Place Editing in California generally follows the National standards, but please note the following specific local guidelines.
Qualifying Standards
California does not map freeway exits with Places (either Area or Point).
California does not use the "Airport" category for private airfields or airstrips that do not welcome the general driving public. If there is a need for them to be mapped, "Other" is the appropriate category. If easily recognizable as airfields when seen from nearby public roads, they may be mapped as Area Places. Otherwise either do not map them, or map them as Point Places.
Locking Standards
Places should be completed as fully as possible any time they are created or updated. At a minimum, editors should:
- verify correct spelling of the name, using the guidelines below
- complete the address, to help when choosing among search results in the app, and
- ensure the correct location of the Point or Stop Point, to guide drivers to the correct location. Note that this may not always be on the street side of the location.
Phone numbers and opening hours are also particularly helpful to Wazers. Complete them whenever possible, using an online search, if necessary. Photos should help Wazers recognize the destination when they arrive.
Recommended phone number formats: (987) 654-3210 or 987-654-3210 Others may not auto-dial properly in some phones.
When completed, places should be locked, to prevent inadvertent damage. Please don't lock places to their highest level until most of their information is completed, but do lock to a level higher than 1, once you have verified any information, to help protect from accidental damage through client submissions. The following are recommended (minimum) levels:
- Airport : 5
- Hospital : 4
- Fire Station : 4
- Police Station : 4
- Large areas - (State Parks, if mapped, etc.) : 4
- Gas Station : 3
Most other places should be locked at 3, once completed.
Naming Standards
We are standardizing the naming of most public facilities and businesses. This makes search results more consistent and useful, and gives Wazers a more professional and uniform experience. The names have been designed to work well with instant search, regular search, and to be clear and concise in the map display. Please follow these guidelines when naming the places described below.
Places which are part of a larger area place (e.g. place points for parking lots in a university area, separate ER entrances in a hospital area, etc.) should be named with their unique name followed by a hyphen and the name of the larger area they belong to. For example "Student Parking Lot C - StudyHard University"
Government Agencies (selected)
All places for the following agencies should be named according to the standards as follows:
City and County Offices: City or County Name followed by City Hall or department or agency as appropriate, for example:
La Palma City HallLos Angeles County ProbationSan Diego County Administration Center
Police and Sheriff Stations: City, Agency or Division Name followed by "Police Station" or "Sheriff Station", for example:
Rampart Division Police StationSacramento Police StationLakewood Sheriff Station
- A page which can help you find the LAPD Station names, though it takes a little work.
Fire Stations: Agency Name or abbreviation followed by “Fire Station – “ and the station number. For example:
SFFD Fire Station 15CalFire Fire Station 3LACoFD Fire Station 105
- Here is a list of LAFD Stations
Subway and Light Rail Stations: Start with the Agency (and the line if appropriate) followed by the station name. For example:
Metro Blue Line – Willow StationRT Gold Line – 29th Street StationBART – Powell Street StationVTA Light Rail - Tasman Station
- Stations name can be found for BART and VTA Light Rail.
- In general, City Bus stops should not be mapped.
United States Postal Service: Start the name with “Post Office”, then append CDP or Station name. Place the City name and the ZIP code of the Post Office in the Description box so it will be viewable in the app GO page. Alternate name should be “USPS”. For example:
Post Office - Seal Beach Mariner StationPost Office - Los Angeles AirportPost Office - GMF Long Beach
Note: This naming structure was updated 10/2017.
- Here is the USPS tool to find the names of specific post offices.
- https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorAction!input.action
US VA Hospitals/Centers/Clinics: Should be named with their official name as the primary name. For VA hospitals/medical centers "(US Veterans Only)" should be added to the end of the primary name, and as the first line of the description. In the primary name, "VA" should be expanded as "Veterans Affairs", so as not to cause a TTS conflict with Virginia. Names can be shortened to remove extraneous words; for example, replace "Campus of the" from the official name with a hyphen (-). Any colloquial names should be added as alt names, so they are returned in search results, and also at the beginning of the description, so they are visible on the place preview page in the client. Some examples:
Veterans Affairs - Long Beach Medical Center (US Veterans Only)Anaheim Veterans Medical ClinicVeterans Affairs - West Los Angeles Medical Center (US Veterans Only)
Place Name Harmonization
These name spellings are standardized so that Wazers will receive consistent results when searching in the client. Please use them when you edit one of these chain or franchise businesses.
If you don't find the business you're looking for, please use this form to submit the missing information.