Search oddity

[Teddy2kk]

This happens pretty much every time I do a search in the Waze iOS client.

Let's say, for example, I want to navigate to 7556 Topaz Drive in Chilliwack, BC. In order to save keystrokes, I do a search for "7556 topaz", expecting that since there is an address in Chilliwack that matches this search, it should show that as a result. Instead, this is what I get:



Along with other matches that are thousands of km's away, it doesn't match the exact address... it only matches the street name with no address.

If, however, I the amend search to include the city name (in this case "7556 topaz chilliwack"), it does in fact find the exact address as shown below:



So if Waze can match the exact address when I include the city name in the search, why can't it match it in the less specific search results as well?

[AndyPoms]

What happens when you do those same searches in Bing Maps?

[Teddy2kk]

If I have Bing Maps centred over Chilliwack and I do a search for "7556 topaz", it finds the exact address. Otherwise, it says that there are no results for the search.

Are address searches in Waze completely reliant on Bing Maps results?

[AlanOfTheBerg]

Seems like it's working as expected: leave off details and it gives the closest match first; add more details and the further away stuff not in the same city gets filtered out. The only problem is the first match is missing the address, otherwise the distance matches exactly with the 2nd search.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

Are address searches in Waze completely reliant on Bing Maps results?

In the US and likely Canada, yes. Waze does not have a POI/address database internally and relies on multiple other search providers.

[Teddy2kk]

Seems like it's working as expected: leave off details and it gives the closest match first; add more details and the further away stuff not in the same city gets filtered out.

I'm not worried about the results from thousands of km's away... I just don't understand why in the first example, it can't match the exact address like it does in the second example.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

I'm not worried about the results from thousands of km's away... I just don't understand why in the first example, it can't match the exact address like it does in the second example.

Yep, that's a good question. I wonder if it is client version-specific? Even if not, I suggest perhaps sending a ticket in via the Quick Help form on the Support page. After entering a decent subject line as the search criteria, click then "Send Email" button which really opens a support ticket.

[gfolk]

A little late here.

But, are the NA servers in Palo Alto (San Francisco bay area)? Then the originating IP address for the search will be from there. The listed results make sense if that's the case, the two closest results are the valley south of Sacramento and Santa Cruz. When that search was requested from a B.C. IP address, the intended address resulted.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

No.