Again, you have not read what I have posted. I understand the use of the paving feature and the other 8.999 billion people can have fun with it. My option, myself, I don't have a need for it. I am speaking for no one other than myself.

If you want the ability to pave for days, offline, and have it saved - you need to petition Waze for that functionality. I can't help you get it.

Otherwise, if Waze is so dear to you and Costa Rica mapping is that critical - you'll find a way to get data at decent rates and pave away.

Overall, I am contributing more than you are by what Waze is tracking and contributing a significant amount of my time with ideas, and helping other Wazers on the forum.

You only like to complain about me, what features are missing for 2 years that you asked for and should receive, how Waze is littered with bugs that are not fixed, how we should not be creative in working around Waze issues with workarounds, how you are here the longest, etc. This is not productive.

Yes, let's not making this a bug status update, we need these 100 new features or a complaint session. Let's cover where Waze is going, critical features that need to be re-thought, fixed, and things that are highly problematic and Waze has been ignoring fixing.

Let's make our mark and impact where Waze is going at a strategic level.

Thoughts on topics:

* Where are we at with the infrastructure after AlanOfTheBerg's open letter to Waze? What's fixed? What's outstanding? Is the AWS configuration now fault tolerant? What are future plans in regards to the three infrastructures (Israel, World, US/Canada)? gettingthere's pet peeve - when are all countries that can be driven between going to be on the same Waze infrastructure (ie. US and Mexico)?

* Is Waze moving towards a more general GPS application model? If so, what are the plans to get there (features that competitors offer being implemented, etc).

* What's left to get the new map editor done and the old one retired? Timeline? Major confusion point (having two map editors) that is likely another barrier to entry for new editors. And can we get the names of the new editors finalized and branded?

* How does the traffic jam algorithm work (detail)? How is this going to be improved to avoid constant false traffic jams and people using Waze 'out of scope' (motorcycles, walking, adjacent or in car pool lanes, while idling in parking lots, gas stations, drive-thru's, etc)

* Cover the 10 most impacting bugs and design issues that are causing issues. (plenty of great input on this already) Ramp name skipping, toll roads can't be avoided, how to handle street address problems in the US/Canada (base-mapped countries), prefer cookie munching option, improper routing without End Nodes and not obvious that they need to be added, Waze 3 introduced issues.

* What's planned for the re-vamped Map Error reporting / Update Request function? When?

* Discussion on to how to grow Waze users. What are the top reasons for users deleting the Waze application? Are people concerned about the data being collected of where they are driving, that their location is being displayed to others on the map? How can we as contributors help to mitigate user abandonment?

* Some stats on the number of active Wazers in some of the big US cities (New York, LA, Chicago, Miami, etc)

* What can be done to get more people editing the maps? Is the current editor rank system fostering new editors or hindering them? Will Waze move to another type of system that other community based systems used (Wikipedia, Google Map Maker, etc).

* When it is appropriate to consider the US and Canada maps as 'mature' and move away from some of the early map building concepts such as the Waze client setting road directionality, that roads need to be driven and verified in the application after being editing in the map editor, penalty concept for turn restrictions vs. 'it's not permitted, don't sent me that way'? (not saying that we are here yet, just discuss how it is determined when to make this shift)

* Business strategy. Is it looking promising for selling data that is being collected by millions of people using Waze? What is known about some of the competitors upcoming applications?

jondrush wrote:...I could take up the whole time period with just my questions.

Unfortunately to the sanity of the meet up, we all could!

The goal now is to get on AlanOfTheBerg's compiled agenda! AlanOfTheBerg - you are handling that, right

So with the agenda out and only 2 hours and 45 minutes for Q&A, it seems the list of topics will need to be pruned.

jenncard wrote:Hoping that advanced communication of these concerns might allow Waze staff to more efficiently address them?

But with up to 25 attendees in the room, it's going to be hard to cover a few topics. I can foresee some of the issues on the list taking 10, 15, 30 or more minutes each to discuss.

AlanOfTheBerg wrote:Not disagreeing, but I also foresee that some of the items may be addressed in the first half presentation by Ehud and Yael.

Yes, hopefully they are tuned in to our posts and tailoring their presentation to cover some of the questions and issues that we have regarding their solution. So likely we will have to adapt our topics based on what is covered in their 2 hour presentation.

Any thoughts on the format for the Q&A? Are we thinking to have one spokesperson to cover the topics, as weighted by the survey?

banished wrote:Umm...I'm not traveling x-country to be a silent partner!

Although one person could have the 'list' and announce each topic and others could add input as necessary during the discussion.

The Wazer that attends who has the least points should be taking notes

Shorty-CM wrote:Why not simply record the thing?

I seem to recall reading that Waze would not allow this at the Paris meetup. Yes, that would be much easier, even if just recording via the Voice Recorder application on an iPhone or similar.

I am working on options for the Saturday evening/night editing session at the Hilton Santa Clara.

Likely we will end up hijacking the lobby with free WiFi. Per the Hilton employee that I spoke to a few minutes ago - there are couches and chairs for apx. 10 people.

I am waiting for a call from their catering department to see what a meeting room would cost. I don't suspect it's going to be a viable option due to cost, and may not have WiFi, but who knows....

Maybe someone from Waze will be so kind as to book a meeting room at the Hilton Santa Clara for 10-20 people, Saturday night from 8pm to 2am - with Internet access, water, a projector screen, and with approval to bring in our own food and beverage? (yea, I know this is asking to for too much!)