User:DwarfLord/Responding to incorrect edits

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If you have arrived at this wiki by following a link sent to you in a private message, it means another editor believes some of your edits to the Waze map are incorrect. Those edits may already have been modified or deleted. This may be an unpleasant surprise, especially if you put a lot of time and energy into those edits, but rest assured that you are in good company. Every one of Waze's many volunteer editors has made mistakes that required correction or removal.

The purpose of this wiki is to help you understand what about your edits may have needed undoing and to offer you suggestions on where your editing energy could do the most good.

Incorrect edits are a natural part of Waze

Having edits undone or redone may make you feel like being a Waze editor is not for you. That's a sensible response, but actually, Waze and the volunteer editing community need you.

It is so important to Waze to encourage new editors that they deliberately omit any training requirements to get started. Without any information, practice, or tests -- in fact within minutes of discovering Waze -- you can begin modifying Waze's maps. This is exciting, but it also means you will make mistakes. We all do.

Incorrect edits are a natural part of Waze. So please don't feel bad.

What did I do wrong?

Incorrect edits include both functional mistakes and misunderstood conventions. Functional mistakes are more serious but both require response.

Functional mistakes

A functional error introduces wrong data or faulty routing. Functional errors must be addressed as soon as possible after they are detected. If your incorrect edit was a functional mistake the editor who discovered it has already taken steps to fix it.

Common functional mistakes
Wrong example	Description
	Red roads. Roads that appear bright red in the editor were published before all necessary parameters were set properly. These roads will appear on the Waze client but are useless for routing. They can cause confusion among drivers and editors alike. See the Map Editing Quick-start Guide for details.
	Misplaced roundabouts. The Waze roundabout tool creates an intersection that gives roundabout-specific routing instructions to drivers. It should only be used for real roundabout intersections with three or more exits! It does not belong at cul-de-sacs, decorative entrance driveways, or traffic calming circles without roundabout signs, nor should it ever be used at ordinary intersections.
	Disconnected/disjoint segments.
	Corrupted turn restrictions.
	Critical segments missing.
	Failed editing due to locked segments.
	Excessive and misaligned geometry nodes.
	Cowboy road splitting. Just because a road is divided by a median strip in reality is not enough reason to split it in Waze. Splitting roads can cause a great deal of trouble and should not be attempted without great care and adequate preparation. You should always check with the local Area Manager before splitting any road.
	Unnecessary and/or connected walking paths. Walking paths are not benign! Waze will route drivers over them. Walking paths that come too close to drivable destinations can corrupt routing results. Using Waze while walking or bicycling distorts Waze's speed calculations . Do not use walking paths except in limited cases where they can do no harm to nearby drivers using Waze.
	Unnecessary alleys and private driveways.
	Unnecessary at-grade connectors. At-grade connectors are not necessary unless the driver needs advance warning of a turn. Unnecessary at-grade connectors are more trouble to analyze and maintain, and their close proximity to the through road from which they split can lead Waze to snap drivers to the wrong road.

Misunderstood conventions

Misunderstood conventions do not necessarily involve wrong data or faulty routing, but violate editing conventions agreed upon by the local Waze editing community.

Excessive parking-lot roads.

Guidance for those modifying or deleting another's edits

First of all, be absolutely sure it really is a mistake! What appears at first to be an incorrect road, for example, may reflect changes that have taken place since the satellite and street-view images were captured. Disagreement with other mapping services may result from errors in the other services, not in the Waze data. Do not automatically assume that the satellite imagery, street-view photographs, or other mapping services are correct.

Wherever possible, resist the urge to delete and start again. Nobody enjoys seeing their work deleted, even if it was in error. To the extent possible, modify and build on the incorrect work. If deletion is required but the maps and routing are not broken, send the author a permalink to the issue and a link to this wiki and give them a chance to delete the issue themselves. If the error must be reworked immediately, at least send the author a link to this wiki and some indication of where the repairs took place so they have the opportunity to learn.