Waze forum

There's been some debate in this thread ( viewtopic.php?f=8&t=67529&p=598211 ) about changing the wording in the FAQ about what to do when location information is wrong, specifically about referring people to the GPS.gov website which explains where GPS location data comes from and provides links to the pages to submit corrections to.

For the moment, I've removed that section from the FAQ.

The paragraph in question:

Most providers offer a way to submit corrections to their location data. It is normal for more than one provider to have the same bad information. This is due to their being two primary providers of GPS location data, which other companies then license. After correcting the location information with the correct Waze provider, it is a good idea to update with these two original providers. Instruction on how to do so can be found here ( http://www.gps.gov/support/user/mapfix/ ).

Which change Kent?

Also, it may bear including, as I have seen it happen in no less than 6 URs in the last month, and in a forum response: users complain that the address keeps taking them to the wrong location, but what is actually happening is that the user is selecting the destination from their nav history, thinking that a "new search" is executed to the address, when in fact, the nav history selection will take you to the same spot over and over again. Only by executing a new search manually in the app will the address pin location change become evident.

Well as is evident from the other thread, the removal of that sections seems appropriate to me.

I'd remove "exact" as my understanding is that the waze result is used only if Google is unable to turn up any result at all.

Its hard to tell. Seems State Route 35 passes through quite a few towns. It hard for me to know which have a valid number 1800. My understanding is that if waze understands the search to be for an address and Google doesn't return a result, then yes waze may just guess at the nearest number actually defined in the waze database.

Link to the entire answer as it appears currently:
https://www.waze.com/wiki/index.php/FAQ ... ocation.3F

Also you mentioned in the other thread that Amit has told you that Waze is using the WME address information if Google doesn't return a result. If we are sure that is the case, I think I'd like to make the following change:

Current:
The Waze map editor currently allows for the limited placement and adjustment of addresses on streets, and while it is a good idea to update this address information for accuracy, it is not currently being used by Waze for navigation.

New:
The Waze map editor currently allows for the limited placement and adjustment of addresses on streets, and while it is a good idea to update this address information for accuracy, it is currently only being used if Google is unable to turn up an exact match for the search terms.

CBenson wrote:Amit keeps telling me that Waze is. That the location is from the Waze internal database is usually the explanation I get when I ask about a destination pin that I can't explain. The information that Amit gave me regarding the "Anderson Ferry" result was: "When you search '2001 Anderson Ferry', Google does not return a relevant result, and the '2001 Anderson Ferry Rd, Cincinnati, OH' result you see is from Waze's DB. If it's incorrect, it's because our data is inaccurate."

I'm not sure what data is in the Waze internal database. Its not just the street names and house numbers we input. When I asked if the Waze internal database includes the house numbers from WME, Amit's response was that the database includes "the house numbers, streets, landmarks, and data from our advertisers."

I think the current answer is largely correct, and provides a link with instructions on how to update location data on Google Maps.

I guess at this point is, do we want to add:
- Something about Waze displaying some locations based on the landmark layer?
- Something about Waze using unspecified Waze owned data sources when Google fails to return a result for an address lookup?
- Something about making sure to run a new search, and not use your search history, in order for Waze to use updated information?

My concern is that the answer is already a bit too complex and technical for a lot of users. If we update the answer to make it even more comprehensive, does it help? Or does it just cause more confusion for a normal non-technical user?

As an alternative, should we maybe add a dedicated page (sub page) we can link to with a more detailed explanation of our current understanding of how location searches work? We could also perhaps add screen shots and step by step instructions on how to update location data at the different providers.

Looks like we did not come to a decision on this change.

AlanOfTheBerg wrote:Which change Kent?

I have no idea. I must have been sleeptyping. Never mind.