Places

Introduction

Places are points of interest and should only be mapped if they are a useful destination or help drivers find their bearings.

Places come in 2 forms:

• Point Places - These are not visible in the App but are searchable. Examples - convenience store, takeaways, car wash, bank, coffee shop.
• Area Place - These are shown in the App and are searchable. Examples - supermarkets, retail parks, airports, golf course, parks, lakes. Overuse of Area Places can clutter the map and make identifying individual landmarks difficult.

This forms part of UK Editing Best Practice. Please read in conjunction with the generic global page on Places, which has more specific information about how to use the editor and moderate Update Requests.

Point Places

Point Places should be used for individual businesses with buildings smaller than 40x40m, and for businesses that share part of an building that is already covered by a larger Area Place. Points should be positioned at the entrance for the business.

Waze will navigate to the closest segment to the Point Place, if this is not the correct location to send users then an Entry/Exit Point should be added, ensuring that it is close enough to the appropriate street or PLR for correct navigation.

Area Places

Area Places should be drawn as simply as possible as Waze will substantially simplify the shape before displaying it in the App. You will be wasting your time mapping every little corner and change of direction. Consider mapping with a basic rectangle.

There are 3 form factors of Area Places:

• Individual buildings - larger businesses such as supermarkets, warehouses, cinemas, and stadiums, should be mapped to the edge of the building lines only.
• Building clusters - locations that consist of multiple buildings such as hospitals, schools, retail parks, should be mapped to cover all of the buildings in a single area.
• Campus complexes - buildings that form a unified complex or campus with an overall identity such as universities, and zoos, should be mapped to encompass the entire property, usually the property lines.

Waze will navigate to the closest segment to the centre of the Area Place polygon, if this is not the correct location to send users then an Entry/Exit Point should be added, ensuring that it is close enough to the appropriate street or PLR for correct navigation.

Naming conventions

Places should be named as simply as possible. This often means that the brand name of the business is sufficient to identify the Place, ensuring the address is correctly set will differentiate Value Shop in Wolverhampton from Value Shop in Dudley.

When more than one brand venue exists in the same city additional detail in the name is useful, this ensures users can choose the best destination. Using the brand store locator, if it has one, for inspiration on how they name their stores can be helpful. As always some research helps and common sense should be used.

Format: : <brand name> <store type> <locality name>

Examples

Tesco, ibis

Tesco Extra, Tesco Express, ibis styles

Tesco Express Charing Cross, Tesco Metro Covent Garden, ibis styles Croydon West

Do not add venue names to segments that access the location, usually Parking Roads or Private Roads, these should be left blank by ticking the no name checkbox (unless the road has a given name which should be used).

Railway stations

Format: : <city name> Railway Station

Examples

Coventry Railway Station

Exeter Central Railway Station, Exeter St. Davids Railway Station

Car Park, car park, Carpark, Parking..?

Car Park

Navigation points

Multiple navigation points do not yet affect the production App (May 2019). More can be read about the status of this feature in the Global Forum thread.

You can add up to 20 navigation points, 1 of which should be marked as the main nav point. Each nav point should be named appropriately, yet as simply as possible, eg. Gate 1, Stadium Way entrance, Green Car Park. You should not include the original venue name. You can only create additional nav points once you move the previously created nav point away from the centre of the polygon.

Specific place mapping

COVID-19 testing sites

With testing sites now a stable part of our lives for the foreseeable future we are happy for them to be mapped on Waze. However some simple mapping guidance should be followed;

• Map the venue that is hosting the testing site, not a separate Place, even for large areas such as car parks as all will have clear signage
• Ensure the hosting venue is well mapped with navigation point, address, attributes, and segments (where necessary)
• Do not add any COVID-related name to the Waze place - either as an alternate name or in the description. Waze places must not refer to COVID-19, as alternate methods are in place to cover Search in the app.
• Link the Google location(s) for the hosting place to the Waze Place using the external providers link. Do not link any COVID-related Google results.

Car Parks

For a comprehensive guide to mapping car parks you should refer to the UK Car Parks page.

Morrisons Car Park

If there is a distinctly-marked area where cars can park, separated from the road and with its own driveable segments, it should be mapped. If the car parking spaces are accessed directly from the road, this is on-street parking and should not be mapped, whether or not there are car park signs.

All mapped car parks must be areas, editors can only create car parks as an Area polygon within the WME. Car parks should be mapped to the edge of the drivable tarmac. Parking Lot Road segments should be added, but only the minimal amount required to allow navigation into and out of the car park. The category can only be set to Car Park. All other attributes should be added if available. Car park areas and roads should locked to 3.

Car park example

Lay-bys should not be marked with a Place, but should instead be mapped in accordance with the UK Roads page.

Shopping centres / retail parks

Bicester Shopping Village

Shopping centres & retail parks should be mapped as an Area Place that covers the outline of the building(s) & named according to the name of the centre or park. Each business within the shopping area can be mapped using a Point Place at the entrance to the individual shops. The name of the shopping centre / retail park should be used for the Point Place Street name.

The category should be set to Shopping Centre. Minor locations within the shopping centre / retail park, such as Opticians, Pharmacy, ATM, should be added as categories rather than being mapped. All other attributes should be added if available. Completed places can be locked to 2.

Shopping centre example

Town high streets / city centres

An exception to this rule would be a general town high street or city centre, although it may be a shopping area this should not be mapped as such. Instead only the individual businesses should be mapped as Place Points with their postal address used .

Supermarkets

Tesco store in Manchester

Supermarkets should be mapped as a single Area Place covering the main building. The supermarket should be named as simply as possible, adding the town/city is unnecessary, if there is more than one of that supermarket brand in the town/city then you should use a unique name to help differentiate within search results (you can often use the brand website store locator for inspiration). The category should be set to Supermarket/Grocery. All other attributes should be added if available. Completed places can be locked to 2.

If the Supermarket has a car park and/or petrol station these should be mapped separately.

Supermarket example

Industrial units / warehouses

Large industrial buildings and warehouses can be mapped as area places as they can be used as reference points for upcoming turns and general location due to often having highly visible branding signs, similar to having rivers and railways mapped. Even if the name is not shown on the map or no brand displayed users can match the map colouring to the large building they are passing.

This is also beneficial in areas where industrial buildings are the predominant structure, eg. DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal), where mapping the overall industrial park is impractical.

Petrol stations

Sleaford Road Service Station

Petrol stations / filling stations should be mapped as an Area Place and cover the entire forecourt, this is so that it is as clear as possible in the App and because wazers can only update prices within 500m of a petrol station. The access into and out of the forecourt should be mapped with Parking Roads, with care taken to set the appropriate directions & turn restrictions.

The category should be set to Petrol Station, any other facilities can be added as secondary categories, such as ATM, Car Wash, Shop. The petrol station should be named appropriately, not just Petrol Station or Shell, and the Brand correctly set. If the brand is not listed it should be set as Independent. All other attributes should be added if available. Petrol stations should be locked to 3.

As these locations sell more than petrol and often include a small shop the name should not include the word Petrol, Fuel or Service Station should be used, eg. Sainsbury's Fuel, Bell Green Service Station.

Petrol station example

Restricted use locations, such as Costco Fuel, should have the suffix - Members Only (or similar) in the Name and also in the Brand - e.g. "Costco (Members Only)". The location should also be locked to 4.

Should a petrol station need closing the Brand should be removed, the suffix [CLOSED] be added to the name, and the category changed to Construction site. This will remove the location from nearest petrol stations list, and ensure the name is shown in any search results. You should make note of the location and be prepared to reopen the petrol station.

Service areas

These guidelines are for motorway services and other large service areas on major roads that include several facilities and business.

Woodall (N) services

Services should be mapped as an Area Place to the boundaries of the facilities including the end of the ramps leading into and out of the services. If the services cover both sides of the carriageway separate Area Places should be mapped. Services should be named to reflect the names shown on the highway signage, If the services are split by a carriageway then cardinal directions should be included after the name, eg. Woodall Services (S). Do not include the brand name or road name.

An entry/exit point should be added and positioned at the end of the exit ramp, this is to ensure Waze navigates off the main highway and ends voice instructions as the wazer arrives, they are then left to find their own way to the appropriate parking or facility.

The category should be set to Services / Layby, any other facilities can be added as secondary categories such as Fast Food, Restaurant, Coffee shop / Cafe, Shop. Do not include Petrol Station or Hotel. The main brand of the services should be entered in the first line of the description (Moto, Welcome Break, etc), and then list the other businesses on the second line, separated by commas. All other attributes should be added if available. The road name or junction number, eg. Mx (N) or Mx Jx, should be used for the services Street name in the address.

Petrol Stations and Hotels should be mapped separately with their own Point Places, positioned at the entrance to the building. Their name should include the services name, eg. Shell - Woodall or Days Inn - Woodall. The address should match that of the main services area.

The segment that enters the service directly from the main highway should be named Services, this provide the clear instruction exit onto Services. Segments that rejoin the main highway should be left with no name. If the services has a through road that does not provide direct parking then this should be set as a Street. All other segments within the services should be set as Parking Roads. Any limited access roads (with no public right of way), typically connecting the rear of the site to the local roads should be set as a Private Road.

Service area example

Natural Features

Generally mapping natural features only serves to improve the visual appearance of the App. In some cases they can provide a useful reference along a journey when crossing major rivers or passing lakes or woodlands. When fully mapped with an Area Place these should be locked to 3.

• Parks, forests, lakes - these should be mapped using an Area Place, named if they have one, and the appropriate category set.
• Rivers, canals - these should be mapped using an Area Place, named, and the appropriate category set.
• Seas / shorelines - these should not be mapped as they are provided by an external source.
• Farms - these should not be mapped as Area Places. If they provide public services, such as a farm shop or camping, then they can be mapped as a Point Place.

You may wish to use the Street to River Plus script to help create rivers and canals.

Residential Place Points

When reviewing a Place Point Update for a residential dwelling it should only be accepted if it contains a house number, this should be verified using Google Street View or a local authority map. Adjust the position to the correct location. You should review any photo(s) and delete any that do not clearly show the residence.

If the residential place has been submitted as anything other than a Residential Place Point it should be converted to one using the link in the left-hand panel.

Named Residential Buildings

When adding or reviewing a Place for a named residential building, be it a Named House, Residential Apartment Block, Care or Residential Home or Student Accommodation, these should be assigned the category of Other.

Postcodes

Waze does not natively support postcode navigation, this means Waze must use a third party (Google Maps) to obtain the centre of a postcodes location and will then navigate the user to the closest segment. Editors have no designated way to set a postcode to the correct buildings, street, or area. Postcodes will generally cover multiple properties and in rural locations often cover large areas.

Fixing postcode errors

Postcodes should only be fixed in Waze where there is a genuine error in the location of the postcode and Waze routes users to an inappropriate destination (ie, wrong side of a river / railway, the middle of a motorway / dual carriageway, etc). It would be beneficial if the error is corrected on Google Maps, the source of the information but this can be difficult to achieve.

N2 4AD located on wrong side of railway, closer to Parkside Cr.

Postcodes should not be fixed if Waze already routes users onto the correct road, a postcode alone rarely locates to a single building. In these cases users should be reminded that Waze is designed to navigate to road names and business names for better routing.

Before attempting to fix a postcode you should check the Royal Mail Postcode Finder to better understand which properties a postcode covers. If a postcode covers properties on both side of an obstacle, such as a river, correcting it for one side will cause errors for the other side, and therefore should not be fixed.

Postcode Finder results for N2 4AD

Single buildings

On the occasions when a single building is assigned an exclusive postcode (ie, large apartment blocks, DVLA, etc), a Place can be created for the business / building itself and the postcode linked in the External providers section.

Multiple properties

Details to add when fixing postcodes.

Fixing a postcode location for multiple properties works best when the postcode is assigned to a cul-de-sac, but can be used for longer roads if the appropriate group of properties can be determined. Create a Place Point, locate it in in a sensible position on the segment (ie, the start of the cul-de-sac), and fill in the following details;

• Add the Address that matches the segment
• The full postcode as it shown by Royal Mail (N2 4AD) as the primary Name
  • The same postcode without any spaces (N24AD) as a secondary name, to ensure we capture all possible search inputs
• Category set to other
• Add something to the Description to identify this as a fix of a postcode error
• Lock it to L3 to prevent accidental deletion
• Link the relevant Google Maps result in the External Providers

Missing postcodes

The same method can be used for postcodes missing from the results, usually this is due to a new housing development not yet showing in Google Maps or in the Royal Mail database.

Fixes for missing postcodes should be removed once the postcode data becomes available, it is suggested you leave a comment to allow other editors to monitor the status.

Categories

You should check the Waze Map Editor language in the settings tab. Using English (UK) will provide British translations to place categories.

Do not use primary category groups for places, instead use the secondary categories. Primary categories include; Car Services, Transportation, Professional and public, Shopping and services, Food and drink, Culture and entertainment, Lodging, Outdoors, Natural Features.

The only exception being Other which can be used where the place doesn't fit any other sub-category.

Always check the category on newly approved places as they are frequently wrong. Many Hotels are incorrectly categorised as Hostels

Missing categories

Missing Category	WME Category to use
Community centre	Conventions / Event centre
Village hall	Conventions / Event centre
Garden centre / Nursery	Flower / Gardening
Dentist	Doctor / Clinic
Newsagent	Shop