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Newbie Waze client etiquette

Post by jcluth
Hi,

Relatively new Wazer (although I *have* driven probably 2-3,000 miles with Waze enabled!) with some general questions about proper usage and etiquette when using the client.

1. I was driving along I-70 in IN at a nice clip of 79mph the other day and an alert about a cop popped up, showing the cop about 1,200 feet or so ahead. I started slowing down, and suddenly, I spotted the cop--a good thousand feet before the position indicated on Waze. My guess is the previous person who dropped the marker was a bit late in doing so (understandably so--I usually don't remember to report a cop or other issue until several seconds after passing, and by the time I get the marker dropped, it can be a quarter mile or so after the actual thing I wanted to report). I went ahead and reported the cop pretty much exactly in the right position, and then when I got up to where the previous user had reported the cop to be, I hit "not there." Since I probably wouldn't have noticed the cop in the right position had it not been for the pop-up alerting me of the cop's presence in the area, I felt a bit guilty about tapping "not there" instead of "thanks," as I was really thankful for the alert letting me know to be on the lookout. Is what I did fine, or should I hit "thanks" anyway? Do users who report something and then later have someone come by and tap "not there" get any bad marks for erroneous reports?

2. Sometimes it feels like Waze directions are still in beta. For several noticeably long stretches of Interstate, I would suddenly see a note to "proceed to the highlighted route," even though it showed that I was driving on the roadway. It looked exactly like this: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34020#p311747 Other times, it'll take me off of a freeway at an onramp only to have me get right back on the same freeway. In these situations, is it enough just to keep driving in the correct direction and trust that a system error will be generated and eventually (with enough people driving the correct way) it'll be corrected, or should I go ahead and drop an error marker to ensure it gets looked at?

3. Are ETAs based on published speed limits or the average speed of other Wazers on the route? If the latter, that would explain why I'm always able to beat Apple and Google's ETAs by a significant margin but am only able to either meet or just barely beat Waze's ETA.

4. If I'm going to take a quick detour off of my route to get gas or stop at a restaurant just off the main road, is it good etiquette to stop navigation so the system doesn't generate any errors that I didn't follow the prescribed route, or does that not matter?

5. Is it good etiquette to shut the app down completely (using the "Switch Off" button) when getting out of the car to go into a store or walk down a path or something to avoid me leaving meandering, off-road Waze GPS tracks that could potentially cause confusion, or does that not matter?

6. Any way to just generally share my location or route with friends, even if they are not headed to the same destination as I am?

7. I reported a cop and returned to the area a half hour later to see the cop still sitting there, but my marker in Waze was gone. Do cops ever join Waze and remove themselves if someone reports their presence? Can a single "not there" report remove a marker, or do a certain threshold of Wazers have to report something as "not there" before it is removed?

8. Speaking of reports of cops and other hazards, it seems to me that the distance to the marker is a bit off. At 70mph, I'm traveling 102 feet per second, but the distance to the marker seems to count down at about half that rate (more like 872 feet, then a second later 820 feet, then a second later 776 feet, etc.); when the display says "1,000 feet ahead," I should be seeing the marker in about 10 or so seconds at that rate, but it's usually more like 20-30 seconds until I arrive at the marker. Anyone else notice this?

Thanks for the help, and I look forward to getting better at the map editor and helping other Wazers find their way!
jcluth
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Post by AndyPoms
jcluth wrote:1. I was driving along I-70 in IN at a nice clip of 79mph the other day and an alert about a cop popped up, showing the cop about 1,200 feet or so ahead. I started slowing down, and suddenly, I spotted the cop--a good thousand feet before the position indicated on Waze. My guess is the previous person who dropped the marker was a bit late in doing so (understandably so--I usually don't remember to report a cop or other issue until several seconds after passing, and by the time I get the marker dropped, it can be a quarter mile or so after the actual thing I wanted to report). I went ahead and reported the cop pretty much exactly in the right position, and then when I got up to where the previous user had reported the cop to be, I hit "not there." Since I probably wouldn't have noticed the cop in the right position had it not been for the pop-up alerting me of the cop's presence in the area, I felt a bit guilty about tapping "not there" instead of "thanks," as I was really thankful for the alert letting me know to be on the lookout. Is what I did fine, or should I hit "thanks" anyway? Do users who report something and then later have someone come by and tap "not there" get any bad marks for erroneous reports?
Waze records the location for reports (Police, Hazards, etc) when you hit the report button on the main screen. The original user may have reported that the officer had left their hiding spot, and pulled someone over and by the time you got there, the officer had returned to their hiding spot... You did the right thing, and "not there" only shortens the time the report remains on the map for other Wazers.
jcluth wrote:2. Sometimes it feels like Waze directions are still in beta. For several noticeably long stretches of Interstate, I would suddenly see a note to "proceed to the highlighted route," even though it showed that I was driving on the roadway. It looked exactly like this: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34020#p311747 Other times, it'll take me off of a freeway at an onramp only to have me get right back on the same freeway. In these situations, is it enough just to keep driving in the correct direction and trust that a system error will be generated and eventually (with enough people driving the correct way) it'll be corrected, or should I go ahead and drop an error marker to ensure it gets looked at?
Two separate issues, for the "Proceed to highlighted route", it sounds like you need to refresh your map tiles, or don't have great cell service and the tile hasn't downloaded yet. As for the off and on the freeway, that's a map issue - the ramp to ramp routing should be restricted as well as making sure the freeways are named identically on both sides of the ramps.
jcluth wrote:3. Are ETAs based on published speed limits or the average speed of other Wazers on the route? If the latter, that would explain why I'm always able to beat Apple and Google's ETAs by a significant margin but am only able to either meet or just barely beat Waze's ETA.
Waze uses real-time data & historical averages (broken down into 10-15 minute chunks). That's why you can beat Apple & Google (who base off speed limits) and not Waze.
jcluth wrote:4. If I'm going to take a quick detour off of my route to get gas or stop at a restaurant just off the main road, is it good etiquette to stop navigation so the system doesn't generate any errors that I didn't follow the prescribed route, or does that not matter?
You can always "add a stop"... It takes several users not following the prescribed route to trigger a system error - which shows up on the edit map & then has to be looked at by an editor.
jcluth wrote:5. Is it good etiquette to shut the app down completely (using the "Switch Off" button) when getting out of the car to go into a store or walk down a path or something to avoid me leaving meandering, off-road Waze GPS tracks that could potentially cause confusion, or does that not matter?
Yes, using the "Switch Off" is best in these situations. At a Gas Station (that has been landmarked - light blueish highlight of the area) you can leave Waze running as that landmark suppresses automatic jam detection and off route issues.
jcluth wrote:6. Any way to just generally share my location or route with friends, even if they are not headed to the same destination as I am?
Yes, if you go to "Meet Up" on the main menu, then "My Drive" you can set it to others (even those at home using a computer)
jcluth wrote:7. I reported a cop and returned to the area a half hour later to see the cop still sitting there, but my marker in Waze was gone. Do cops ever join Waze and remove themselves if someone reports their presence? Can a single "not there" report remove a marker, or do a certain threshold of Wazers have to report something as "not there" before it is removed?
We believe cops have removed themselves from the app, but we can't be sure... Several users have gotten "Thanks" pings (in app directed chit-chats) from usernames that seem suspiciously official after marking police locations. It all depends on if the jurisdiction is out there for safety or for making money. No, a single "not there" can not remove a marker, all it does is shorten the time to live of the marker - they all automatically disappear after a certain time (a "thanks" extends the time).
jcluth wrote:8. Speaking of reports of cops and other hazards, it seems to me that the distance to the marker is a bit off. At 70mph, I'm traveling 102 feet per second, but the distance to the marker seems to count down at about half that rate (more like 872 feet, then a second later 820 feet, then a second later 776 feet, etc.); when the display says "1,000 feet ahead," I should be seeing the marker in about 10 or so seconds at that rate, but it's usually more like 20-30 seconds until I arrive at the marker. Anyone else notice this?
There is a feet & meter bug going on... It says feet but is displaying meters...
AndyPoms
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Post by jcluth
Excellent--thanks for the detailed reply!
jcluth
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