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Places is the Waze Point of Interest (POI) system. Places supports two types of POIs: Point and Area.
Point Places create app-searchable POIs with limited rendering on the user's client display. The Point Place may be used for many destinations subject to the table of Place categories and types, but becomes especially useful in situations where the other POI search engines accessed by Waze do not list a desired destination.
Area Places (formerly called Landmarks) serve all the functions of Point Places while providing additional visual orientation cues on the user's client display. Because of their increased visibility and the resulting potential for map clutter, Area Places are easily overused. In principle, if a location is not distinctive and significant enough to orient drivers, it should not be marked with an Area Place. This principle guided the determination of Point vs. Area in the table of Place categories and types. Exceptions include gas stations, which receive special handling.
Point
The Point type of Place is rendered with the following icons:
Standard Point marker pin is purple-ish
The currently selected Point marker will turn blue
Any Point markers which have been edited and not yet saved by you will turn an orange-pink color, just like Area Places and segments.
Location Details
- The Point marker for a Place should be located on or nearest to the segment to which the driver should be navigated. The Point Marker is the stop point.
Area
The Area type of Place is rendered as a polygon. Just like a segment, you can adjust the shape by using the geometry handles. All Area Places in the editor show in pink when not selected and blue-green when selected:
Location Details
- The Area type has a target which is the navigation stop point.
- The target stop point can be moved anywhere within the shape and also a short distance outside the actual Area shape
- The stop point target should be placed on or nearest to the segment to which the driver should be navigated.
Extent
Some locations that qualify for an Area Place may involve one or more structures as well as open space, roads, and parking. In such cases, particularly if these components form a unified complex or campus with an overall identity, the boundaries of the Area Place should encompass the entire property (i.e., "mapped to the fence line"). This ensures that clients render and label the Area Place with the correct significance when viewed with reduced zoom.
Other qualifying Area Places whose property lines are substantially identical with a single destination structure may be drawn, if desired, to approximate the structure's outline or footprint.
Overlap
In some cases an extensive Area Place may contain within it locations that would themselves qualify as Area Places; for example, different medical buildings within a hospital campus or separate malls within a large shopping complex. As of this writing, the Waze client renders the names of overlapping Area Places but without boundaries between them. Users therefore cannot visually distinguish Area Places subset within other Area Places except for the text labels.
Future versions of the Waze client may render overlapping Area Places more usefully. In anticipation of this, qualifying Area Places may be drawn subset within others. It may be a better approach for the time being to use Point Places for the components of a larger Area Place, unless it is essential that the subset Place names be visible in the current version of the Waze client. If overlapping Area Places do render more usefully in the future, qualifying Point Places may be converted to Area Places at that time.
Client Rendering
As of March 2014[update], we do not have any details on how Point places may be rendered within the Waze app.
Setting the stop point for a Place
Point placement
The Point Place is to be placed on or nearest to the segment to which the driver should be navigated. Here is an example of a gas station Point located directly on a parking lot segment.
Area placement
Here is an example of an Area (a large park in this case) which has an entry road on the east side. The second image is zoomed in on the target to show how this type of Area should have its navigation stop point set.
Area+Point Combinations
There are some situations where it will be appropriate to mix both Area and Point Places. For example, shopping centers and shopping malls where the mall itself could be considered a navigation destination, but there are also individual stores which are also valid for being marked.
A simple shopping center, when mapped in this manner, would look like this:
Multiple categories
- A Place can be assigned to multiple categories
- The Primary Category for a Place must be the first one you enter
- The Primary Category is displayed in a darker shade of blue than the others
- The Primary Category is used to determine whether to use a Point or Area for the Place
Place address detail
Every Place, whether Point or Area, should have as much detail completed as possible. This includes a name, proper categorization, and full street address, city and state. If any Place doesn't have a City or Street, you will need to check the None checkbox.
Here is an example of a Gas Station Area with its details completed:
Additional fields to allow entry of more detail will be coming in future editor releases. (One field available in previous editor releases but not available at this time, is phone number.)
When to use Area or Point
Here is the global guidance on selecting Area or Point for Places in the Waze Map Editor.
The Primary Category for a Place is used to determine whether to use a Point or Area.
| Parent | Category | Type | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car Services | Car Wash | Point | |
| Car Services | Charging Station | Point | |
| Car Services | Garage / Automotive Shop | Point | |
| Car Services | Gas Station | Area | Many gas stations also have convenience stores and ATMs. Remember to use "Gas Station" as the primary category and the add any others which are relevant. |
| Car Services | Parking Lot | Both | There are very few parking lots which should be mapped at all. Please see the Places/Parking lot article. |
| Transportation | Airport | Area | Special-handling |
| Transportation | Bridge | Area | |
| Transportation | Bus Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Ferry Pier | Point | |
| Transportation | Junction / Interchange | Area | |
| Transportation | Seaport / Marina / Harbor | Area | Size-dependent. |
| Transportation | Subway Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Taxi Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Train Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Tunnel | Area | |
| Professional and public | Cemetery | Area | |
| Professional and public | City Hall | Point | |
| Professional and public | College / University | Area | |
| Professional and public | Conventions / Event Center | Area | Size-dependent |
| Professional and public | Courthouse | Point | |
| Professional and public | Embassy / Consulate | Area | |
| Professional and public | Factory / Industrial | Both | Size-dependent |
| Professional and public | Fire Department | Point | |
| Professional and public | Government | Point | |
| Professional and public | Hospital / Medical Care | Area | |
| Professional and public | Information Point | Point | |
| Professional and public | Kindergarten | Point | |
| Professional and public | Library | Point | |
| Professional and public | Military | Area | |
| Professional and public | Offices | Both | Size-dependent |
| Professional and public | Organization or Association | Point | |
| Professional and public | Police Station | Point | |
| Professional and public | Prison / Correctional Facility | Area | |
| Professional and public | Post Office | Point | |
| Professional and public | Religious Center | Point | |
| Professional and public | School | Area | |
| Shopping and services | Arts & Crafts | Point | |
| Shopping and services | ATM | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Bank / Financial | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Bookstore | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Car Dealership | Point | Size-dependent |
| Shopping and services | Car Rental | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Convenience Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Currency Exchange | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Department Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Electronics | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Fashion and Clothing | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Flowers | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Furniture / Home Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Gifts | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Gym / Fitness | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Hardware Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Jewelry | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Laundry / Dry Cleaning | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Market | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Music Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Personal Care | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Pet Store / Veterinarian | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Pharmacy | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Photography | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Shopping Center | Area | |
| Shopping and services | Sporting Goods | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Supermarket / Grocery | Point | Standalone could be an Area, but a Point if it is part of larger shopping mall/center. |
| Shopping and services | Swimming Pool | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Toy Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Travel Agency | Point | |
| Food and drink | Bakery | Point | |
| Food and drink | Bar | Point | |
| Food and drink | Coffee shop | Point | |
| Food and drink | Dessert | Point | |
| Food and drink | Fast Food | Point | |
| Food and drink | Food Court | Point | |
| Food and drink | Ice Cream | Point | |
| Food and drink | Restaurant | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Art Gallery | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Casino | Area | Large hotel-casinos perhaps could be Area Places. |
| Culture & entertainment | Club | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Game Club | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Movie Theater | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Museum | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Music Venue | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Performing Arts Venue | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Racing Track | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Stadium / Arena | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Theme Park | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Theater | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Tourist Attraction / Historic Site | Point | Size-dependent |
| Culture & entertainment | Zoo / Aquarium | Area | Size-dependent |
| Other | Construction Site | Area | Not necessary to be mapped. |
| Other | Residence / Home | NONE | Not to be mapped |
| Lodging | Bed & Breakfast | Point | |
| Lodging | Camping / Trailer Park | Area | Size-dependent |
| Lodging | Cottage / Cabin | Point | |
| Lodging | Hostel | Point | |
| Lodging | Hotel | Point | |
| Outdoors | Beach | Area | |
| Outdoors | Golf Course | Area | |
| Outdoors | Park | Area | |
| Outdoors | Playground | Point | |
| Outdoors | Plaza | Point | |
| Outdoors | Promenade | Point | Unsure about mapping these at all |
| Outdoors | Scenic Lookout / Viewpoint | Point | |
| Outdoors | Ski Area | Area | |
| Outdoors | Sports Court | Point | |
| Natural features | Farm | NONE | |
| Natural features | Forest / Grove | Area | Only map official state/national forests, not every stand of trees. |
| Natural features | Island | Area | |
| Natural features | River / Stream | Area | |
| Natural features | Sea / Lake / Pond | Area |
Parking Lot
The Parking Lot Place marks a well-defined area constructed for off-street public parking, including parking structures and garages as well as at-grade lots. There are many elements that must be considered before deciding to map a parking lot. The details are covered in Places/Parking lot.