Map editing can be a very complex, and time-consuming, business.

In our Waze World Records series, we’re taking a look at the record-holders in all aspects of map-editing. The 15 Wazers above are the map editors that have logged the most all-time map edits in our map editor. (For a brief video tutorial on how to use our map editor, scroll to the bottom).

It’s been more than 3 years since our first map editor was launched, and we’re constantly in awe of how crowdsourcing has led us to have some of the world’s most accurate driving maps in the places where our community is strongest. It’s in these places where our maps also reflect the fastest road changes.

There are many countries not yet represented here, so stay tuned as we keep spotlighting the efforts of our global map editing community in the weeks to come.

Our mapping community has dedicated countless hours to improving all aspects of our maps, from resolving errors, to adding roads, to updating turn restrictions – and more! Our top map editors around the world are the leaders in their respective countries and are the driving force behind Waze’s success.

Get to know our top 3 mapping medalists in this category below.

The Record Holder

Dave (aka Mapcat) is the current record holder in all-time map edits, with well over a million edits under his belt. Dave, a university geographer from Ohio, has been map editing since December 2010. He’s both an area manager and a country manger and prefers to do most of his editing from the comforts of his home.

On Why He Started Editing:
“The maps were horrible! I tried using it to get to a store and it told me I could get on the freeway where there was a bridge. Some of the directions were okay, but most of the route was ridiculous. So when I got home and got ready to delete the app, I searched to see if anyone else was complaining about it…and then I found the forum. It didn’t take long to discover that the only maps that worked were the ones that users had fixed themselves, so I decided to stick around long enough to see if I could do that in my area. I made some basic changes and a few days later the maps updated, and it actually was better. Not perfect, but there was an improvement. I played with it some more, and got some great advice from other editors, and pretty soon I was hooked. And getting good directions!”

The Runner Up

Argus (aka argus-cronos) works for the Swiss Federal Railways in Basel, Switzerland and is in second place for all-time map edits, with more than 730,000 edits. A country manager, Argus started working on the Waze maps in April 2010, after a poor experience with the Waze maps in his area. Argus does most of his editing from home, or occasionally on his Galaxay Tablet.

On Why He Started Editing:
“First, I wanted a well-functioning navigation app in my hometown and as time went by, it became more fun to build the maps in Waze’s map editor and see the results of my work on the client.”

The Third Place Record Holder

Rob (aka banished) works in Information Systems/Security specialist from Northwest Florida. A country manager, Rob began editing in September 2009. His favorite part of editing? Working through a complex number of user reports.

On Why He Started Editing:
“I was driven by frustration with the snail’s pace of map updates from the larger manufacturers. That, and as a kid from the Northeast who hated shoveling snow, I studied road maps avidly.  Places like Panama City, Florida, sounded exotic.”

Feeling inspired? Get a quick overview on how to map edit below.