Hello everyone!
We have an official Waze forum and a Waze UAE Facebook group.
The map of the Emirates attracts a lot of foreign editors, so this page is in English. We are looking for people who speak Arabic for help.
Editing the map
If you already have general editing experience, please continue reading here to learn about the things we do a little bit different in the United Arab Emirates compared to the rest of the world.
If you are completely new to editing, we recommend you first visit the Waze Map Editor (WME) Welcome page.
Of course you want to get to editing right away, but as a minimum you will want to visit the Map Editing Quick-start Guide, so you understand what features you have available in the WME and a simple explanation on how to use them.
For a more in depth understanding of Map editing, we recommend you read the Waze Map Editor page.
As a new editor, you are likely to make some mistakes in making changes to the map. This article will show you some of the more common editing errors, and how you can address them. (article to be adjusted for UAE)
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You may only use information obtained from Waze's Streetview and Satellite View, and from own observation to build/enhance the map. Use of other external sources is not allowed and would compromise the entire map. Failure to comply with this rule will result in your editing rights being revoked. |
When you think you understand enough of the basic concept of map editing, please continue reading below to learn about the UAE way of Map Editing!
Names in general
It's often not very clear what a road, village or place is called, so either leave it empty, or make a good guess and hope that local editors improve it.
You can find names on streetview by looking at signs.
English in names
English is the basic in all road and place names. The % of English speaking people in the UAE is higher then the % of Arabic speaking people. When Arabic is added, as second language, the 2 languages shall be separated by a comma and space This assures the instructions given in Waze match what drivers are seeing to avoid confusion.
UAE Unlock and Update Requests forum.
Dictionary
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City names
For cities and villages,
- For urban areas, the best match for the city field is often the Tambon name, which usually matches the local "city" naming used by locals and the emirati address system.
- In more rural areas, the smaller Muban is often the best match for the city field.
- We do not usually use the Thesaban name, as these are not used in addresses.
- When in doubt, leave the city field blank by checking the "None" box.
When writing in the name, we do not include the descriptive prefix. Example: Tambon Sa Khu, would be entered simply as "Sa Khu" in the city field. (Ban is often part of the official name and should be left in.)
Roads
English in street names
We should try to match street names to match local signage when official signs with romanization are available. This assures the instructions given in Waze match what drivers are seeing to avoid confusion that might lead to an accident or missed turn.
1. Road Names Source Don't any copyrighted external sources. Only Waze satelite, Waze Streetview are allowed. Government sources if they are available, without copyright, post them here or send me a PM, and we will check if Waze allows us to use them. Use of an illegal source can result in deletion of parts of the map!
Source for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi: not available yet Source for the Emirate of Ajman: not available yet Source for the Emirate of Dubai: not available yet Source for the Emirate of Fujairah: not available yet Source for the Emirate of Sharjah: not available yet Source for the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah: not available yet Source for the Emirate of Umm al-Quwain: not available yet
2. Road names must be properly capitalized. Example: Bani otbah avenue -> Bani Otbah Avenue
3. Labelling Freeways/Major highways: All U.A.E. highways are starting with a capital E, followed by the highway number. No city shall be given to these Major Highways/Freeways Then optional a dash, if the highway has a name, such as the example: E22 - Abu Dhabi Al Ain Road
If no official romanization in known or can be found via street view, and you are unfamiliar with the local naming custom, follow these rules:
- xxx or xxxx should be removed from the street name and Rd added to the end of the name. Do not put a . after Rd.
Example: "xxx"
-
Bijschrift1
-
Bijschrift2
- Road should be left in the name. Do not add or Alley to the end. xxx are cross-streets off of a main road. When naming them you should use the following format:
"<Parent Street Name> Road <Number>"
(Do not include Rd in the parent street name.)
Example:"
In some cases, Road will have a second name which does not reference the major street or the xxx number. These should be added as an alt name. Example: Road 8 is also known as Road . So we would add the alt name of "Road".
If local signage references the soi name and not the number, or there is no signage and local custom uses the name and not the number, it is ok to use the name as the primary street name, and the number as the alt.
If you are capable of reading and typing Arab, you can add the name of the road in Arab script as an alternate name.
Main Drivable Roads
| WME Road Type | Apply to Roads | Road Number Example | Lock Level | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeway | All roads within the United Arab Emirates, labelled with an E, followed by a road number | E11, E611 | 5 | Truck Roads E7, E30, and E75. Two-way segment E-roads (without central barrier) |
| Major Highway | All D-, F-, S- roads and main roads outside cities. Two-way segment E-roads, E-labelled Truck Road, E-labelled Roads within cities | E75 - Truck Rd | 4 | No |
| Minor Highway | All D-, F-, S- roads and main roads within cities. Two-way segment important connections outside cities | D63 - Al Qudra St | 3 | No |
| Primary Street | All other main connecting roads | N/A | 2 | No |
| Street | All other roads | N/A | 1 | No |
| Dirt Road / 4X4 Trail | A road that is physically impossible to drive by a normal car, and should be avoided when possible. For example: a road that goes through a shallow river, badly rutted, or a road that is less than one car wide. | N/A | 1 | No |
Other Segment Types
| WME Road Type | Used for | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Parking Lot Road | All parking lot roads; Gas Station roads | Routing on these roads has a penalty, and they will only be routed when your destination is on them, or if there is no alternative |
| Private Road | All roads which need special permission for access | Routing on these roads has a penalty, and they will only be routed when your destination is on them, or if there's no alternative |
| |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| | Use for railroad, metro and subway | Public transportation. Set elevation as found and connect to roads, but use Turn Restrictions to prevent routing onto Railroads |
| Pedestrian Boardwalk | Use for walking and bicycle paths only if they serve as a visual marker for routing | Set direction unknown and don't connect to drivable roads. Preferably don't add these at all |
| Walking Trail | Do NOT use this type | Use Pedestrian Boardwalk instead |
| Runway/Taxiway | Airport Runways and Taxiways | Only for airport runways. Never connect to any other roadtype. |
| Stairway | Do NOT use this type |
- Some satellite photos are shifted (in the wrong place) or out of date. Use the WME GPS layer to make roads in the correct place. Satellite and street views available from within WME may be used. Local knowledge may be used. External sources of information may not be used.
- You can always "add alternate name" to give a road more than one name. Use this when a road name has multiple ways to spell it, or when you want to add the road name in arab. This will not show in the App!
Special Road Constructions
Roundabouts
For Roundabout constructions, we use the same structures as in the USA. Here is more information on the subject.
U-Turns
On Freeways and Highways in UAE that have divided lanes, there are often designated U-turn areas created. They can be recognized by both road signs indicating a U-turn, as well as a U-turn arrow on the road surface itself.
On smaller roads there may not be specific signage indicating a U-turn area, but unless there are specific road signs that prohibit U-turns, they are generally allowed.
To ensure proper driving instructions, there are several construction options available. Please see the U-turn constructions page. Note that this page was originally constructed for a left-hand drive country, but as long as you mirror the constructions they will work for the Emirates.
Dividing roads
When it is illegal to cross a road, indicated by an uncrossable barrier in the middle it should be divided. This allows Waze to properly route users to the correct side of the road for their destination.
See the U-Turn section for instructions on how to properly hand dedicated U-Turn lanes on divided roads.
Divide:
Do not divide:
