A node is defined in the New American Oxford Dictionary as “a point at which lines or pathways intersect or branch; a central or connecting point.” In other words, a node is a point at which one or more segments meet.
When you select a node (a so-called “junction”), WME says “ONE NODE SELECTED” at the top.
Yet, according to the glossary entry for “node”, there are “five different types” of nodes. They are labeled as follows: “Endpoint Node”, “Geometry Node”, “Inter-geometry Node”, “Dead-end Node”, and “Junction”… The so-called “junction” is the only thing in the Waze map that actually fits the definition of a “node” and is specifically named as such by the WME interface.
First, the entire concept of the “endpoint node” and “two endpoint nodes meeting” to create a junction is convoluted and confusing. When you join two segments, they meet at one node. It’s not some confluence of segment parts, it’s a single node. It has one ID number in the backend. It says “ONE NODE SELECTED” when you select it. You cannot remove a segment from another segment and get its “endpoint node” back. A new node is created.
A “dead-end node” is just a node that has only one segment connected to it. It’s not any different than any other node, which can have any number of segments connected to it without changing what it fundamentally is. This is not a different type of node, it’s just a name given to a node which is in a particular situation.
Then, there’s the so-named “geometry node”, the name of which is a mistake made a very long time ago and never corrected. These are not nodes. These are handles. Something you grab to move something else around. “Grab that handle and drag the segment over here”. They don’t connect anything to anything else. Their only function is to manipulate the shape and location of something, whether a segment or an area place (or even a map comment).
I’m also not sure why the definition of “Junction” is this… “The method to convert a divided highway into a single two-way segment.
This formerly been referred to as Un-Split, but the use of that term has been deprecated.” Seems like a mistake. This is the definition for “un-divide”.
So, here’s what I propose:
Node
aka
Junction node
definition
A node is a point at the end of one or more segments. When a segment and another segment meet, they meet at a node.
A [[dead-end node]] is a node that is connected to only one segment.
See also [[geometry handle]], formerly known as “geometry node”.
Dead-end node
definition
A dead-end node is a node that is connected to only one segment. Dead-end nodes are found on dead-end roads.
See the Node Glossary Term
Also see the Fixing Dead End Nodes Wiki Page
Related entries: Junction
Junction
definition
See Node.
Geometry handle
aka
formerly known as geometry node, geonode
definition
When editing a segment, area place, or area map comment, large white circles appear at points along the segment or along the edge of the area where the segment or edge changes direction ultimately altering its shape. Click and drag them individually to alter the geometry of the segment or area. Press the d key while the mouse is hovered over a geometry handle to delete the handle. Alternatively, hold the d key and then move the mouse over the handles you want to delete. The smaller white circles between geometry handles are “inter-geometry” handles. When you click and drag an inter-geometry handle, it becomes a geometry handle, and two more inter-geometry handles appear halfway between the new geometry handle and the next nearest geometry handles (or segment endpoints) on either side.
See also the Node Glossary Term
See the Editing existing roads Wiki Page
Related entries: Inter-geometry handle
Inter-geometry handle
aka
formerly known as Inter-geometry node
definition
A “grab handle” that allows you to create a new geometry handle. When you drag an inter-geometry handle, it bends the segment at that point; when you release it, the inter-geometry handle will become a new geometry handle.
Inter-geometry handles appear on segments and along the edges of area places and area map comments. They will only appear when the segment/place/comment is selected and the mouse is hovering over it. They appear midway between each existing pair of adjacent geometry handles, allowing you to adjust the shape midway between existing bends. In the case of segments, they also appear midway between each end of the segment and the first existing geometry handle on either end, or, if there are no existing geometry handles, midway in the segment.
See the Geometry Handle Glossary Term
See also the Node Glossary Term