USA/Rev

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Welcome to Waze in the USA. This page is primarily about editing the Waze map in the United States. You can find information about other aspects of Waze on other pages:

• using the Waze navigation app for your mobile device _link_
• using the Livemap on the Waze website to do such things as check traffic and plan routes _link_
• Using the social networking integration features of Waze _link_
• Using the shared drive/meet me web page _link_

There is also a general overview of Waze.

You should at least be familiar with using the Waze navigation app and the general overview of Waze before you start map editing. There isn't a lot to learn -- if you've been using Waze to navigate many trips, you're almost ready to start editing, too. Resources on this page will help you get started.

Quick start to editing

Edit the map is fairly intuitive. Go to the Waze site, click on "Live Map," then choose "edit the map." You can then search for a place, and zoom in and out.

Most simple edits, such as making a road segment better align with the satellite imagery for the road, or disallowing a turn due to a no turns sign, can be done very easily. Just click the road segment that is affected, and start dragging its "dots" (we call these geometry nodes) until it has the right shape and position, or click its arrows to switch between green (allowed to turn) and red (turn restricted).

After every few changes, you should click the save icon <<<add picture>>>

You can add additional segments by clicking the pencil icon <<<add picture>>>, but you will need to know about how to connect segments together correctly before you do that.

Four important things to know:

• You can only edit in your assigned areas. That will include the roads you've driven on and the areas surrounding them.
• In the United States, the map usually gets published every day or two. Don't expect to see your changes show up right away.
• There are many sensitive roads that are locked to prevent damage by inexperienced editors. If you are unable to edit a road, or a turn restriction, or connect/disconnect road segments, one of them is probably locked. There's information late in this page about requesting lock overrides.
• Simple edits such as the ones listed earlier are easy, and almost anyone can make them in their area, if the road isn't locked. But there is an art to map editing "the Waze way," and you'll have to learn it to be an effective editor for more complex edits. That will require experience, reading documentation listed further on in this page, communicating with other editors on the "forums" and in the Waze Map Editor (WME) chat window, and possibly mentoring by an experienced editor. If you don't do at least some of the above, you're likely to do things that are counterproductive, and don't result in a better driving experience for the millions of Wazers out on the road.

On that note, here are some suggested things to do to start learning to be an excellent map editor:

• Read the client application user manual. This linked revision is a little behind the current released version, but most of the functionality is the same.

Client app manual above shouldn't be a prereq, as long as they've been using the app. Maybe we want to encourage at least reporting issues though? -q

• Load the free Waze app on your supported smartphone.

Should we just assume they already use the app? I already mentioned that in the lede. If so, take this one out, too. - q

• Review the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the glossary of terms

If we include this link, then we need to seriously overhaul the FAQ first. There's just way too much for a beginner -q

• Familiarize yourself with the Waze forums and understand forum etiquette. Find your state forum and _link_ state Wiki page.

I combined forum/forum etiquette/state links into one bullet. Etiquette should probably get moved into a Wiki page. I'm thinking the state links should move to the next section where things get more advanced.-q

• Monitor the Status page in case the servers are down.

I don't think monitoring status is very useful. I did mention above that map edits are not immediately published -q

• Review all the Read Me First posts here.

Read me posts should be done away with. This page should be the replacement for them -q

Help improve Waze

It you are interested in working on an amazing navigation system, consider joining the hundreds of thousands of Wazers who get into the details of Waze and have fun doing it.

Editing the map

As you become more familiar with the Waze application you can start making changes to the map yourself. Just be sure to fully understand the associated documentation presented here.

• Read the Waze Map Editor manual.