The Place categories used in Waze are not always directly applicable in BeLux, for they are global categories. At this time, it is not possible to adapt these categories to local customs.
Waze has several major categories, which includes quite a number of subcategories. If you choose a main category within WME, you automatically get to see the sub-categories to choose from. It is also possible to directly type in a category. If you cannot find an applicable sub-category, just use the main category and start the name with the missing category.
This overview shows the categories used for the Waze Places, with a description and a guideline for mapping. Also, there is an indication to the use of a Point or an Area Place. In general, a point is used, unless the Place is large and distinctive for drivers to help visual orientation. Note that circumstances may require a different approach. General regional guidelines are described below and indicated with a * in the category tables. The given lock levels are always minimum levels; if a Place needs more protection, a higher lock level can be used.
Regional differences
| Regional guidelines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flanders | Brussels | Wallonia | Luxembourg | |
| Name | The use of picto's in the name is discouraged | preference for the use of picto's in the name if available | ||
| type | Places with minimum area size of 500 m2 are always mapped with an Area Place. | Places with minimum area size of 500 m2 are always mapped with an Area Place. | ||
| lock | If a lock is required, the minimum lock level is described in the tables below. | If a lock is required, the minimum lock level is described in the tables below. | Places that are considered complete, aka contain all relevant information available, are locked to L3, to prevent unwanted edits. | Places that are considered complete, aka contain all relevant information available, are locked to L3, to prevent unwanted edits. |
Categories
Parking Lot
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | min. Lock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fl | W | ||||
| Parking Lot | For distinctive parking areas | {Name} | area | 2 | 3 |
Car Services 5
Regional differences are represented by Be=Belgium, F=Flanders, Br=Brussels, W=Wallonia, L=Luxembourg
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Stations | Use the Brand and official name. If there is a locally different name in use, put it in alternative name field | F, Br: {Brand} {Name}; e.g., Shell VanPé W, L: {picto} {Brand} {Name}, e.g., ⛽️ Shell VanPé |
area | 3 |
| Garage / Automotive Shop | Technical inspection, Tire center, Independent garage, Body Shop. Official brand, choose dealer | {Brand} {Name} | point* | F,Br,L: 1 W: 3 |
| Car Wash | {Name} | point* | F,Br,L: 1 W: 3 | |
| Charging Stations | Essent 20kW (2) | {Provider} {MaxPower} ({Amount} | point* | 3 |
* If the place is larger than 500 m2, map it as an Area Place in Wallonia and Luxembourg
Car Services 6
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Stations | Use the Brand and official name. If there is a locally different name in use, put it in alternative name field. The use of a picto before the name is optional | {Brand} {Name}, e.g., ⛽️ Shell VanPé *** |
area | 3 |
| Garage / Automotive Shop | Technical inspection, Tire center, Independent garage, Body Shop. Official brand, choose dealer | {Brand} {Name} | point* | ** |
| Car Wash | {Name} | point* | ** | |
| Charging Stations | Essent 20kW (2) | {Provider} {MaxPower} ({Amount} | point* | 3 |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
Transportation
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airport | You can replace "airport" in the name with the picto ✈ | ✈ Brussels, or Brussels Airport | area | 3 |
| Bridge | Use only to represent a named road bridge with local or navigational significance | {Name} | area | ** |
| Bus Station | {Location} {Name}, e.g. Liège - Terminus STIB | area | ** | |
| Ferry Pier | area | ** | ||
| Junction / Interchange | Junction {Name} | area | ** | |
| Seaport / Marina / Harbor | area | ** | ||
| Subway Station | (Metro?) Put the city name in front of the station name if different | {City} {Station Name} | point* | ** |
| Taxi Station | point* | ** | ||
| Train Station | e.g., Station Antwerpen | {Station} + {station name} | area | ** |
| Tunnel | {Tunnel Name} | area | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
Professional and public
For public buildings or services such as fire departments, town halls and the like, we set the location of the name after the name, e.g., Stadhuis Antwerpen. For Organisations that have several locations, specify the location after a hyphen, after the general name of the organisation, e.g., UZ leuven - campus Gasthuisberg.
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Cemetery | area | ||
| City Hall | area | {Municipality} | local name use |
| College / University | area | ||
| Conventions / Event Center | area | ||
| Courthouse | area | ||
| Doctor / Clinic | point | Use this category for non-urgent medical care. See for urgent medical care Hospital / Medical Care | |
| Embassy / Consulate | point | ||
| Emergency shelter | point | ||
| Factory / industrial | area | ||
| Fire department | area | {City} {department} | |
| Government | point | Only large ones are Area | |
| Hospital / Urgent Care | area | Hospitals, First Aid Posts and other places that offer emergency aid. Use Doctor / Clinic for non-urgent medical care. | |
| Information point | point | ||
| Kindergarten | point | ||
| Library | point | {City} {location} | |
| Military | area | ||
| Offices | point | ||
| Organization or Association | point | ||
| Police Station | area | {City} {department} | |
| Prison / Correctional Facility | area | ||
| Post Office | point | ||
| Religious Center | point | Churches are often well recognisable and can be drawn as Area | |
| School | area |
Shopping and services
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Arts and Crafts | point | ||
| ATM | point | Geldautomaat {Brand} | Geldautomaat SNS Bank, Geldautomaat ING Bank, Geldautomaat ABN Amro |
| Bank / Financial | point | {Brand} | |
| Bookstore | point | ||
| Car Dealership | point | {Brand} {Name} | In case there is a gas station, use Gas Station as the primary category |
| Car rental | point | Rental-car facilities and returns, including at airports, should be marked as a Point with the “Rental Car” Place category. If the return location is a normal Parking Lot, then mark it with the Parking Lot category and the building with the Car Rental category | |
| Convenience Store | point | AH to Go, Kiosk | |
| Currency Exchange | point | ||
| Department Store | point | De Bijenkorf | |
| Electronics | point | ||
| Fashion and Clothing | point | ||
| Flowers | point | ||
| Furniture / Home Store | area | ||
| Gifts | point | ||
| Gym / Fitness | point | ||
| Hardware Store | point | Gamma, Karwei | |
| Jewelry | point | ||
| Laundry / Dry Cleaning | point | ||
| Market | area | {City} {Location} | |
| Music Store | point | ||
| Personal Care | point | ||
| Pet Store / Veterinarian | point | ||
| Pharmacy | point | ||
| Photography | point | ||
| Shopping Center | area | ||
| Sporting Goods | point | ||
| Supermarket / Grocery | point | {Brand} {Location} | Albert Heijn, Arkendonk, Lidl, Aldi |
| Swimming Pool | point | solely public swimming pools | |
| Toy Store | point | ||
| Travel Agency | point |
Food and Drink
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Bakery | point | ||
| Bar | point | Note : a "Plaza" is not a Place (in French) but a food court/food market. | |
| Coffee shop | point | ||
| Dessert | point | ||
| Fast Food | point | McDonald's may include drive-thru, then draw Parking Lot Road | |
| Food Court | point | Can be used for a caterer or a wholesaler | |
| Ice Cream | point | ||
| Restaurant | point | {Name} |
Culture and Entertainment
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Art Gallery | point | |
| Casino | point | |
| Club | point | |
| Game Club | point | |
| Movie Theater | point | |
| Museum | point | |
| Music Venue | point | |
| Performing Arts Venue | point | |
| Racing Track | area | |
| Stadium / Arena | area | |
| Theme Park | area | |
| Theater | point | |
| Tourist Attraction / Historic Site | point | If the place functions as a landmark it may be represented as an Area Place. |
| Zoo / Aquarium | area |
Other
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Construction Site | area | Construction sites are not necessariliy mapped but it may be useful for editors checking roadworks under way. Ask your Country Manager in case of doubt. |
Lodging
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Bed & Breakfast | point | |
| Camping / Trailer Park | area | |
| Cottage / Cabin | point | |
| Hostel | point | F1 hotel Waalwijk; Used for Motels and Inns in the BeLux. |
| Hotel | point |
Outdoors
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Beach | area | |
| Golf Course | area | |
| Park | area | |
| Playground | point | |
| Plaza | area | |
| Pool | area | |
| Promenade | Probably not used in the BeLux | |
| Scenic Lookout / Viewpoint | point | |
| Ski Area | area | |
| Sports Court | area |
Natural features
| Sub-category | Description / Examples | Naming | type | Lock ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *** | * | ** |
* if the place is larger than 500 m2 and distinctive/helping visual orientation, you can use an Area type
** If the place needs to be protected, a higher lock level can be applied
*** check out the Regional Guidelines for details
| Farm | point | Farmlands should never be mapped as areas. Editors should remove farmland areas immediately. |
| Forest / Grove | area | |
| Island | area | |
| River / Stream | area | Use only if water itself is visually obvious to drivers on nearby roads. Do not map if not visible from nearby roads. Features under approximately 20 meters wide will not be visible in the app. |
| Sea / Lake / Pool | area | Use only if water itself is visually obvious to drivers on nearby roads. |
| Canal | area | |
| Swamp / Marsh | area | |
| Dam | area |
Tools
- WME Split POI script This script adds a button to the WME that allows you to split or cut Places from the category Natural Features into two, keeping the specifics. Can be used for all Natural Features like Island, Sea/Lake/Pool, River/Stream, Forest/Grove, Farm, Canal, Swamp / Marsh, Dam