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Why do you edit maps?

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To all of you Wazers who take the time to edit the Waze maps:

I've noticed that friends of mine look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I edit maps on Waze. I figure there must be some personality that drives people to want to edit.

Is it because you like cartography?
Is it because you like making maps and routing work better?
Is it because you like earning points and wearing a Waze Crown and being a Gold Wazer?

All of the commercial GPSs I've owned have always had issues with out of date maps. I like using a GPS even for places I know the route so that I can see my estimated arrival time. When the maps are outdated, the routing is wrong, and my arrival estimates are worthless. I also like to pay attention to the estimated arrival time when I try a different route so I can find the true fastest route.

Anyway, with all that said, I like to edit the maps because I hate having inaccurate maps in my GPS app. I love the fact that I can fix the routes I drive and see changes show up in a matter of weeks. I know that if I can make it better for me that I can hopefully make it better for others.

Also, the points system is pretty compelling too. I love being in the top 50 in my state overall. ;) And the #1 in my state for the last 2 weeks.

Lastly, I'm a computer geek. I am a Systems Engineer that works on servers and networking equipment all day long. I geek out at home with my Raspberry Pi and my Macs. I commute about 45 miles each way to/from work.

Steve

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Post by AlanOfTheBerg
knipfty wrote:Does anyone know how long it take for my updates to populate the rest of the Waze community? Does anyone have to look at it and approve the change?
See the FAQ.
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Post by AndyPoms
knipfty wrote:I live in gated community and every GPS (including Waze) routes people to the back gate. :evil: I updated the back gate to be a private road today. Now I will wait and see if Waze avoids the gate. I also added a landmark where the gate is.

Does anyone know how long it take for my updates to populate the rest of the Waze community? Does anyone have to look at it and approve the change?
What kind of landmark did you add? What was the purpose of adding it?
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Post by Bigbear3764
Making the maps right, seeing your changes quickly and helping others get around. As a firefighter, maps are important to us. We don't use waze to get around, but have pulled it out when I have time to report traffic or lane closures. Shh, don't tell my chief!


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Post by BumbleBee2010
I edit maps (when I can) for points, and to make waze better, the more people who use waze, the more speed traps that get reported LOL
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Post by CBenson
stuartdole wrote:BTW - anyone have a link to a discussion on how to deal with parking lots, shopping centers, and such?
http://www.waze.com/wiki/index.php/Best ... rking_Lots
stuartdole wrote:Also - I need to refresh myself on how to add blocked roads (permanent with a gate, or temporary due to fire, police action, flooding)... And how to re-route around a blocked road or area?
Temporary closures are not currently handled by waze.
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Post by CrackedLCD
I'm a bit of a cartography nut, but I also love the fact that I can contribute fixes and improvements that will eventually help others. There are lots of improved roads and recently built subdivisions where I live that were never added to Waze, so it's been fun adding these as I come across them. I just wish the changes showed up on my phone quicker. I've only been doing this a few days, though, so I reckon it'll be another week or two before anything shows up. In the mean time, I'm earning lots of points and having fun! 8-)
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Post by CrackedLCD
gryzman wrote:Because I like the idea of community working on content like that, some of it makes really sense.
However, when I encounter moments like this: I like to scream and give up.
Yes, a million times, yes.
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Post by CrackedLCD
The ability to communicate directly with those who drop update requests would be nice. Occasionally I come across a head-scratcher that I can't figure out, so it would be nice to ask someone what the heck they were thinking.

I know that the system sends a generic "your issue has been fixed" e-mail now, so it knows who submits what.
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Post by CrackedLCD
rivermedic wrote:I'm a paramedic in a very rural Texas county; we have correct maps and all GPS systems are wrong. With Waze I can see immediate results and updates. There is much satisfaction in that and getting an ambulance to the scene without any errors. I appreciate all the work of you hard working Texas Wazers out there and all the help you have given me!
Awesome! If anyone knows the intricacies of area roads, it would be the EMTs and public safety personnel. 8-)
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Post by CrackedLCD
Since being granted level 5 access a while ago, I've found the reasons why I edit maps have changed a little. Most of the roads have gotten "up to date" in the areas I'm familiar with, so I'm mostly trying to fix user and system errors these days. I'm also interested in the landmarks debate in the US and have been pre-emptively trying to get my region's landmarks into some sort of compliance with what will probably be the new rules at some point. I'm also trying to add more parks to the map as I've gotten very positive feedback from Wazers in my area on having them displayed, since it adds great context to what we're looking at while studying the roads.

Unfortunately I just found out that someone has come along and deleted a good two dozen of the parks I created in a nearby larger city, so I've had to take the time to re-research them and add them back. This time they're being locked. I hate to do that (and used to hate anything locked when I was but an egg at this) but it's too much work to go around re-creating all this over and over.
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