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
text
text
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
- 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!
[1], and [2] for those parts that have streetview.
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.
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.
Freeway
Lock at L5.
National Highways start with an E followed by 1,2 or 3 digits
- E311
- E44
Truckroads (start with an E followed by 1, 2 or 3 digits)
- E75 Truck Road
Name them:
- E75 Truck Road
Salik TOLL Roads
All [Salik] are toll roads and are controlled by SALIK.
Name them as they are officially named.
Major Highways
Rural roads with 2 digit local Emirate numbers. Lock at L4.
Name them:
- D92
- F10
- S20
Minor Highways
Highways/Roads in cities with 2 digit local Emirate numbers. Lock at L3.
Name them:
- D92
- F10
- S20
Ramps
Entrance or Exit to or from freeways and highways. Lock at L3, L4 or L5 (same as the highest lock on the connected segments)
Name them "dir...." with a destination.
Primary Street
Lock at L2.
Main Streets in villages and cities like...
- Al Assayel Street
Name them:
- Al Assayel St
Long stretches of road outside of cities. Make them primary.
Street
Any road in a house block urban area, very small roads / non paved roads which are not main streets. Lock at L1.
4x4 (dirt) Road
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. Lock at L1. Regular streets, without pavement, but for normal use, should be mapped as street, so that they will be used for navigation.
Private Road
A road that goes to a single house, or onto private property of a company or community. Lock at L1.
Parking Lot
Parking Lot Roads and big Parkings like one of a "Big C" Mall. It's not necessary to draw every Parking Lane of a big Parking. You can add the city name but no street name (check the no-name box). Lock at L1.
Service roads can also be marked as Parking Lot Road. Frontage Roads to Gasstations and Foodshops along Freeways for instance.
U-Turns
A break in the barrier between the lanes of a freeway or highway, where traffic can turn around.
Still under discussion, here are some ways:
Preferred: use a segment of the same road type as the connecting type, without city and street name, connected with a small, departure angle, of 170 degrees or higher, to trigger the "make a u-turn" instruction, coming from both directions. Note: 1. Segment length has to be 16 m. or longer. 2. Segment start to prevent recalculation of route. Example
Railroads
- City: No City
- Streetname: Railroad
- Direction: 2-way
- Height: actual level
- Lock: min. 4
Walking Trail, Pedestrian Boardwalk, Stairway, Runway / Taxiway
Do not use.