USA/Southeast Discussion View history

Updating to State template USA Southeast
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This page contains information related to editing Waze maps in the USA Southeast Region which includes Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. It takes precedence over any more geographically localized state-level sub-pages to insure regional unity and consistency. Questions should be addressed to the SE Regional Coordinator or the State Managers.

See the Southeast Forum for more information. You can also send a request to the State Managers or the SE Regional Coordinator to join our private slack chat group. We are always looking for editors, and have fun learning in the process.

This page is maintained by driving79. Please coordinate any changes in advance. Southeast map editors are encouraged to add/modify their own information in the Southeast Editors table below. All editors should be intimately familiar with Best Editing Practices.

States, Counties and Localities

Alabama

  • Overview: There are 426 municipalities and 67 counties in the state. The primary urban centers are Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery (state capitol), and Huntsville, all pierced by or nearby the I-65 corridor. The toll system is Freedom Pass. Alabama is in the Central time zone.

Florida

  • Overview: There are 473 municipalities and 67 counties in the state. Orlando and neighboring Lake Buena Vista endure the most editing and map reports due to their popularity as global tourist destinations. The toll system is "Sunpass" (toll rates) and it is near impossible to travel anywhere in Florida from Orlando southward without encountering it. Outside of Florida, it is compatible with the NC QuickPass, and the GA PeachPass (see below). Florida spans the Eastern and Central time zones, with the dividing line at the Apalachicola River west of Tallahassee.
  • Florida Mapping Resources: Most counties in Florida have online geographic resources from either the Property Appraiser's office and/or Geographical Information Systems (GIS) department. Editors should always reference these local official sources for road naming.
  • Disney World: Disney World has been edited and locked to rank 5 for segments and rank 6 for areas/points. If you see an issue anywhere in Disney World, please post it to the unlock request forum, or alert a rank 5 or 6 editor with the problem and it will be fixed.

Georgia

  • Overview: There are 523 municipalities and 159 counties in the state. The toll system is PeachPass and is primarily found on HOV lanes in metro Atlanta. Some HOV lanes require PeachPass. Outside of Georgia, it is compatible with the FL Sunpass, and the NC QuickPass. Georgia is in the Eastern time zone.

Road (segment) types

Determining road types in the Southeast aligns with the Waze USA Standard for freeway, major highway, minor highways, and primary streets. The Waze USA standard is a hybrid system based on a national standard called "functional classification" with a few modifications.

Functional classification maps are available for most states. Compliance across state borders is important to insure better route selections between states; however, editors in some states have deferred adoption of the USA Standard due to in-state concerns. If you edit in any region than the Southeast, you must comply with that state's recommendations.

Although the Waze USA Standard permits some road-type selection deviation, at present no Southeast deviations are permitted, but may be in the future.

Minimum Road Type Standards

Interstate =  Freeway 
US Hwy =  Major Highway  (MH)
State Roads =  Minor Highway  (mH)

Dirt (unpaved/gravel) roads

The USA Standard (matrix table) does not specify how to set unpaved road segments, so we define that here. Unpaved roads may or may not be classified in the states' functional classification system. If they are, set the road type according to the functional classification. If they are not, set the road type to Dirt Road / 4x4 Trail.

To stay aligned with the USA Standard, a County Road functionally classified as Local, or a Local street classified as a collector, is still to be set as a Primary Road. A Local street functionally classified by the DOT as Local, is a Street. Otherwise, dirt is dirt. The majority of dirt roads are not functionally classified.

How to determine
when to set a dirt
road as type
dirt road

Dirt
(unpaved or gravel)

County
Road

Street

Functional
Class

Collector

 PS 

  PS 

Local

 PS 

 Street 

not
classified 

Dirt

Dirt

If the users' client options are set to avoid dirt roads, they will still be routed on dirt roads functionally classified as either a Collector or Street. This is necessary to insure beginning-to-end routing should the origin/destination be on an unpaved road however, Waze route pruning will only consider these lower-priority roads (Primary Street, Street, Dirt) near the origin/destination.

Examples:

  • An unpaved County Road identified in the DOT FC system as a Collector is a Primary Street.
  • An unpaved street identified in the DOT FC system as a Local road is a Street.
  • Any unpaved road not listed in the DOT FC system is Dirt.

Road Segment Naming

Interstates: I-xx
US Hwy: US-xx
State Road/Rte/Hwy: SR-xx
County Rte/Hwy: CR-xx

Often when US Hwys, State Roads, and County Roads pass through municipalities, they have a local name (e.g, "Main St"). Please see Road Names for instructions on how to name these segments. Check here for other states.

Road Segment Locking

There are some cases that do not adhere to this standard, such as any theme park type areas in Orlando (5/6). Further, all gates at gated communities / private installation should be locked to at least 5.

Standard for locking roads in the southeast region:
Segment Type Default locks
 Freeway  5
 Ramp  5
 Major Highway  5
 Minor Highway  4
 Primary Street  3
 Street  1
 • • • • Ferry • • • •   5
 |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|  2

When to Split a Two-Way Road

Generally, a road should be undivided unless it meets ALL of the requirements for dividing a road. When initially reviewing whether to divide or "un-divide" (merge back together) a roadway, consider these points first:

  1. The default representation for any roadway is a single 2-way segment, even if the physical roadway is divided. Dividing a roadway carries with it the burden of proof that the change will improve the usability and/ or simplicity of the waze map.
  2. If a road is currently working with no problem reports, consider leaving it as is.
  3. Prior to splitting a road, send a PM to one of the State Managers or the SE Regional Coordinator.
  4. Try to avoid switching roads back and forth between being divided and 2-way. For example, if most of the road is clearly divided and only parts would be considered a single two-way road, consider leaving it all divided. If only a small portion seems better off divided, consider keeping it all 2-way.


A road may be divided when ALL of the following conditions are met:

  • GPS tracks show a clearly definable and continuous gap (blank area) between the color-by-azimuth arrows at the 100m/500ft zoom level,
  • Multiple houses or businesses with no off-street parking are located directly on the street but are not accessible from the opposite direction of travel due to lengthy median, obstruction, or traffic control signage, or
  • U-turns are required to properly make turns from public driveable road types that are blocked by a median. (this will soon not be a reason as u-turns will be working in the client soon)

A road should not be divided when:

  • There is a curb or non-driveable median less than 5m wide between lanes of travel (see exceptions above).
  • The non-driveable median is interrupted by a cross segment at most intersections.
  • There is a center turn lane (any width) between directions of travel. Dividing this type of road creates problems when people turn from the middle lane because there is no road for the navigation to follow.
  • It is possible and legal to make a left turn/u-turn everywhere along the road
  • The objective is solely for visual appearance or to make the road match another visual source like Google Maps. MATCHING GOOGLE (or any other map product) IS NOT A REASON.

Remember that dividing and undividing roads each comes with its own set of problems. Each situation is unique and some issues may be more manageable with a single two-way road, and some may work fine with a divided road. Consider every aspect of routing, and carefully examine each junction before dividing or undividing. Regardless of whether you're dividing or undividing, remember that you might cause more problems than you solve and you might have to put it back the way it was before. Also remember that dividing and undividing each cause loss of some traffic data, which can result in poor Waze routing.

Mapping Resources & Functional Classification

Use only state DOT level FC maps when determine how to type (classify) a segment (Major Hwy, Minor Hwy, etc.). Some counties and cities have their own FC system, but only the state level system is to be used as a reference as these have been through a federal and state level approval process.

Alabama

Florida

Florida is divided into Regional Planning Councils which include transportation issues.

Please check Florida Mapping Resources for federal, state, county and city level mapping resources.

Florida Functional Classification

NOTE: After the FC updates are complete, Florida begins to enter a "maintenance mode." This means updates only as required by construction. Most major work is complete except for residential streets outside of metro areas. Mass editing of anything other above Street level will be subject to more scrutiny, e.g., were the edits actually improving/fixing anything, or were they edits for the sake of edits (& points)? The opportunities for points by doing anything but driving are dwindling, but still available in more rural areas.

Unsigned Florida SR#'s along US and Interstate Highways

There are many locations throughout Florida where The Florida Department of Transportation and Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (including Florida Highway Patrol) use designated State Road numbers along US highways and interstates for administrative purposes only. In these cases, you will not find a single sign in the real world reflecting the SR #. For example, FDOT and FHP refer to I-10 as SR-8, yet you will never find a single "SR-8" sign posted anywhere along I-10, or anywhere else in Florida, in this case.

Unfortunately, this is not true everywhere. For example, stretches of US-441 in South Florida do have "SR-7" signs posted as well.

Also, there are some locations, such as where I-4 ends at I-95 in Daytona Beach, that the corresponding SR-# (SR-400 in this example) continues beyond the terminus. You will never see a "SR-400" sign anywhere along I-4, just along the non-highway extension.

As is often the case, always defer to what the street signs say in real life. Use Street View to sample a few intersections and segments near intersections to see if the corresponding SR-# is signed or not. If there are no street signs with that SR-# in the real world, do not list it in Waze. If it is signed, determine if it should be Primary or Alt based on what the green street signs say at intersections. (e.g. SR-400 in Daytona appears as "Beville Road" on green street signs. "Beville Rd" is primary, "SR-400" is Alt.)

Although not an official listing, this Wiki Page indicates in the Notes column where this guidance should apply. "Carries _____" generally implies that you will not see the corresponding SR-# signed in the field. "Mostly carries" is a good hint that it may be co-signed and/or the corresponding SR-# exists in segments beyond its US or Interstate partner.

Use of the City Field in Florida

Use the following checklist step-by-step to determine whether the "City" field for a segment or place should contain a name or be marked as "None":

NOTE: Mailing addresses alone are not a determining factor for filling in the City field; city limits are. For example, everyone who lives in Leon County has a "Tallahassee, FL" mailing address, but not everyone in Leon County lives within the incorporated city limits of Tallahassee. Most unincorporated county areas should have the City field checked as "None", unless they meet one of the following exceptions.

STEP 1 - Incorporated Municipality. Is it on the list of legally incorporated municipalities? If NO, proceed to Step 2. If YES, check if your segment / place falls within the city limits by using Florida Mapping Resources. If it is not within the city limits, make sure it's not in an adjacent city or eligible location specified below. If not, stop here, you're done.

STEP 2 - Large Census Designated Place. Is it on the list of large Census Designated Places? If NO, then proceed to Step 3. If YES, The geographic boundaries of many CDP's can be found on the US Census Bureau website; use these boundaries. See if the county PA / GIS website listed at Florida Mapping Resources shows the boundaries. If you still can't find defined boundaries for the CDP, take a scroll through along a major roadway in street view to see where FDOT or the county may have placed signs indicating where the CDP begins and ends.

STEP 3 - County Property Appraiser. If you look up a parcel on the roadway in question using a Property Appraiser's website listed at Florida Mapping Resources, does it list your target name as a valid address? If NO, proceed to Step 4. If YES, try to determine the boundaries for use of that City name by checking subsequent parcels in the area or checking county GIS sites listed at Florida Mapping Resources.

STEP 4 - Indian Reservations / Government Installations. Is the segment / place located on an Indian Reservation or Government Installation? If NO, proceed to Step 5. If YES, listing the name of the reservation or installation in the City field may be appropriate. If you think YES, consult a State Manager or Regional Coordinator for more guidance.

STEP 5 - Other Place of Significance. There are many other Census Designated Places and points of interest throughout Florida, but many are small. Does your target location have a major cultural significance (e.g. tourist attraction, county seat, travel milestone (e.g. Yeehaw Junction))? If you think YES, consult a State Manager or Regional Coordinator for more guidance. If NO, then mark the City field as "None". Stop here, you're done. There are no more options.

Florida Other Resources

Georgia

Functional Classification

Other Resources

Update Requests & Comments

The southeast follows the national Update Requests & Comments guidance. Do NOT leave reminders at 4 days (or however many days). If another editor left a comment for the reporter, there is no response from the reporter, AND it has been 7+ days....simply put a comment about why it's being closed (i.e. "Closed due to inactivity.") and mark it Not Identified.

Do not over complicate the UR process, and please do not leave lengthy questions/responses. There are a few UR comment scripts that have been designed and approved by higher ranked editors available for your use. Scripts Page


Boots on the ground

We need local boots on the ground to check things. Please add requests for locals to go and scout things in person, as in on the road. Some examples when this would be used include to check and see if:

  • The street view is accurate,
  • A road is really closed,
  • A turn really allowed/prohibited, etc.
  • A Place Exists, is Closed Permenantly, or Remodeling

To make a new request, or respond to an existing request, please use this form.


View sheet as full Webpage

Places (formerly Landmarks)

The southeast follows the national Places guidance. The following exceptions to the national guidance are NOT mapped:

  • interchanges/junctions
  • water of any kind
  • islands
  • beaches
  • toll plazas

Exceptions to a point or area that ARE mapped in the southeast:

  • Post Office is an area
  • Car Dealership is always a point

Place Lock Standards

Places should be locked to the below standards, only after all data fields have been filled. At a minimum at least ensure that Category, Name and Address (street and house number), and Brand (for gas stations) have information. Note for gas stations - DO NOT USE THE BRAND "UNBRANDED". If it is a no brand gas station, just leave the brand field blank.

Lock at rank 5: hospitals, universities, schools, park and ride lots, arenas, airports.

Lock at 3: any other place that has at least a correct category, correct name, and correct address with house number.

If you cannot lock high enough because of rank, lock as high as you can, and post in the USA Unlock Forum to get help from a higher-ranked editor to lock properly.

Place Harmonization

  • Phone Numbers
Place's should follow one of the following telephone number formats: (XXX) XXX-XXXX or XXX-XXX-XXXX
  • Webpages
Except for public schools (who that make extensive efforts to keep their naming schemes), please use the simplest url that will get you to a chain's homepage, do not link directly to the chains location specific page. Examples are in the sheet below. Note the lack of http://www for each one. DNS servers are now configured to not need them to resolve URL's. Be sure to check that the url works before using it in WME.

Chain Harmonization Sheet

The name spellings in the following sheet have been standardized for chains or franchises 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. Websites and descriptions have also been included for many of them. If you have any thoughts on a effective and short description for a location please let us know.
  • Missing Chains
If you don't find the business you're looking for, please use this form to submit the missing information and PM T0cableguy and replace "Place" with the one you added.

View this list full-screen in Google Sheets

Category Sheet

Some places do not have a clear place category, so we have provided this list for ones we get regular questions about. If you do not see something you think should be on this list please use this form to submit the missing information and PM T0cableguy that you have requested more information.


View this list full-screen in Google Sheets

Major construction projects

See the states' Department of Transporation (DOT) web sites for a list of long term road closures and changes to traffic flow that impact the Waze Map.

Special Roads

Alleys

These are mapped as a Parking Lot road only if the alley leads to more than one address (businesses or residences) or is a named street. Otherwise, alleys are not mapped.

Non-drivable roads

Generally, if a path can't be driven on (e.g. Walking Trail, Pedestrian Boardwalk, Stairway, Runway/Taxiway) then it is not mapped. Waze is a driving app, not a pedestrian, bicycle, or flying app.

Emergency Vehicle and DOT Service Roads

We do not map Emergency Vehicle and DOT Service Roads.

Ferries

For areas where residents are dependent upon ferries, see the Ferries Editing Manual. Please contact your RC for any questions deciding if a ferry should be mapped.

Railroads

Railroads can be mapped, but they are not a priority at this time.

Segment & Turn Restrictions

There are four methods to control traffic flow:

  1. Mega events
  2. Temporary Road Closures
  3. Scheduled Restrictions and Vehicle Type restrictions
  4. Disconnect road segments

Please refer to the Partial Restrictions wiki for further guidance.

Cameras

See How to Identify Cameras.

Red light cameras

Currently, the only way to add cameras to the editor are from the app. When placing a camera in the app, drop a general error with "RLC W" where W = the direction the camera is facing. This will allow other editors to know which way the camera is facing when they go to approve it in the editor. If you do find a camera that needs to be added please let a high ranking editor know so it can be locked as high as possible.

DO NOT USE PHOTOENFORCED AS A REFERENCE FOR CAMERA LOCATIONS. This website is inaccurate! Only use official websites, or (of course) your own eyes.

There is no need to purge the map of invalid and non-approved red light cameras. They drop off the map no more than 14 days from their report.

Known Camera Locations

Duval County Red Light Cameras

Orange County Red Light Cameras

Tallahasse Red Light Cameras

Speed Cameras

Speed cameras that issue tickets are not located in AL, FL, or GA. Do not map this type of camera. Only red light cameras are used in all three states.

Other Camera Types

These are cameras or signs that either provide driver feedback or are used for traffic control. These devices CAN NOT issue tickets and are not mapped.

Forums

Forum Etiquette

Waze Forums (USA)

Southeast Region Leadership

Username Leadership Role Area of Responsibility Profile
Rank 6
driving79 Local Champ Regional Coordinator Profile
txemt Local Champ -- Profile
spankdog Local Champ -- Profile
banished Global Champ -- Profile
Rank 5
heyblue State Manager AL Profile
ggrane State Manager FL - South Profile
jakflash State Manager FL - North Profile
t0cableguy State Manager FL - Central Profile
huckd State Manager GA Profile
Rank 4
bruceqc Area Manager AL - Central Profile
jbrianj Area Manager AL - Gulf Coast
FL - Western Panhandle 		Profile
jlspence99 Area Manager AL - Southwest Profile
young7up Area Manager AL - North Profile
barfmanthegreat Area Manager FL - West Central Profile
keepfsusafe Area Manager FL - Big Bend, North Central Profile
jroman7 Area Manager GA - Metro Atlanta Profile
spedracr Area Manager GA - North Central Profile
Rank 3
n4dog Area Manager AL - Southeast
FL - Central Panhandle 		Profile
ardanoraghailligh Area Manager FL - Southwest (Ft Myers) Profile
crew_rest Area Manager FL - Southwest (Bradenton / Sarasota) Profile
dashks Area Manager FL - Southwest (Bradenton / Sarasota) Profile
heladocaliente Area Manager FL - North Central Profile
itzwolf Area Manager FL - Northeast Profile
mrbyte_ontheroad Area Manager FL - East Central Profile
aestewa Area Manager GA - Profile
seekingserenity Area Manager GA - Northwest Profile
xkspeed Area Manager GA - North Central Profile
Rank 2
deepsouthdiver Area Manager GA - Savannah Profile

Discipline

Waze has been designed to be an open community with various levels of editors. Rank 5 and 6 editors are senior editors. They are here to help you and are to be respected at all times. Instructions from senior editors are to be followed, unless it conflicts with this page. If you have any questions or issues, please feel free to PM one of the rank 6s or 5s in the list (if you're having a problem with one, please PM the regional coordinators). We will try to handle the issue as quickly and peacefully as possible.

It is not possible to list every occurrence of problems which can occur in the editor, but the following are some examples of what has happened in the past:

  • Deleting and redrawing roads
  • Closing UR's without following this flowchart
  • Creating mass amounts of parking lot roads
  • Creating roads on top of already existing roads
  • Disrespect to higher ranking editors
  • Not cleaning up your own mess
  • Not responding to private messages
  • Willful damage to the map
  • Editing just to clear geometry nodes will result in an instant blocking of your editing rights

Everyone is allowed one free pass, but disciplinary actions after the first occurrence for the above may include:

  • Formal mentoring
  • Lowering of rank
  • Temporary suspension of editing rights
  • Permanent suspension of editing rights
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