Definitely not OpenStreetMap! :lol:
In a similar way to the Waze map, OpenStreetMap is built by voluntary editors. Even thought they may be working from publically available, non-copyrighted data, the act of building the OSM map is what is called (I think) a transformative work or action. The map thus produced is covered by copyright and, as a commercial entity, Waze cannot use the OSM data. This applies to any information that is covered by copyright unless it’s specifically allowed for Waze, even if it’s freely available. Many years ago, an entire country map in South America had to be removed from Waze after it was discovered to have been substantially copied from OSM.
In practice, this means that you can update the map based on personal knowledge (from you or someone else who gives it to you), the Google aerial images made available to you in WME (Waze Map Editor) and the Google Street View available in WME. It is more or less OK to view the same aerials and GSV in Google Maps (because it’s the same info), but you can’t copy the road detail or names you see in Google Maps (and I wouldn’t anyway, because Gmaps often gets road names wrong).
All the above applies to “primary sources”. It is allowable to look at other data sources to confirm what you have already worked out. So, for example, if you’re not sure what path a road takes under some trees, you could look at historical images in Google Earth to get an idea. But you couldn’t trace the road layout from those images. As an example, I glanced at the OSM link you have me, to confirm I’d understood what you were after. But the edits I made were based on your description of the editing “handles” on the segments.
There are a couple of other exceptions. Ordnance Survey produce data sets under the OpenData banner. If you get interested in editing, you will soon start to look at Userscripts to enhance your editing. One of these scripts uses OpenData to look up road names from the database - and because we acknowledge the use of this data publicly, that’s OK.
The other exception relates to new builds, which you mention. This isn’t a legal exception: it’s practical. With a bit of searching, you can generally find site plans for new housing developments online. Whilst all such websites have copyright notices, I am personally quite happy that developers are never going to object to us adding new developments before they’re visible on the aerial images. It can only be to their advantage to have their new houses easy for buyers to find and drive to and I’m sure they wouldn’t object. If any of the major developers were to object to us using their site plans, hundreds of their developments would be removed from Waze overnight and only their residents and visitors would suffer. Last time I had to ask a developer for a site plan, I got back a map so detailed, it showed every bush & shrub they planned to plant! :mrgreen:
