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NYS Wazeopedia UR Guidelines

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UR closure procedure came up on a Discord channel and we couldn't find a good resource for the timeline/procedure we use for responding/reminding/closing URs in NYS. Wazeopedia seems like a logical home for it, as well as perhaps a sticky post here in the NYS Forum. I'd like to propose something like the following for the NYS Wazeopedia page:
- When finding a UR, first look for anything obviously wrong either given the area reported, user trace/Waze route or user comments on the UR.
- If the problem can not be identified, a comment should be added asking the reporter for more information.
- If no further information is received within 7 days, follow up with the reporter politely reminding them that we need more information to identify the problem.
- If, after another 7 days there is still no correspondence, leave a final note indicating that the problem was unclear and that we'll need to close the issue as 'Not Identified'. This final notice should mention following up with more information by sending an email to WazeNewYork@gmail.com with the subject 'Attn: <Waze username>'.
This would go under a new section rather than shoehorning into an existing section. It would also be useful I think to incorporate some of the great advice given here:

viewtopic.php?p=1778710#p1778710

To grab some of the verbiage from there, maybe in addition to the above items we could also add:
Update Requests (URs) represent the customer service that we, the Waze Map Editors, are giving to the end user. The higher the solve rate, the better customer service we deliver and a better end user experience. In the end the goal should be to Solve a UR and not close it.

Factors that improve UR solving rate
- Quick response to new URs while the issue is fresh in the drivers mind
- Customize your responses based off information seen in the UR, reference the comments if they wrote one, indicate where the report was, identify differences in the "Waze provided route" and the actual "User Drive"
- Make sure you have done a quick Waze Street View search
- Do a Google search for the road name and town to see if anything comes up

Closing a UR as Not Identified
- If there is a cluster of URs and you can not figure out the root of the problem, consider leaving the URs open a little longer to see if another UR comes along to provide more information. This may allow you to solve them all or leave a map comment to track.
- Fix another issue in the area. While you may not have solved this issue, make sure we are always improving the map. A good practice is to make at least one improvement in the area (Fix a place, update HN, add missing speed limits, etc) when marking a UR as Not Identified - this will help future proof the area.
I rearranged some things, did some wordsmithing and mocked up a sample page in my Wazeopedia name space:

https://wazeopedia.waze.com/wiki/USA/Us ... Guidelines

Let me know if words should tweaked, added, removed, etc and hopefully we can come to a consensus on what to add to our NYS Wazeopedia page to eliminate any UR closure confusion and give some good advice on how to get the best end result (a solved UR).

Thanks for the consideration!

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Post by Inactive user -1649923503-
Great start on things here.

While I think the working with URs guidance would be best suited at a national level, I think there are some challenges to get it adopted quickly so starting here is a great place. Strong start and I hope to see more people adopt that philosophy.

I think we have well established it as our cultural norms that 7+7 is the right approach for handling URs and having this finalize is important.

In terms of URs with tracings, comments, etc. I think historically we used [NOTE] to trend things but now we have map comments, therefore if you have more information such as: tracings, comments, clusters etc. one may consider leaving a map comment. Ive seen clusters that were related to local construction and subsequently had a cluster then cleared out, but may have bordered on the point of adding a restriction.

I absolutely agree that a rush to not close is important, and I think the 7+7 model helps support that. Solving URs is an art and the longer you look at WME the more info you might be able to glean. I was able to solve a UR once by looking at the PURs in the area and one had in the corner of the image the new sign. But at the end of the day we are volunteers for a crowd sourced application, we must move on to the next UR and that might mean we have to close it as NI.
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Post by Inactive user -1649923503-
I view that it would be a problem with having a different standard only for those involved in the NYC UR project. Editing in NYC can still be performed by other editors not in the project and they are going to see the UR project editors doing a different standard than what they are called upon to do. This is counter intuitive and then raises the question of how one gets involved in the project. I would caution strongly about having two sets of standards for the same area. NYC May need to have a different handling solution for their URs due to performance issues however the standard should be universal for all editors.

Also the original guidance of 1/7/7 was intended not to match any national guidance but for what was being referred to “weekend warriors” with the intention of ensuring we had a weekend covered in between responses in case the reporter is only a casual driver. The reality is that the further you get it from the initial report the less likely you are to elicit a response. A quicker window for follow up is key. It is a pity that the request for guidance from drivingwithbill did not further reinvigorate this debate at that time.

The rush should not be to close a UR but to give the end user the best chance to respond by quickly finding new ones and providing quick follow up. Closing can be elongated as that allows patterns to develop if we are not getting any responses.

Plenty of drivers (and editors) have notifications disabled and may never see the inbox response also those drivers without an account (you don’t need to register to start driving with waze) never even get an inbox message. 1/7/7 vs 1/4/7 the biggest issue is a qualitative analysis of each UR even before responding. Check street view, look at GPS readany message google the street name. You would be surprised how many can be solved without anymore info from the driver and that was what the NYC UR project was all about.
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Post by DrDisaster
My experience over the last 4 years of editing is:

- Most people will not reply after 3-4 days, so waiting 7, and then a whole another 7, is a waste of time and highly inefficient. I have rarely seen a response more than a couple days after inquiry. If they care enough to reply, they will do so quickly.

- I've had more people say "I can't remember" after just a few days, I can't imagine them having mental clarity on Day 14.

- Reminders do work on occasion. So, a reminder process should remain in play.

- I agree with a process that ends within ~7 days. Add that up how you will, 3+4, 1+2+4, that part really doesn't sway me one way or the other. Just wrap it up and move on.
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Post by DrDisaster
My experience over the last 4 years of editing is:

- Most people will not reply after 3-4 days, so waiting 7, and then a whole another 7, is a waste of time and highly inefficient. I have rarely seen a response more than a couple days after inquiry. If they care enough to reply, they will do so quickly.

- I've had more people say "I can't remember" after just a few days, I can't imagine them having mental clarity on Day 14.

- Reminders do work on occasion. So, a reminder process should remain in play.

- I agree with a process that ends within ~7 days. Add that up how you will, 3+4, 1+2+4, that part really doesn't sway me one way or the other. Just wrap it up and move on.
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Specialize in: Major Traffic Events (MTE); Global Event Partner (GEP) program; Crisis Response / Virtual Emergency Operations Center (VEOC); colleges and universities.

Post by DrivingWithBill
Can you clarify why I am being told that UR guidance is 7 days then 7 days?

dhschneider on 02.10.2019 08:31 PM:

if you take a look at https://wazeopedia.waze.com/wiki/USA/Up ... #Flowchart it does mention the 7 days then 7 days. Please feel free to message me in the waze inbox or on discord and we can work on any reports or other map editing topics you'd like. Thanks.

See this issue in the Waze map editor https://www.waze.com/editor/?zoom=5&lat ... 18&env=usa
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Post by DrivingWithBill
Thank you for the clarification. The discussions here were difficult to follow and the New York Wazeopedia doesn't appear to provide any clarification
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Post by DrivingWithBill
Will there be any other guidelines becoming region wide?

I don't venture out of Long Island much (and heck my drives only sometime show) but it would be challenging to keep track of potentially multiple other state standards that are in the same region.
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Post by dude495
I like that this issue is being addressed and great feedback from all. I have to agree the WoP should be updated...
orbitc wrote:I know we don't have anything written in our NY wiki for the actual UR guidance and we've been saying everyone to use 7+7. Keeping the same 14 day time frame, we can make a minor adjustments of 4+10 to get a better response from the user. This way users are asked/reminded while the issue is still fresh in their mind. This also (as others stated) follow in line close to what surrounding states do 4/4, so when visiting editors join us either by AM or temp. drive area, they have an easier time remembering when to follow up on a UR that hasn't been responded to yet.

Therefore, I'm leaning towards:
  • Send a reminder in the 4th day
  • Wait for a response for another 10 days.
  • Leave comment and close it as NI, If no response received at the and of that 10 days
jdelosa wrote:The original intent of the 7 + 7 method was to allow the UR to remain available for comment for at least 14 days.

The rationale for this was the fact that many of the NYC Wazers were "Weekend Warriors" and this would allow two weekends for the Wazer to reply.

I believe the the 1+4+10 not only addresses this but also puts the reminder inline with the national standards.

This allows for a sooner interaction with the Reporter.
It also allows the UR to stay active for those Weekend Warriors.

I think this would be a good adjustment and a new starting point for the NY Wiki.
I like this format as previously stated by both Orbit and JD, this keeps in line with out 14 day period for UR's but brings the reminder up close to the initial contact date, hopefully to get a quicker response from our users. If anyone wants assistance working on the flowchart I'm willing to help build one if needed.

I also think we should include somewhere in these guidelines something that was discussed previously in Discord, that even if you can't identify the issue at hand, you should really make it a point to fix SOMETHING in the immediate area. This not only increases the chances of resolving the actual problem but also helps reduce the chance of any future issues. This could be something as simple as checking all TR's, adding/fixing PLR/PLA's, verify/add HN's and/or adding/updating places. This brings us back to the basics of quality over quantity.
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Post by dude495
New York’s guidance is 7/7. Look at a UR, if it can be solved solve it and reply. If you can’t solve it, request further information, if you don’t get a reply after 7 days send a reminder. If you get a reply in any time and can solve it go for it, if you get a reply and cannot solve it the 7 day reminder count starts over. If after the reminder period you don’t get a reply then you can respond that you weren’t able to identify the issue and close it out.
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Post by dude495
RodeNinja wrote: Also, since the NYC UR Project is long-term and ongoing, and since a lot of out-of-state Wazers show up there, I think we should mention the project, and the 0/4/10 guidance (and change the Wazeo when the project closes
Only those involved in the project follow the 0/4/10 rule. Everyone else outside the scope of the project follows the stat standard.
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