in the Philippines. This supersedes any generic guide wiki entries not specific to the Philippines.

1. Create road (whether tracing aerial images/gps points, or from recorded drives)
2. Set road type, some suggestions;
3. Set directionality (two way or one way)
4. Set the elevation level (Ground, Tunnel = -1, Flyover = 1, 2, 3, etc.). Only tunnels or underground roads are to be set to -1. If one road passes over another, the bottom road is Ground and the one that passes over is 1. Tunnels should at least be 100m in length, otherwise leave them as ground level unless they pass under a segment already on ground level.
5. Set the speed limits in accordance with REPUBLIC ACT No. 4136 Chapter IV Article 1 (Section 35) Restriction as to speed.
6. Connect or create junctions (attach to existing roads) except if these are non-routable road types like Walking Trails, Pedestrian Boardwalk, Stairway, Railroad, and Runway/Taxiway
7. Set turn restrictions and if u-turns are allowed on junctions, the easiest and fastest way to do this is to click on the junction node and hit 'w' on your keyboard. This will set all turns to enabled or green. Leaving a turn restriction disabled does not mean that Waze will not route to it, Waze can still route a turn to it since it is connected. To prevent routing, a segment needs to be totally disconnected from a junction and placed 5m apart.
8. Name the road, if you don't know the street name add the city name and mark the street name as 'None'. Somebody else could edit it. Do not leave segments in red (unnamed). Do not name roundabouts, the road name will not wrap around the roundabout segments and will not look right on the map. It will also break the routing instructions for the roundabout.

Follow the PH Road Naming convention when adding road names -

1. Always use the official name as the street name (DPWH Name)

2. Do not use multiple street names separated with a slash "/"

3. If there are local (LGU) or other name for the street, add them as an alternative name

4. Use punctuation for initials except for cardinal directions

5. N, E, W, S, NE, NW, SE, and SW without punctuation will be read as cardinal directions

6. Excluding route numbers, maximum length of street name should NOT exceed 5 words (street name)

7. Do not use the word 'to' (preposition) as the beginning of a street name, unless it is an actual street name

8. Do not use the word 'exit' (e.g. 'Exit to...') in the street name. It can be used when the street is commonly known to have one e.g. 'Marilao Exit'

9. Refer to the Philippines TTS List for a complete list of supported abbreviations

1. When naming streets, omit "City" and "Street". e.g. "Pasig City" to "Pasig" only and "Dela Rosa Street" to "Dela Rosa" only. Except when they are not "Streets" like "Kamias Road", "Aurora Boulevard", "Ayala Avenue", etc. If you are going to abbreviate, make sure you follow Waze Abbreviations and TTS standards so that our street names are ready for TTS (Text To Speech).

The City field should only contain the CITY or MUNICIPAL Name and NOT the AREA, SUBDIVISION, DISTRICT or BARANGAY NAME nor should it be combined with the PROVINCIAL Name.

Please give extra care on labeling the City of your edits. Unlike Street names which reflects edits (or corrections) quicker and appears on the next update, City names unfortunately embeds much longer on the City tiles in the servers. So misspelled City names reflected during an update will appear for a long time in the client (waze) despite any corrections made.

Kindly stick to the official (but shortest possible) name of the jurisdiction being edited. Also, if you are unsure of the political boundaries of the "city" you are editing, leave it at that for the moment. let's leave it to the more experienced and knowledgeable editors to sort this matter out.

Another matter of city labels, we omit the "city" to derive the shortest possible official political name of the area. The only exceptions are Quezon, Cebu, Davao, Cavite, etc as these cities have a provincial counterpart.

This will distinguish Quezon City with the province of Quezon, Cebu City with the province of Cebu, and so on.

All other cities or municipalities will stand on its own without the label "City" or "Municipality", provided it does not have a same Province name.

Currently waze has a global issue with cities having duplicate names (with the exception of North America). We are hoping to resolve this in the future by having the Province label (equivalent to State) activated. For the time being, to address this issue, the  province's initial, to which the city or municipality belongs to, is added (suffixed) to the name. e.g. Alaminos (L) for Laguna, Alaminos (P) for Pangasinan. Kindly refer to this link of repeating city names for a complete listing of all the cities and municipalities within the Philippines.

1. Do not split roads unless they are Expressways, Major, and Minor Highways. Even if they are Major or Minor highways, do not split them if they do not have wide median barriers. Split roads complicate routes and are harder to maintain.

Some formal guidelines for splitting roads in the Philippines - A road should' be split if:

• There is at least 5 meters of non-drivable surface between directions of travel. (This means a median of some type like cement, planter boxes, trees, or just grass.
• GPS tracks show a clearly definable gap/blank area between the color-by-azimuth arrows at the 100m zoom level.
• U-Turns are required to properly make turns that are blocked by a median.

A road should not be split because:

• There is a curb or non-drivable media less than 5m wide between lanes of travel. This means a turn lane, even a wide one, between directions of travel, does not count because it is drivable.
• There are a lot of roads intersecting which can only turn onto the nearest direction of travel.
• Google Maps or other mapping source show it as a split road
• The non-drivable median is interrupted by a cross segment at most intersections.

Turn Lanes or at-grade connectors - First and foremost, the need to have the turn lanes mapped needs to be established. As the driver approaches an intersection, Waze has usually given at least one warning that a turn is imminent, and we can assume that the driver is already looking for turn lanes. For most intersections, that is enough to guide the driver into the proper lane and to turn at the proper time; in other words, it is enough that the two roads intersect without separately mapped turning lanes. There are only a few situations in which connectors are called for in an intersection:

• When the turn lane physically separates from the main road well in advance of the intersection
• When the turn lane is far enough from the point of intersection on the map (due to the size of the intersection or the angle at which the roads meet) that the driver might overshoot while waiting for a delayed "turn" audible, or that the Waze client might become confused and disrupt navigation
• When the area is "busy" enough that the driver may not get any advance warning that a turn is coming up--in which case a connector lets you notify the driver a little earlier
• When there are user complaints (update requests) that the audible was too late, or that the map should have shown a connector
• When you get an automated report (map problem) that the roads are too far apart due to the intersection being too far from the turn lane
• When in doubt, leave it out. Each connector complicates the map and adds to your workload when the time comes to check connectivity, direction, name, etc

1. When you are confident on an area you have mapped,lock the roads to prevent any changes or edits on the roads. While we appreciate the help of newbie waze editors in editing our maps, they are prone to creating errors if not informed and educated properly on our map editing guidelines. It would be great if we can direct them to read this guide first before they start doing any edits. Read the Phillipine Locking Policy for more details.

1. Adding Area Places, Point Places, and Gas Stations; When adding Places, make sure their location is properly identified through the add Area Places draw function and add the address in the details as well. If an Area Place will cover beyond a city's/minicipality's boundary or will cover more than one city/municipality, mark the city address as none. For bodies of water like creeks, rivers, lakes, sea, etc. mark the city address as none, this is so that their area will not be added to the city tile.

The main differences for these are; Area Places - These primarily POI locators but also serve another function on the Waze map. They serve as navigation aids and cues so if a landmark serves as a navigation cue and is more than 50m on it's X or Y coordinates, you can add it. If it is smaller than 50m, consider adding a Point Place. Compounds and buildings fall into this place type.

Point Places - These are the main POI locators for establishments that you want to add on the map. Adding these makes these places searchable on the Waze app. If there is already an Area Place, do not add a Point Place and vice versa. Establishments inside a building or compound fall into this place type.

Gas Stations - Gas station establishments, when adding these and X or Y coordinates are not long enough, consider adding a small spike on one of the sides so that it goes over 50m in length so that it gets displayed on the client app.

Refer to the Places Policy for more details on what can be added.

DO NOT MAP MILITARY INSTALLATIONS OR BASES

1. KISS! - Keep It Simple, Stupid! Our maps should work best if they are kept simple rather than complex, therefore simplicity should be the main objective in our maps and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

Other Questions and Tips for the Pinoy Waze Editor

Here are the most asked questions from Pinoy Waze Editors

• Is there a manual for Waze map editing?

There is a Waze Map Editor that applies to both the US and World map servers. The topics on the wiki may or may not apply to our Philippine Roads.

A Map Editing Guide for the Philippines is available in the Editing Resources for the Philippines and is a compilation of suggestions and made into a guide on how we should edit our Waze maps for the Philippines. A lot of map issues and update requests are due to incomplete or incorrect information on our map. A lot of these issues could be avoided if we follow the Best map editing practice guide in the wiki. However, some items listed are specifically for our pinoy roads and driving habits.

• Why am I not leveling up to Level 2 or 3?

We have implemented a policy which will limit Level 3 to senior Area Managers and Level 2 to those in contact with the local community (member of the PH FB group or active on the Waze PH Forum). This means all Waze editors will be forced ranked and will remain at Level 1 regardless of their map edit count unless they apply for a level upgrade and get approved. New Area Managers are also not automatically promoted to Level 3 and will remain on their level until the local champs agree to promote based on the quality of edits. In order to be eligible to level up to Level 3, a Level 2 Wazer needs to meet the requirements required to be an Area Manager. The reason for this is that a Level 3 Wazer has the same editing permissions as a senior Area Manager. Waze Area Managers help keep the map accurate by fixing Update Requests (URs) and Map Problems (MPs). Other Level 3 map editors who are not Area Managers can compromise the accuracy of the Waze maps by editing or changing segments currently locked to Area Managers. Instead of helping, they become a detriment and damage already working and accurate maps. This may result in inaccurate roads and cause issues with Wazers using the app. We are also having problems communicating with these Level 3 editors who are not Area Managers since they do not frequent the Waze forum.

You can apply for a level upgrade if you meet the requirements set by the PH community. Please use the Waze Philippines Level Upgrade Application Form

• How do I apply to be an Area Manager?

To become an Area Manager, use the Waze Map Editor and position the map and set the zoom level to show the area you want to manage. Click on Permalink and then copy the address from the address bar in your browser. Fill out the Philippine Waze area-management request form and submit. There is also a wiki page on Area Manager. The Philippines is part of a group of countries that practices 'self-management' wherein the approval will come from Philippines Waze Champs identified by Waze. Please bear with us if it takes several days to have your application approved, all the Waze champs are just volunteers and we have other day jobs

To view the requirements for an Area Manager, please check out the Philippine Champs and Area Managers wiki

• How long does it take until my edits gets displayed on my waze client?

It usually takes a couple of days for edits to get reflected on the waze client. If it takes more than that then maybe there is an issue with the map updates, check out waze status page for more details. If your edits still don't display on the client and the map update should have included your edits, you can force a map update on your client by selecting on your client settings > advanced > data transfer > refresh map of my area

• When I encounter traffic on the road, what type do I report?

You can report a road traffic or Waze will sometimes prompt you if it detects a slowdown or you are stopped for a period of time. You do not need to submit a traffic condition for all roads if they are not highlighted by a traffic condition. Traffic condition highlights are purely visual and does not affect the routing. Repeatedly reporting traffic might lead to your account getting blocked and your points stripped due to report spamming (also considered cheating). If you would still like to report traffic, here are the traffic types;

Standstill traffic - only select this option if you are in a bumper-to-bumper situation and movement is approximately one car length every 10 minutes and above, and you are not at a traffic light junction (signalized intersection)

Heavy traffic - Bumper-to-bumper situation but the speed is from 1 to 10 kph, and you are not at a traffic light junction (signalized intersection). This is the usual EDSA or C5 traffic where walking is sometimes faster than driving.

Moderate traffic - Speed is usually 10 to 25 kph

• I see traffic cameras everywhere and report their locations, why doesn't Waze display them when I pass by them again?

The cameras that should be reported are speed trap cameras, red light cameras or fake cameras. Right now, there are NO ROADS which have fixed or static speed cams. What we have are mobile speed cameras and these are located on Commonwealth Ave, Macapagal Blvd, NLEX, and SLEX. There are no other speed cameras elsewhere and there are no red light cameras or fake cameras anywhere in Metro Manila. Red light cameras snaps a picture of your car and license plate when you run a red light. The cameras you see on top of traffic lights or intersections are just plain CCTV cameras and they only monitor the road conditions.

As of 6/19/2014, speedcameras have been disabled on our maps based on our request during the June meetup. You will still be able to report them but they will no longer appear on WME and you will not get any points for them

• What is the difference between Map Issues and Update Requests?

Map issues are Waze generated and based on analyzed wazer traffic. Update Requests or URs are waze user submitted requests to fix user identified map issues.

• How do I fix Map Issues?

Visit the Map Issues wiki for more details.

• How do I fix Update Requests?

Visit the Update Requests wiki for more details.

• Waze keeps on routing an illegal U-Turn on an intersection, how do I stop this?

On the Waze Map Editor (WME), select the road where Waze routes an illegal U-Turn. The properties for that segment are displayed on the left side of the editor. Drag either point A or point B so that the length of the segment is equal or less than 10 meters. Waze will no longer route the U-Turn on this segment.

• Waze does not use the U-Turn segment I created between two roads, what could be the problem?

Check the turn restrictions, if the turn restrictions are already enabled, the distance of points A and B could be less than or equal to 10 meters. Drag either of the points to make the segment longer than 15 meters.

• Are there any shortcut keys for the Waze Map Editor?

You can view the wiki page on Keyboard shortcuts

• Waze keeps routing me on roads inside gated subdivisions, how do I edit the roads to prevent this?

Select all the roads within the gated subdivision and change the road type to "Private Road". This would prevent Waze from using these roads for routing unless your destination is within the subdivision.

• I'm trying to edit a road but it is locked, how do I unlock it and why is it locked?

You can request for an unlock in the Philippines - Waze Forum

or in the Philippine Waze Users Facebook Group.

While we appreciate the help of newbie waze editors in editing our maps, they are prone to creating errors if not informed and educated properly on our map editing guidelines. If you would like to manage an area local to you or you are very familiar with, apply for area manager permissions.

• The city names are wrong, I've edited them but the correct name still isn't displayed. What do I need to do to correct this?

The problem with the city names is that city tiles takes a while to update. So even if we fix incorrect city names, the errors are still displayed on the client as well as the editor maps through the city layer. There is really no schedule nor any notice for the city tile updates, we just have to wait until the correction appears.

• There is a road near my area which, depending on the time allows you to drive through it, how can I set this road to do this?

You can add Time or Scheduled restrictions to the road or turn. For more details on how to do this, you can visit the Scheduled restrictions wiki.

• Search function doesn't work, how do I fix it?

This is a known issue that has been working on and off. The quick fix is to uninstall and install the app on your device.

• I'm editing a road but I keep on getting this message "While you were editing, the elements you're trying to save have been modified and/or deleted.". What do I need to do?

If refreshing the map editor does not work, go to the waze status page and check for any announcement from waze about any map tiles update (please note for that date of the update) if the problem persists after the tiles update try to edit around the ghost segment to force the update of the tiles (remember to check the status page for the tiles update a few days later).

• How do I report flooding so that wazers will not be routed on a flooded road?

Road closure reports were added for this, to ensure that routing will not be done on the reported road. Road hazard reporting will not affect routing and will only pop up on the client as a notification. This is the main difference between a "Hazard" report and a "Closure" report.

To report flooding on a road, select Closure on the Waze app, select the road that is flooded by tapping on the arrow pointing to the road, tap Continue, select the closure type Hazard. You can add "flood", "unpassable", or whatever you wish to describe the road closure on the detail field and then tap Send.

Notes:

• If one user reports a road closure - it will only affect that user's view of the map. In order to affect all users, a number of users need to report the same closure.

• The number of reports needed to close the roads for all the users varies based on the road's weight, the user's rank and the country.

• The road will be opened when a number of users drive through the road.