Get a sneak peek at whats next for Permanent Hazards on our April 7th Office Hours!
If you think you've found a bug on the website which isn't specifically an App or Map Editor problem, or have a request for new or modified feature of the Community, Forums, or Waze website, use this forum.

Post Reply

Please add an ELEVATION/ALTITUDE field...

Post by ASW20C
For those of us who spend a lot of time driving in the mountains, this would be a really useful feature. I know the GPS data supports it, as I can get it from other apps on my iPhone, and my Garmin will display elevation.

Elevation (altitude) could be either an added data field on the map, or it could be an option that replaces an existing field, like speed.
ASW20C
Posts: 3

POSTER_ID:10903561

1

Send a message

Post by AlanOfTheBerg
I'm certain Waze could display this data, or make it available to display. But, since Waze is not currently focused on the general navigation market, but on the commuter market only (read the About/general info in the app stores), I doubt they see this as a value-add for their (current) core market. Not that I don't like it, but they likely feel they need to stick to their business plan to be successful.

Down the road, when they expand into general navigation, there are MANY features which need to be added.
AlanOfTheBerg
EmeritusChamps
EmeritusChamps
Posts: 23627
Has thanked: 568 times
Been thanked: 3478 times
Send a message
Wiki Resources: Map Editing Manual | alanoftheberg@gmail.com
Oregon-based US Ex-Global Champ Editor | iPhone13Pro - VZ

Post by AlanOfTheBerg
harling wrote:Exactly! The Long/Lat precision goes way down--which is why a third dimension (altitude) would be so helpful in distinguishing among stacked roads.
Except the altitude value, which is, IMO, highly suspect in smartphones today anyway, would be off by just as much margin of error as lat/lon thereby rendering just as useable/useless.
AlanOfTheBerg
EmeritusChamps
EmeritusChamps
Posts: 23627
Has thanked: 568 times
Been thanked: 3478 times
Send a message
Wiki Resources: Map Editing Manual | alanoftheberg@gmail.com
Oregon-based US Ex-Global Champ Editor | iPhone13Pro - VZ

Post by AlanOfTheBerg
harling wrote:Under any signal conditions, no matter how poor, even a rough estimate in the third dimension will be an improvement over NO estimate in the third dimension, when it comes to discriminating between two roads at different altitudes.
I disagree here. If the best case scenario is off by 20m (60ft+), that would have Waze estimating you on the bottom level of a 3-level stack instead of the top. I don't see how that is any better than providing no information at all and just using what we have. Most people do not start navigating in the middle of a stack. That and Waze deciding to re-route are about the only time when Waze should get confused about where you are in the stack. It knows how you got there, and most of these don't allow you to switch between levels in the middle, so I don't really understand why elevation is needed. The road you are on is the road Waze guided you in on, most of the time.
AlanOfTheBerg
EmeritusChamps
EmeritusChamps
Posts: 23627
Has thanked: 568 times
Been thanked: 3478 times
Send a message
Wiki Resources: Map Editing Manual | alanoftheberg@gmail.com
Oregon-based US Ex-Global Champ Editor | iPhone13Pro - VZ

Post by ASW20C
Harling,

Your 3D map idea is great, but I fear it would be a major undertaking, and could be months or years away.

If Tahoe Mac is correct that the altitude data is readily available from the GPS (as I think he is), it would seem to be simple to make it a display option.

Then the data would be available to be collected in the future for building the 3D map.

My two cents,

ASW20C
ASW20C
Posts: 3
Send a message

Post by ASW20C
Hi AlanOTB,

Waze is great for commuters. Last night it took me on a totally awesome route to avoid tunnel backup caused by the World Series, saving probably 15 minutes (or two innings of the pitchers dual).

But, I also use Waze for weekend commuting to the mountains. Many of the Waze features seem more focused to long distance trips. I already know the cheap gas stations, Starbucks, and fast food locations are for my commute, but they are still available. Going to the mountains it is a totally different story, as I travel through 200 miles of territory that I have never left the freeway. That is where I need (and use) the help finding cheap gas and dinner.

BTW, bicycling commuters also would use altitude... In this case for route planning. I guess this argues for the 3D model...

20C
ASW20C
Posts: 3
Send a message

Post by floppyrod84
I still see some merit in this tbh. Would help a long way towards a "eco mode" for routing. Besides, GPS traces from many users can be averaged on the altitude anyway to give a decent indication of the real height in the same way it's done currently for lat/long.
floppyrod84
Posts: 2569
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 40 times
Send a message

Post by floppyrod84
The only reason I would see altitude data as useful is for an economical mode, less hilly terrain being more fuel friendly.
The errors we are talking about are for a single point in time by one gps device. Surely, if you have 3 or 100 at that one position, you could cut away the really high ones, the really low ones, and take the average of the rest to get a pretty accurate reading?
It could be stored in the gps trace part of the database (might even already be there), and routes calculated using that data for the economy mode as I explained above.
No one think this is a good idea, both as an idea, and technically?

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2
floppyrod84
Posts: 2569
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 40 times
Send a message

Post by harling
This idea has been discussed before. IMO elevation data would be a big help in placing the vehicle on the proper road, in areas where there are overpasses, underpasses & ramps crossing each other & running in parallel at various levels. It would also allow for some neat 3-D client rendering when the time comes. My only question is, what to do about elevation when the geometry of a road is changed in WME: interpolate the elevations of the new geometry nodes based on existing elevations, until we have actual data from GPS tracks?
harling
Posts: 1736
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 101 times
Send a message
https://www.waze.com/wiki/images/a/ad/W ... os-sig.png
Area Manager, Eastern MA & Southern NH. Country Manager, USA.

Post by harling
AlanOfTheBerg wrote:I'm certain Waze could display this data, or make it available to display. But, since Waze is not currently focused on the general navigation market, but on the commuter market only...
Actually, the problem areas that I have in mind in Boston--multiple levels of overlapping, often nearly-parallel ramps--become a major difficulty for Waze when the Log/Lat is within the margin of error of three roads at different levels, each of which leads to a very different destination. And they carry a lot of commuter traffic, and generate their share of URs to the effect that Waze put them on the wrong road, and of course the directions to get them "back" are completely wrong.
harling
Posts: 1736
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 101 times
Send a message
https://www.waze.com/wiki/images/a/ad/W ... os-sig.png
Area Manager, Eastern MA & Southern NH. Country Manager, USA.