MegaMapRaid San Francisco Bay Area ended March 12, 2015 @ 0300 UTC (after 4.5 days).
Welcome to Northern California!
The group will be divided into 20 teams, one for each section, and two exclusive teams; one to handle PURs, the other for the Waze provided problem sheet. Each team will have their own assigned senior editor (rank 6, or 5) who will be able to edit anywhere in the Raid area, but will focus on their assigned section.
Please review the MegaMapRaid main wiki page, the California wiki page, and its associated Places wiki page.
Raid Areas
The red line in the map below shows the actual edit area opened by Waze. Some edit assignments have been modified as a result. Those assigned to Area 17 should edit in Area 1 as well.
Mission
Our primary mission will be to handle the URs, and PURs, followed by Place validation, and general map verification.
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Functional Classification (FC) unknown level of compliancy for the San Francisco area. Some road types deviate intentionally from the state DOT's classifications. If you find a road which is set to a type that is too low, upgrade it. Conversely, if you find a road which you feel is set to a type that is too high, or you need to talk about deviating from FC, please contact a local champ or State Manager before making changes. |
Local Hosts
Important!
Please do not alter any of the following road types without first consulting a Local Host: Freeway, Ramp, Major Highway, minor Highway, Primary Street.
Please do not mass-edit Do not perform edits which will affect large numbers of segments at once. The edit history of segments is highly valuable in the process of solving URs. Mass editing effectively mass erases this history, permanently. We ask that all necessary processes which might affect large portions of the map, or long stretches of roads, be reserved until near the end of the MapRaid, using the Scheduled Edits form. This includes the “Select entire street” function.
Anything locked at 4, 5 or 6? Please check with a local editor before making changes. Rank 4, 5 and 6 editors - consider keeping highlights active for locks 4, 5 and 6, so you won't mistakenly fix an intentional unusual edit.
Close nodes We make use of the "micro-dogleg" technique, where a geometry node is carefully placed, at full zoom, directly next to a junction node, in order to set the angle to create a desired Turn/Stay/Exit prompt. Please watch for these if you move any junction node, and be sure to recreate the same angle at the new location.
Local Guidance
Functional Classification
In the United States, we set our road types using a national standard called Functional Classification (FC). You can read a detailed explanation in our Road Type page.
Functional Classification has been completed in most, but not all, of the San Francisco Bay Area. Occasionally, we find short segments that were missed in the selection process for conversion, and it is important that these be corrected for routing continuity. In general, however, we ask that Road Types not be changed without consulting one of the Local Hosts. In isolated cases, we have chosen to deviate from official classifications, due to errors or outdated information in the Caltrans (DOT) FC maps, or to better accommodate real-life situations and Waze quirks. It is important that these remain intact. Sometimes dirt roads may appear higher on FC maps but shouldn't be used by Waze for routing.
Unfortunately, at the moment, our state's interactive map is not working for Roads or Functional Classification. You can go to Caltrans Earth and select the CRS Maps layer, then click on the area you want, which will pop up a link to download the right map for that area, in pdf form. Or you can go straight to the CRS Maps Grid site, which allows you to select the correct map according to a grid system.
If you find an area that doesn't seem to be complete please bring it to the attention of a Local Host for review.
In MegaMapRaid we have a set minimum standard for locking roads based on segment type. Any road of a certain segment type must be locked at least to the rank (level) in the chart below. Roads may be locked higher for protection and special situations (areas with construction, tricky design, frequent mistakes, imaging inaccuracies, and the like), but should not be locked lower.
A great time to implement these locks is while bringing the road types of an area into compliance with the current US road type standards (FC and highway systems). Lock the roads based on type after they've been set to current US road type standards.
| Segment Type | Default locks |
|---|---|
| Freeway | 5 |
| Ramp | 5 |
| Major Highway | 3 |
| Minor Highway | 2 |
| Primary Street | 2 |
| Street | 1 |
| • • • • Ferry • • • • | 5 |
| |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| | 2 |
All others - 1, or as needed -- for protection, certain segments may be at higher lock levels. If you find a road locked to a higher level than its minimum, please leave it locked no lower than that level when you have finished editing. Please consult RC, SM, or appropriate AM for guidance
Place Editing
Places and updates from both editors and trusted users have become a major issue. Misspelled names, wrong categories, missing addresses (EVERY business place should have an address!!) poor location and incorrectly assigned photos are all over the map. Use the powerful Place Browser (link below) and the information on the Place editing page to get these places corrected. Please do not lock a place without first confirming the correct location, naming, and category, and filling at least the address fields.
Also be on the lookout for Area Places which should actually be Point Places. See the Places wiki table for guidance.
When correcting place locations in response to URs, always ask the UR reporter to wait a few days, then remove all instances of the destination from the app's recents and/or favorites list before navigating to the destination again! Otherwise the reporter's app will continue to use the stale, incorrect location.
Gas Stations
Gas Stations should be locked to level 3 but, only after all important data fields in the gas station have been filled. At least ensure that Brand, Name and Address have information. Remember to ask a hosting local if you need help identifying gas station information. When a convenience store is co-located with a gas station, naming varies, depending on the setup. ARCO ampm and Chevron Extra Mile have brand-associated convenience stores, and should include that Category. Circle K convenience stores, for example, are sometimes affiliated with certain gas stations and should have their own, separate, Place Point.
For editors below rank 3, once you have completely filled out a gas station with the min required information, please ask for a lock.
Satellite imagery misregistration in San Francisco
Many parts of San Francisco are built on rapidly undulating terrain. In addition, downtown San Francisco features elevated roadways amidst very tall buildings. As a result, the Waze Satellite Imagery can be difficult to interpret, and for some roads may be misregistered by as much as 20 meters! When editing in San Francisco it is critical to use the GPS Points layer to ensure accurate segment registration. Do not simply attempt to match the satellite imagery without also checking the GPS Points layer!
Complex Intersections
There are many complicated intersections in the Bay Area which should not be edited without consulting a local senior editor, even if the presence of URs seems to indicate problems. Some of these intersections have been carefully refined to achieve the best Waze performance, which can involve years of testing, adjustment, and experimentation. Others are locations which are currently under construction, and daily changes to the physical roads cause Wazers to report problems which will no longer exist by the time our edits could take effect. We have done our best to lock the most important of these intersections to Rank 6. When dealing with URs at these locations, please keep in mind that few, if any additional road changes are required. Again, please consult with a Local Host before making changes.
Avoid adding redundant time- or vehicle-restricted turns
Time and vehicle restrictions may be found throughout San Francisco and elsewhere in the Bay Area. In many cases these have already been implemented using segment restrictions. Please do NOT add redundant time or vehicle turn restrictions when the segment restrictions are already sufficient; leave such turn restrictions green.
Frequent temporary closures in San Francisco
San Francisco enjoys a multitude of events that close roads temporarily. As in many cities, seemingly perpetual construction closes roads for short intervals at unpredictable times. The city also experiments with temporary street conversions to public space. Beyond that, however, San Francisco hosts frequent parades, walks, bicycling events, and marathons. These events commonly take place in Golden Gate Park and the adjacent neighborhoods as well as in Downtown.
San Francisco Wazers appear largely unaware of the Report -> Closure feature in the Waze app, and typically report temporary closures as Map Issues with no additional comment. If you suspect a temporary closure, please suggest to UR reporters that Report -> Closure is a more productive way to help the local Waze community.
Toll Roads / HOV / HOT / Truck Lanes
It is our custom to mark the Toll checkbox only on the entrance segments to Toll Roads, or at Toll collection locations. HOV and HOT road types have already been set correctly according to our local practices. If you have a question about one of these lanes, please contact a Local Host.
Left turns at intersections without traffic signals
In California it is perfectly legal to make a left turn across one double yellow line. Drivers are sometimes confused and think that they can't, when in reality it is permitted. Turning across two double yellow lines, spaced apart 2 feet or more, is considered a barrier, and is illegal to cross. Passing another vehicle over a double yellow line is prohibited. For illustration of these concepts, visit the California DMV Drivers' Handbook page on traffic lanes
A common complaints we receive in the Bay Area is when Waze directs drivers to turn left from a smaller side street on to a major thoroughfare, without the benefit of a traffic control signal. Most of these turns are completely legal and, when driven properly, can be significant time-savers on a route, as opposed to waiting at a traffic signal, sometimes through several cycles. It is also known that making such turns can be difficult at certain times of the day, due to passing cross-traffic. On many larger roads in California, we have Center Left Turn Lanes, which are intended for use in completing left turns to, and from, driveways and side streets. Please do not disallow left turns due to URs reporting “dangerous” or “too difficult” turns, without consulting a level 4, 5 or 6 Local Host.
We usually inform the reporter of such a UR that if they wait and complete the left turn, it may actually be faster than the alternative. If it’s not faster, then their wait time will contribute to Waze’s database, thus helping to discourage the routing server from suggesting left turns at that site. We also suggest to the reporters that if they feel too uncomfortable making such left turns, they can always turn right instead, and let Waze recalculate. More info about this can be found on the UR Guidance page.
Construction
There are a number of major construction projects in process within the overall MapRaid area. These construction projects can cause frequent intermittent road closures. Many closures change daily and cause great numbers of URs to appear. When handling URs in one of these areas, be aware that reports of "Turn not allowed", "Missing road", "Wrong driving direction" are common, but may not indicate a map problem that can be fixed, because the physical road situation will change before our edits can take effect.
LINKS:
Caltrans (CA DOT) District 4 Projects
U-turns
In California, U-turns are generally allowed unless unsafe, or specifically denied by signage. In general we can confirm, lock or "harden" U-turns (click to remove the Purple question mark indicating a soft turn -- see the Wiki) on major streets, which have room for large vehicles to turn, but please avoid confirming or enabling them on residential streets.
Alleys
In California, we have many access/service roads which run behind businesses and between houses on residential streets. We mark these Alleys as Parking Lot Roads, to prevent routing through them. Often, Google address points are closer to these alleys than to the street they belong to, and Waze routing suffers. The correct response is to "nudge" the House Numbers on the streets along (either side of) the alley, so they will become trusted. See the UR page below for a suggested response to these issues. Alleys should not be named, unless they are signed, or are already named "Alley".
UR & MP Guidance
As the MegaMapRaid begins, the greater San Francisco Bay area has over 3,100 open Update Requests (URs) and over 900 Map Problems (MPs). Investigating and responding to these URs and MPs will be a primary objective of the MapRaid teams. Therefore, a UR Guidance page has been created to help guide teams through the maze of MPs and URs.
There are also various scripts available to help with commenting on URs. If you use one of these, please be sure to check if the UR is solvable with the information already given, before sending a comment. Do not enter comments without first examining the available information.
Cameras
Speed Cameras are never used in California.
Following is a list of Cities known to currently use Red Light Cameras:
- Capitola
- Daly City
- Fremont
- Menlo Park
- Millbrae
- Napa
- Newark
- Pleasanton?
- San Francisco
- San Leandro
- San Mateo
This list may not be comprehensive, so if you have doubts about a city not on this list, please do some web research, preferably with the city's official site or their police/sheriff department's site.
Private Installations / Residential Communities
You may run across one of these which uses a newer setup than that described in the Wiki, in which only the gates contain various combinations of Private Road and Street. Please do not alter them: contact a Local Host if you think there may be an error.
Mapping Resources
Our local GIS maps (see below for links)are almost always more up-to-date and correct than the Caltrans information. Please use them instead of any Caltrans documentation.
GIS
Most of the interactive viewers in the links below will open with many layers enabled. The maps will run faster if you disable everything but Streets or Roads, and only enable Parcels when needed. Marin County
Solano County (requires Silverlight plugin)
Reference Links
The Basics
- New editor welcome page
- Waze Map Editor
- Best Map Editing Practice
- Editing manual
- Common editing mistakes
- How to make a Permalink
- All about using the WME Chat
- Community Plugins, Extensions and Tools where you'll links and descriptions to most of the editing scripts being used. Some of these are essential to good editing, and others make the editing process much easier. WME Validator, URO+, and WME Toolbox are highly recommended.
Recommended Tools for MegaMapRaid San Francisco Bay Area
- The Mega MapRaid Group/Region Overlay is available on GreasyFork to indicate the Group areas on the map as you work. You will need TamperMonkey (Chrome) or GreaseMonkey (Firefox) to install and use this.
- [http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwiki.waze.com%2Fwiki%2FUser%3ARickzabel%2FUrComments%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF3YdPXqECiZuPNd9F3MqtR2xgSiQ UR Comments] - a tremendous time and labor saving tool with automation and integration with URO+, to help with working URs. Read the documentation.
- Place Browser - In combination with the place names harmonization list, this is an invaluable tool for working on existing places. Be sure to click the About tab to get an overview of the tool.
- The WME Reference Sheet[PDF] is a printable double-sided tri-fold quick reference guide to some of the common topics used in WME.
- Validator is a script that validates a map area in Waze Map Editor, highlights issues and generates a very detailed report with wiki references and solutions.
Download links:
* For Chrome browser please download the script at Chrome Web Store * For Firefox browser please download the script at GreasyFork.org
Note: for Firefox browser you also need Greasemonkey or Tampermonkey installed.
- WME Chat Addon is a script that improves the WME chat GUI. For a list of all the features check the thread here.
Note- Tampermonkey/Greasemonkey is required to use many of these scripts.
Mapraid edit lists
Spreadsheets and forms are being used to streamline management of various group efforts and track important edits. Below you can find links to use these these forms, sheets, and see the lists.
Scheduled Edits
These are edits which need to be completed but must be postponed in order to retain history for UR Solving. These edits are designated to specific editors to complete, once they get the green light from the MapRaid! leaders.
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These editing tasks have been delegated to specific editors for future completion at the end of MegaMapRaid. Please DO NOT EDIT or try to fix any of these items unless you are the designated "Editor to Complete" for that item in the list. These edits may only be completed once the "Continue When" instructions on the row for that item are met. If you have any questions please ask one of the listed Local Hosts. |
Scheduled Edits is down for maintenance, and will return soon
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.
First, try the local slack channel for your area: #mmr-sf-bay
If you don't have success there, you can post a more enduring request to the Boots on the Ground sheet, to be explored by local editors. To place a new request, or respond to an existing request, please use The Boots on the Ground Form
View this list full-screen in Google Sheets
New feature: Boots responders can click the Navigation Link on a Waze-enabled device, or copy and send/save it for later use. It will open Waze and navigate to the coordinates at the center of the permalink.
Results
Check back after the raid for detailed stats...
MapRaid Promotions
Some editors really let their bright side out, and let their community skills shine. This is even more evident in a concerted group effort with high-density editing like a MapRaid!. Editors of all ranks working closely with each other and the Champs, really lets us everyone get to know each other, and allows certain editors to be recognized for their skills and effort.
When the Champs see someone consistently editing well, interacting well with the community, and knowledgeable of the various details from the Wiki, they can issue promotions. This can be anything from the size of a managed area, to a rank increase, or even a new role.
Groups
