Our editing community is made up of volunteers who make everything run smoothly. Volunteers serve a variety of roles and specialize in specific areas of editing.
Map editor
The Waze map is crowdsourced, edited by users, and open to anyone who wants to contribute. Any Waze user can become a map editor by logging into the Waze Map Editor (WME). All map editors start at level 1 and can then progress through the ladder of levels and roles as they gain experience, learn the intricacies of WME and map editing, and become involved in the community.
New editors in Laos should check out our onboarding page to start learning the basics Here.
Managers
All of our managers are selfless volunteers who work together with the community and management team to improve and protect the Waze map. Managers need to be active and contactable to hold the role so they can assist the community, and are expected to mentor and lead others. All managers play an active role in proactively contributing to, and protecting the map from damage.
Area manager
Area Managers (AM) are map editors who volunteer to take an active role in maintaining specific areas of the Waze map. A selected area of the map is added to their “editable area”, regardless of if they have driven there recently, as long as they are active as an AM.
To be granted AM status, editors need to be active in the community, follow the rules, have a good understanding of mapping standards, and approaching, if not already, level 3. The higher your experience, the higher the likelihood of being granted larger or multiple areas. In addition, Local Champs are more inclined to approve larger areas in regional areas as road infrastructure is less dense. Use the Area Manager application form to apply. The role expires automatically if you are inactive for 90 days.
Country manager
Country Managers (CM) have an editing area that extends to the entire country (though it does not appear as an area on their profile page). In addition, they are community leaders who assist in guiding new editors, mentoring, assisting with locks/unlocks, and contributing to policy decisions for the country. It is a massive job, and they depend on the support from area managers. In Laos, the CM role is both an editing and community role.
Champs
Champs are editors, selected by Waze management, that show long-standing contributions to the Waze community. Their role isn’t just about editing skills, but they play a major role in community development and management. They set and enforce rules and standards in order to protect the map and community.
Local champ
Local Champs (LC) are part of a specific country’s community leadership. Typically an editor must first be a Country Manager for some time before being eligible to become a Local Champ. Waze will select the most senior and skilled editors in any active editing region to become Local Champs. Once Local Champs are selected for a region, they will have the authority to nominate and approve more Local Champs for their region. To be implemented in Laos eventually.
Coordinator
Country Coordinators are champs who coordinate between the local community and Waze Team, as community ambassadors. A coordinator’s main responsibilities are:
- Participating in both global and local champs’ groups, and being in direct contact with the relevant Waze community managers
- Advise about the urgency and the severity of any reported issue
- Advocate on behalf of the community
- Be aware of the company news, product announcements, new versions etc.
- Assist with social media activities in the country
- Take part in the setup of editors meetups.
Global champ
Global Champs (GC) are part of the world community leadership of Waze. Typically an editor must first be a Local Champ for some time before being eligible to become a Global Champ.
GCs are active within the community (forums and Discord), engage in cross-community collaboration with other countries, represent their local community on a global platform, act as a connection between their community and Waze staff, sustain the wellbeing and health of communities, and demonstrate adept product proficiency. Check out the Waze Global Champ position description for more details, and new GCs can be nominated here.
Product expert
Product Experts (PE) are very experienced community members that assist Waze users and the public to address questions on the Waze Community Support platform.
Beta tester
On top of the Waze app and services to the public users, Waze is also constantly working on improvements through their beta program. Beta testers get early access to new updates and features, have a voice in providing product feedback, and are a part of the exclusive beta community. You can join the Waze app betas including the routing beta server (RBS) by following the instructions on the Waze Beta Site.
Waze App and Routing
Learn more about joining the Waze app beta testing experiences on the Waze beta website.
Beta Leaders / Suggestion Moderators
The Waze application beta program is led by Beta Leaders who support Waze staff to run the beta community on Waze Discuss. Beta Leaders get early access to beta builds and features for thorough testing before it reaches the rest of the community. They curate high-quality bug reports for investigation by Waze developers while working directly with staff on issues. Many Beta Leaders are also Suggestion Moderators, who organise incoming suggestions, including the filtering of duplicates, to reflect the true community need behind suggestions for review and prioritisation.
WME Beta Tester
Waze also has a beta program for the Waze Map Editor (WME) which is managed by the community. WME Beta Testers are playfully known as pirates (ARRRGH). If you are a level 3 editor or above in Laos, you can request to join the WME Beta program by asking in the #role-requests channel in the Waze Laos Discord server, or by contacting a Local Champ. Admission into the program is at the discretion of our Local Champs and Coordinators.
Localizer
Localizers use language to make the app experience the same as that of users in a country. As the number of users increases, there may be scope to incorporate the Lao language into the Waze platform.
Community booster
Community Boosters are editors from one country who is involved in a form of guidance or mentoring and helps lead the build of a strong, thinking, independent community in another country. For more information see the Community Booster role announcement thread on the forums.