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The Virtual Emergency Operations Center or VEOC is the central location for managing the national Waze response to massive crisis events. (These include hurricanes, typhoons, mud and landslides, floods, tsunamis, winter storms, earthquakes, and large fires.) The VEOC is designed to complement and enhance a state or region's ability to handle the map changes required including the addition of road closures and emergency shelters. It is designed to allow editors from the community at large, regardless of rank or experience, the opportunity to help those in the affected area(s). The more severe the event, the more map changes are needed and, unfortunately, the more likely that locals would have no power or would have evacuated.

VEOC Mission & Benefits

VEOC's primary mission is to coordinate national efforts to assist local editors in responding to a major event when they are overwhelmed or incapacitated (either for safety reasons or otherwise) and unable to respond appropriately. It is critical that the map reflect the current conditions before, during, and after the crisis event to support the affected community. Wazers require accurate routing when evacuating (and when returning home afterwards). Activated emergency shelters are highlighted on the map to assist those who choose to remain in the area. First responders need to know the current status of roads to provide services to the community during and after the event.

• Opportunity to learn from new local communities and experienced editors.
• Strengthen relationships inside the community.
• Getting more people together and making the community stronger.
• Data is available after the event for analysis and reports

Admin Team

This dedicated team was created as a national team, independent of any particular region. This composition allows greater flexibility in the creation and maintenance of feeds, channels, etc needed for effective VEOC management.

• Head Event Coordinator: DrDisaster (NOR); Assisted by spedracr (SER)
• Closure Form & Sheet: crazycaveman (SAT ARC), Owner; Maintenance assisted by dbsooner (SCR/SER), spedracr (SER)
• Form Filler Script: crazycaveman (SAT ARC); Maintenance of closure form
• Additional editors with process knowledge include:
  • Driving79 (SER RC)
  • karlcr9911 (SCR RC)
  • Jakflash(SEC LC)
  • spankdog (SER LC)
  • itzwolf (SER ARC)
  • grsmhiker (SAT MSM)
  • jwe252 (SAT CM)
  • LostRiver2008 (SER)

Communication

We have a dedicated server in Discord, Waze USA VEOC, for communication. These following general channels are always available to editors and include:

• front door
• lobby
• veoc-sheet-forms
• suggestions
• invite
• armchair storm chat
• gho castaways

Each VEOC event has many, if not all, of these dedicated channels (below) in the CURRENT OPS section. A description of the types of conversations and activities discussed in each follows:

• chat - (year-month)-(eventname):
• closures - (year-month)-(eventname):
• open - (year-month)-(eventname):
• feeds - (year-month)-(eventname):
• weather - (year-month)-(eventname):
• places - (year-month)-(eventname):

Tools

Recommended Scripts

It is highly recommended that all editors have the following installed:

• Tampermonkey which is needed for the installation of some scripts.

• Form Filler Script when activated by the push of a button in WME, copies data from the editor into related forms. It greatly Improves productivity and reduces the opportunity for errors.

• WME Government Boundaries superimposes county boundaries on the map and places the county name in the upper left corner with the city/state. This is very important to use to verify that you are locating and/or closing the correct road segment in the correct county. (Some road names are used in more than one county.)

• WME ME provides assistance in identifying the correct longitude and latitude for a place. (If you are looking for permalinks, the lat/lon for the pin will be centered on your screen. Use the WME ME! script to easily see where the pin will be dropped.)

VEOC Forms & Sheets

• VEOC - Closures Entry Form can be used by all editors. The data entered into this form is transferred to the closure sheet for action. This form is pinned to the event closures Discord channel.
• VEOC Automatic Access Request Form is used to request instant access to the VEOC Closures Tracking Sheet (below). rack closures for events. PLEASE NOTE: This form is needed ONLY if an editor has not previously asked for access.
• VEOC - Closures Tracking Sheet (sample) is the google sheet used to track closure activity for events. Used by editors who have the ability to close segments.
• VEOC - Shelter Tracking Sheet (sample) is the google sheet used to track shelter activity for events and is named using this format: "[VEOC Event Name] - pins - "calendar year" ". Each event's sheet is pinned to its Discord channel for places.

VEOC Response to Event

A global or local Champ can request VEOC be activated for a region or area of their country. Prior to VEOC activation, each serious weather event is tracked and a Waze readiness level (WAZECON) is assigned and then posted in the lobby. (Changes in WAZECON levels are also posted there.) A message similar to this can be posted as well: "Currently, local editors have the situation under control and are handling it within their local channel in their regional server." (Follow this link for further information on WAZECON levels.)

Step 1 - Identify an area in need

Step 2 - Get the community involved

(The high level editors can ensure the maps are being raided correctly and offer mentorship. Less experienced editors have a chance to gain knowledge and get to know the local community.)

Step 3 - Contact Waze

As a local champ, you will contact Waze by submitting the MapRaid Request Form and share the following information which you have prepared, including Location, Dates and Editors involved.

Step 4 - Identify an area in need

It is suggested to have a users involve who span a range of editing levels. (The high level editors can ensure the maps are being edited correctly and offer mentorship.) (Less experienced editors have a chance to gain knowledge and get to know the local community.)

Step 5 - Get the community involved

If you are not a Waze champ, contact your local champ to get things started. If you are a Waze Champ, begin by identifying people in your community who will want to raid with you.

Step 6 - Contact Waze

As a local champ, you will contact Waze by submitting the MapRaid Request Form and share the following information which you have prepared, including Location, Dates and Editors involved.

Important Guidelines

(The organizers have not secured a publicly available source map that can be used as a reference tool. If one is located that can be helpful, your group leaders will pass it on through the Discord channels.

Please read the entire VEOC wiki. If you are still uncertain what to do about something you see on the map, please ask your group leader.

Remember: All commercial maps, including Google Maps, are prohibited as Waze sources. Privately owned data can not be used for Waze mapping. This is critical: Data found to have come from a non-approved source can cause Waze to lose all the contributed data in a large area."

Thank you for your help with the map.

The focus: adding segments

There are numerous challenges that limit what can be done for those who don't speak or read Chinese. Google Street View is not available in China, which removes one usable source of data for labeling street segments and Places.

As a result, raiders should focus on adding roads to enable routing in more areas. The GPS layer can help confirm streets as drivable if vehicles are not visible in the satellite imagery.

NOTE: Freeways must be split into two one-way roads for best routing and navigation instructions results. Please see the image below for example.

Toll Roads

We add the Toll attribute ONLY at the Toll Booths. We do not mark it on every segment of the freeways. See this section for more information.

Road Locks

Places and Update Requests

Reference Links

Tracking Non-VEOC Issues Observed

Spreadsheets and forms are being developed to help local editors track important map issues that can't be solved during the VEOC event. When available, these will accessible in the Discord communication channels.

Results

Check back here after the raid is completed to see the results and achievements.