Security and False reporting

[neon-samurai]

Im curious about the security and reporting of this application. I really like the idea and have been using it to map roads around me when driving.

But what im wondering/worried about, is if its possible for someone to say that a road is closed (major or minor) when it isnt.. thus disrupting everyones travel along that route.

i just want to know what measures are in place to stop something like this happening?

Thanks

[AlanOfTheBerg]

It is possible for someone to go through and close roads, or worse, flat-out delete roads like crazy if they want. There are enough users who aren't assholes, who would notice, call attention to it, and Waze could revoke that other user's privileges. It's not nearly a perfect system.

[neon-samurai]

but no one can actually do this without first driving on the road right (like they cant use the map editor to do this randomly can they?)

Guess im worried about the assholes who may do this. I love the idea of a community driven app such as this, that even adds an extra dimention to travel and navigation.. i just dont want it screwed up by some guy thinking he's funny (espically when people may be using this to navigate to work etc)

[daknife]

Actually the system will protect against this, maybe not by design but it works.

In my area we have a section of interstate undergoing a major rebuild, two weeks ago a rather heavily trafficked interchange was closed for a six week period. In anticipation of the closure I disconnected the ramps and the cut the road under the freeway (as that section of road is also closed) and did it timed for an update to have the closure go active a couple days after the interchange closed. From the time I made the edit until the interchange closed and a couple days afterwards I was seeing multiple UR's from the system because the roads were not connected yet traffic was flowing through the disconnects.

Thus the protection. Someone could try to be a joker or a jerk, but if any editors are paying attention to the area, they'll see UR's popping up almost as soon as the edits are made, and thus will most likely be able to fix the problem before it goes live.

[neon-samurai]

OK cool, so it sounds like there is something in place to prevent too much messing about with the maps

[xteejx]

Before it goes live? I'm not sure the auto problem reports are updated that frequently...

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[CBenson]

I don't know if they are reliably that frequent. But many times the MPs show up the day after I have made an edit based on GPS data that is half a year old.

[gettingthere]

The map and routes are subject to editing problems and vandalism. There are few protections against this. We have been lucky so far that there have not been widespread issues. This is surely a negative of using a navigation solution that is based on community map updates.

I suspect that if we start to have more problems Waze will be forced to implement a better system to protect the map. They tend to wait until things become a problem before taking action.

The challenge for Waze is how to protect the map but not to prevent community map editors with good intentions from contributing.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

It is also unlikely that Waze will implement much of a solution before there is a problem. The plans they have for more granular and street-importance-based permissions are a step in the right direction. They are, at the moment, just plans.

[jasonh300]

Before it goes live? I'm not sure the auto problem reports are updated that frequently...

I've seen Map Problems come up before the changes go live. I saw it a lot a few months back when the updates were only coming every 30 days or more. I was able to catch a few things that a new inexperienced editor did before they ever hit the client maps.