New user in Melbourne, a few questions

[Philthy82]

Howdy all,

I just got on to this thing with the iPhone app, and am enjoying putting down new roads in the relatively unmapped areas of Coburg, Preston etc, even if I'm not sure this will ever replace google maps for me

Only been using it a few days but a couple questions have come up:

1. If users have complete freedom to map roads they haven't even tracked, how is road accuracy ensured for maps being developed?
2. Any reason why there's such a delay (24-48 hrs) between tracking new roads and being able to edit them online? I find my ability to finalise the road names and geometry is much easier if I can do it after getting home from the trip.
3. I do a fair bit of walking/jogging and have been tracking some new roads that way, does this produce bogus traffic data for these roads due to the speeds being recorded?
4. If I have the waze app up on my iphone and new road tracking turned on, but I put the screen lock on, will it still be effectively tracking? Or is there any other way to lock the screen like this? For jogging, bike riding etc.

Cheers all,

Phil

[WeeeZer14]

Welcome to Waze

My thoughts and understanding:

1.) Users can only edit roads they have traveled -OR- roads within a certain distance of roads they have traveled.

2.) Simple data processing limitations as far as I can tell. Need time to take the raw GPS points and try to correlate them to know road segments and previous GPS tracks from past trips and come up with average speeds etc.

3.) Yes, that would produce bogus traffic data. At best, it will result in lower average speeds. At worse, it will trigger traffic alerts to other users.

4.) I have locked the screen on my iPhone while driving and as best as I can tell, Waze kept tracking the trip just fine.

[Philthy82]

Brilliant, thanks for your help! Spot on about locking the phone while mapping, it works fine.

I'm learning a lot about this thing as I go. As others have noted the search function on this forum isn't exactly the greatest so I don't know if the same questions have been asked before, but a few other things have come up:

Phone client
1) I'm using iPhone client 1.8.0.2 and there's a fair bit in the support material that doesn't match the options in the app. Biggest question I still have is, how do I mark street numbers on a street? There isn't anything next to the steamroller icon or in the report options, except to put a pin down where a street detail needs to be added.

2) When driving through unmapped roads, do we really need to turn tracking mode on to map these roads? The guided tour seems to suggest when you drive on an unmapped road this will happen automatically, but if so I don't get why you'd need the steamroller button at all.

Cartouche
3) Is there anything to prevent two users/area managers correcting the same problems/working on the same streets at the same time?

4) When mapping bigger roads with median strips, any pointers on what should be set as separate 1-way roads and what should just have "separating line" ticked?

Thanks again for any answers.

[RallyChris]

Phone client
1) I'm using iPhone client 1.8.0.2 and there's a fair bit in the support material that doesn't match the options in the app. Biggest question I still have is, how do I mark street numbers on a street? There isn't anything next to the steamroller icon or in the report options, except to put a pin down where a street detail needs to be added.

Yeah the official documentation needs a little updating. Check the support wiki out, it is user modifiable so the community can help keep it more current. On the house number issue: Something is definitely a up here. Used to be an update house number option. I do this in cartouche so haven't done it in the client in a while

2) When driving through unmapped roads, do we really need to turn tracking mode on to map these roads? The guided tour seems to suggest when you drive on an unmapped road this will happen automatically, but if so I don't get why you'd need the steamroller button at all.

The question has been asked but no official answer has come that I'm aware of. If there is an area manager they might see the problem codes indicating a missing road and create it, but as far as I can tell, it's not automatic. I suggest creating new roads in cartouche if the aerial is available. Otherwise use the roller to get an approximation. Cell phone GPSs are so inaccurate that when you go into cartouche to finalize the road (give it a name, directionality, connect it, etc) you will see that sometimes it's really junk.

Cartouche
3) Is there anything to prevent two users/area managers correcting the same problems/working on the same streets at the same time?

It's a last change wins system, it will warn you if you are looking in an area that someone else has submitted a change to recently. But there is no locking system, where someone is not allowed to make a change while someone is working with it. There are 5 area managers in my area, and I haven't bumped heads with any of others, and I do a lot of edits.

4) When mapping bigger roads with median strips, any pointers on what should be set as separate 1-way roads and what should just have "separating line" ticked?

The wiki has some statements on this. I general reserve two one-way for freeways / major highways. But I have done it in other areas where like a rail line runs down the middle of the street. Try to limit two one way roads just from an point of view of intersections. This will limit the H and # shaped intersections, or the wierd v shaped intersections if you bring everything down to one junction then back out on the other side.[/quote]

Thanks again for any answers.

Your welcome