Pond and Lake "fountains" are showing up again and spreading like wildfire.
These were disqualified years ago before OPR was even a thing. I stopped nominating them because Niantic themselves were rejecting them and rejecting them on appeal for pedestrian access. They are just aerators that aren't even on all the time and often don't even get fixed by the HOA when the motors run out. But here's the problem. Niantic is too slow and stubborn to remove old ones and now new submitters and voters see them and think they are ok and they are being added again. These are often far from the shoreline. They are either wildly misplaced to make them reachable or completely unreachable. They are nothing more than extensions of natural features and are impossible to ultrastrike or portal scan. I submitted 3 more new ones for removal just this morning, but they are spreading like wildfire.
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Yeah, I can think of about a dozen in my area, and 3 or 4 are new within the last year. I always vote against, but obviously that’s not doing anything to help me earn agreements.
Should your in-app removal request be denied, we are supposed to make a post over at https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/categories/removal-appeals
The specific reason for not allowing "aerators" is that they don't have "pedestrian access".
Niantic is too slow and stubborn to remove old ones and now new submitters and voters see them and think they are ok and they are being added again.
This applies to so many things. Aerators are really just the tip of the iceberg.
Come on man, this is pinned at the end of the street the photo was taken from.
In my experience it's pretty easy to have them removed. About half of the ones I've reported were removed just with an in-app report. The rest only took a single appeal.
That doesn't really get to the heart of the issue though. This is just one of many things that could use proper clarification so that reviewers following the guidelines aren't left with needless disagreements.
If your goal is agreements, just accept them. That’s what I do.
They're actually just health department infrastructure. In the South, if a pond is stagnant (doesn't have a stream leading into it AND out of it), there MUST be an aerator to control mosquitos - thereby controlling malaria.
Mosquitos lay eggs, and their larvae grow, in stagnant, non-moving water (usually rainwater retention ponds).
The South used to have a malaria problem (that's why the CDC was located in Atlanta). It was eradicated here by methods like requiring aerators in standing water. By law.
We have a wayspot in my community that's one of these. Been a wayspot since POG launched in 2016 and who knows how much earlier in Ingress, I'd be pretty upset if it was removed.
One of the issues with wayfarer is that criteria changes, but things are grandfathered and serve as poor example for new submitters. Memorial Benches, and Plaques are an even more famous example.
There really should have an ability to report a waypoint as a "Grandfathered" Wayspot and make it a slightly different color or symbol in the games so that new reviewers realize that while that waypoint was accepted in the past, it's no longer acceptible under current criteria.
Long story short, don't report these in areas you aren't familiar with how long they have existed.
I do not believe we should be removing Wayspots that at one point met the criteria (of the time) and which do not meet the criteria for removal either. People put the time in to nominate these old Wayspots and you'd have them removed purely because Niantic does not bother to do a good job of giving information to reviewers? Blame Niantic, because that's where the fault lies. They should be much clearer that Wayspots that currently appear in game(s) are not necessarily a good indicator of what they think should be accepted currently (such a message could be incorporated into the Pokémon GO nomination process for example).
I understand removing nominations which meet one of the removal criteria (such being on a school) but there is nothing to be gained from removing old Wayspots which do not meet removal criteria. A lot of angry and confused Niantic customers will come onto this forum upset their local Wayspots have randomly disappeared. I can only hope you would have the good sense to apologise to those people seeing as you are advocating for such a feature.
They don't have pedestrian access and should absolutely be removed. Other than than wayspot age, this is nothing like the memorial bench examples.
Are they spreading like wildfire and only showing up recently? Ever since moving to the south and starting wayfarer I've got those left and right. I get buttloads of housing development/community name signs, and pond aerator fountains.
There's one near me that's been there since the early days of Ingress, though the pin has been moved from the accurate position in the lake to a fair bit away on the shore.
The CEO of Niantic is the current scout controller for it.
Wait whaaaaat lol
There is rarely any such thing as hard-fast perfect rules in Wayfarer.
They have as much Pedestrian Access as some Artwork does. Depending on how close to shore they are. And whether artwork is roped off displays. The one I am thinking about is close to shore and its interaction circle overlapped the sidewalk EVEN BEFORE the distance change.
But the bigger point, show me in FAQs where they direct wayfarers to go out and judge existing POIs by current standards.
Oh, so we can get Lansing MI's Old Town "Gargoyles on the Grand" stop removed now because it doesn't have Pedestrian Access, being mounted on a top corner of a 3 story building?
edit: https://intel.ingress.com/?pll=42.747272,-84.550245
Just a little more info. The one I am talking about I pass by as I walk. I can literally feel the mist on the breeze on a hot summer day. Telling me thats not a Valid POI when I can literally feel it but giant ceramic tooth is, or all 6 of mile markers that just say Mile Marker 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 is.... even if on a trail.... just feels wrong. That fountain is as much as part of a walk and far more interesting and interactive than tiny generic signs that I never pay attention to.
Short story short, report invalid waypoints anywhere. "how old is it" doesn't matter.
For this "whatabout" question:
First, if you believe something is unsafe to access, report it.
Second (and more relevant), Niantic has in the past clarified that in a 2D map mapping system, height doesn't matter. If you can physically stand below (or above) it, it it safely accessible.
On the other hand, leaving strictly ineligible POI in the game further confuses new submitters into nominating and/or accepting against established criteria, regardless of your personal feelings on it.
Another brand new one
Hey, easy one star agreements (at least it used to be. At least most one-star things used to be). Especially when it's zoomed in so far that it's nearly pixelated.
Thankfully, my area has not seen any new fountains in years, but Niantic is not keen to remove any of them (even the one where the pond got paved over).
@TrevorAlan-PGO You can't make this stuff up. Yes, the wayspot is a fountain in the middle of a lake. It used to be in the water and I once lost a shoe in the mud trying to get access to it, but it's since been moved to an inaccurate location on the shore. Yes, I've reported it as not having safe pedestrian access but they decided to keep it.
He lives a few miles from me. I wouldn't say we're friends but we're certainly well-acquainted. We've spent a lot of time firing bursters at each others' portals in Ingress, chatted a fair bit, and had drinks together. We've even played together in this park. During one of the Operation Clearfield events he showed up, pointed at me, and said, "I'm going to be on her team." Thus I was his team captain for the evening. Lemme tell you he was a freaking overachiever at picking up trash in the park, running ahead of everybody else so he could get to it first.
(I'm not revealing any confidential information by posting this. His player name for both Ingress and Pokemon Go are public information and very easy to find with a Google search.)
Why are you still here? How many banned accounts are you at?
Just report their personal attacks. That's what got them banned the last time.
Why so many disagrees on the post suggesting a "grandfathered" tag or visible mark in game? Might that not help submitters notice the fact that these things no longer meet criteria, while still preserving those venerable waypoints? I know that things will improve once we get our Test, but it seems like a lot of current submitters and reviewers need more education STAT.
Re-reading it, I just realised I misconstrued the entire intent of the post, so I'm removing my dislike, for what it's worth.
Still disagree with the last sentence "Don't report these in areas you aren't familiar with how long they have existed."
Same removal criterias apply everywhere, no ?
That depends on what you mean by "Removal" Criteria: School.... Sure. Blocks a fire station driveway. sure. Some things are cut and dry.
But Pedestrian Access is quite a bit more judgement based. If the POI can be interacted in games from the shore, than that to me is as much Pedestrian Access as many other things. If your going to take the stand you have to touch the base of the object in 2d, then you have to apply that to many playces where you cant. Especially like I said the one I said I feel the mist from it. So how am I not touching the fountain when I am getting wet????? Must be magic.
And again, use basic logic. If you telling me the ability to physically touch something is required for pedestrian access, then most pieces of famous art are ineligible. Go try and physically touch it in a museum. So how close do you have to be able to get? 1 foot? 3 feet? 5 feet? 10 feet? What if like the earlier picture the community had a bench and people came to sit besides it and cool off and look.
Reporting it is just non-useful, and worse example of how some people are just on a wayfarer my-way or high-way approach and the idea that "Wayfarer" takes precedence over game play of the various games neglects the fact that wayfarer wouldn't exist without the money the games bring in. Don't exaggerate what I am saying PLEASE. I'm NOT saying game boards should rule all and anything should be allowed to make game play better. I'm saying balance and judgement. You know the things we are supposed to use when reviewing.
Anyway, I'm not going to convince anyone who likes to mass report stuff stop. But doesn't mean I can't say I dislike the approach or that I think a "Blanket Report them All" approach is better.
Sorry, grandson at the keyboard wreaking havoc.