Waze Editors Present: the Raid!

It started as a covert mission, a secret pilot in Indonesia and the Philippines. Now it's threatening to take over the globe - the Waze editors raid! read on to find out more.

Also - the first ever mapathon is about to take place in Tel Aviv, and robindlc steps into the spotlight.

Raiding the Map

There's a new community project we've been testing, and it's been so great we had to share it. Here's the idea:

When the community or Waze HQ identifies and area that needs work, we decide together to go on a map raid. It can be an area with bad connectivity, tons of MPs or any other issue. Then the community takes over: the top champs decide on teams, comprised of both veteran and new editors, and set them to work. The more experienced editors act as mentors, as well as editing themselves.

Each team gets a specific portion of the area, and each team member gets a role - handle places, connect segments or solve MPs. And then it's go time.

Speaking of time - it's limited, usually to a week or two. This is a raid, in and out, fast and effective. after it's over the map quality team goes in to evaluate the area, and check it's level of improvement. this is of course shared with the community, along with a "hall of fame" - a list of editors sorted by their contribution. This is public, so editors who worked hard and made a difference get the recognition they deserve.

The first raids were conducted in Indonesia, championed by ci2212, and in the Philippines, under kazmuth's leadership. The results were amazing - a leap in map connectivity, and a sharp decrease in open MP number.

Want to organise a raid? Start with this form. And get ready to rumble. And kudos to MdSyah and his Malaysian gang for coming up with the idea.

Beers and Mapping and Everything Nice

This Friday morning is going to be special: we're expecting about 50 would-be-editors to meet us at a fashionable Tel Aviv bar, get a laptop and a set of instructions, and start the first ever Waze Map-a-thon.

The goal is simple - get some new blood into the system, and get more people into editing. Participants will get everything they need, including guidance, to learn the tricks of the trade. Also - there will be beer. We're very excited about this, and will of course share more afterwards.

Want to set up a Map-at-hon? Talk to us. we're game.

Wazer Spotlight:

robindlc, Spanish global champ

robindlc: Waze T shirt and ready to go

What do you do when not editing maps?

I’m an export manager in a Ceramic Tile Factory.

Which car do you drive?

I drive a Nissan Qashqai+2

How long have you been a Wazer?

I joined Waze in 2010. It is going to be four years next November

How did you get hooked on Waze?

At the beginning it was just like a game. My city was a blank area with only one street. In the old ages there were no basemaps, no aerial views (at least in my area) and on top of that, we worked on the cartouche editor. The only way to add roads was paving them using the app. So I spent several weeks driving through all the streets in my town paving and adding them to the map. The definitive step towards addiction was in June 2011, when I was invited to take part in the test of “a very initial version of the new cartouche (code named: Papyrus)”.

What's your favorite part about the community?

My favorite part is the community itself. The possibility to interact with other people with the same interests. To share experiences. To meet other people. In the end, if I got hooked on Waze it's because of the community. I still remember the old days and the chit chats on the map. To be honest, if I’m still here it's mostly thanks to people like Brshk1 and calandraca, who have been sharing this adventure with me since the very beginning. Then we made friends not only in Spain, but worldwide. I had a really nice time in Rio with the Latam community, enjoying a ride to Corcovado with meb001, houstonmg, andrex77 and enhket, talking about different Spanish variants with edsonajj.… But it's not just the community. The staff are really nice people. Special mention to my community manager, Mr.Adrian!

...And the worst part.

There is not really a worst part, but sometimes I feel bad since I’m unable to follow all the activity in the forums. Lately i’m focusing more on localizing. About 15% of worldwide Waze users are using the app in Spanish :)

What's the funniest Waze story that happened to you?

Usually, when I was going out for long drives, I would use Waze and also a conventional navigator… until one day, on my way to Bordeaux, the conventional one was asking me to leave the freeway while Waze indicated to go ahead on the freeway. I soon discovered that it was a new freeway which didn't exist on the old navigator. Since then, I use only Waze :)

What's your best Waze tip for newcomers?

My best tip is to be patient. To read the wiki and forums and understand Waze philosophy before beginning to ask to change things.

What do you listen to when driving your car (aside from the Waze app messages, of course)

On my daily rides I like to listen to the radio. I like many different kind of music. It depends on my mood. I can go from Mozart to a very local band. I would recommend “Quatre vents” included in the album “En Moviment” by the group “Obrint Pas” (go to 31:55 for it!)

That's it for now!