I'm aware something similar to this has been mentioned elsewhere. I've been thinking about it myself for some time. I wanted to bring it out into a separate discussion where, with (hopefully) enough support, we can persuade Waze to consider implementing it.

I would like to propose a new type of UR - Editor Comment – which can be placed on the editor map to hold comments on map situations.

I believe this can be done with minimal extra work by Waze, using the existing UR framework. In its most basic form, it requires nothing other than a new UR type that can be submitted from the Livemap.

Background

This is a feature that has long been asked for by the editing community. In the past many countries have used railroads for this purpose because they don’t appear in the App – but now Waze are going to show all road types. I have also heard of small landmarks being used, but editors frequently have that layer off.

In the UK, we have been using a system for construction zones since December 2012. A topic is created in the UK Roadworks sub-forum to describe all the details of construction that requires edits to the map. We then place a UR via the Livemap – this UR begins with the string [ROADWORKS] (which can be independently filtered by the URO+ script) and includes a link to the Roadworks topic which is clickable in the URO+ popup. This has been very successful at keeping track of construction. A few URs have been prematurely closed but most remain untouched.

Implementation

This would require a new UR type – “Editor Note” – to be added to the existing types. This UR would ideally be submittable in WME (which would require new functionality), but could quite acceptably be submitted via Livemap like other URs. This UR would not be submittable through the App.

It would be preferable that this UR has a different icon in WME – I’ve seen a traffic cone suggested before and that sounds perfect.

It should preferably only be possible for this type of UR to be closed by the original creator or a L4+ editor. This will prevent inexperienced editors closing them but allow senior editors to deal with them if the original reporter isn’t available.

It would be ideal if extra measures were taken to keep this type of UR visible on the map. However, this may not be possible without giving it its own level. If it was always visible, there would also need to be a mechanism to make it translucent so that it doesn’t prevent access to the map underneath. If it is part of the “normal” UR layer, then I can think of a couple of possibilities. The UR layer could be made visible again after every save if there is one of these URs on the screen. Or a dialogue box could be presented before saving when one is present (similar to the warning you get when trying to close a UR with comments).

Other Considerations

If we can’t restrict who can close these URs, I’m sure a few of them will get closed – if that does happen, the editor who placed it and anyone following it will be notified. It can be put back and the editor who closed it can be contacted.

I’m pretty sure Twister-UK will be happy to build some extra functionality into URO+ - at least to make these UR’s independently filterable.

It’s not directly relevant, but I’d also like to suggest that any country admin team who are interested take a look at the way the UK are handling roadworks. We’ve found that linking a UR with a forum post containing all the details has worked very well so far.