The 40 meter rule is not mentioned anywhere in the new criteria as far as I can tell. Does it still apply? I.e. should playgrounds, athletic fields and such within 40 meters of (but not necessarily on) private property still be rejected?
The category "Community gardens" seems likely to be stretched to the extreme by submitters wanting more stops or get a couch portal. At what point should reviewers draw the line between a famous formal community garden and 'a few square feet of grass that is maintained by the local authorities'?
Similarly, 'Plaza' is open to argument at the moment. Where should reviewers draw the line between a large historic town square and 'just a few paving slabs'?
"Unique local shops" is also likely be stretched to it's limits. My local row of shops has one hairdresser, one Chinese take-away, one hardware store, one general store, one fishing supplies shop and one gardening shop. All of them are arguably unique locally, but surely your intention isn't for all of them to be accepted? Where do we draw the line between 'the only restaurant in town' and 'the only McDonalds in this street'?
What about playgrounds? I mean those that are assembled from standard parts and therefore look the same. In my country, they are widely accepted, justifying that they "encourage outdoor activities", but in my opinion, they are mass-produced objects.
Here is an example of such a ground, specifically this option now stands in our every courtyard. This is easy to see by visiting Intel.
To clarify, does this mean those who are continually submitting things like trees and adult book stores which do not meet criteria?
Often, a great nomination gets rejected with a terrible reason. For example, a trailmarker rejected as a live animal or generic business. If an Explorer nominates this a few dozen times to try and get this accepted, would action be taken against them? This seems like punishment on the nominator, rather than against the reviewer who is selecting incorrect rejection reasons.
I would presume that Niantic will review nominations that were rejected under "Generic Business" and take appropriate action accordingly. I'm anticipating complaints about disciplinary actions from those who were using this rejection reason incorrectly.
Can you clarify what do you mean by indoor nominationes being publicy accesible? Then this mean that playgrounds in apartment complexes are no longer eligible since not eveyone has access to it. Just the tenants of the buildings.
Can you clarify if nominating different facilities from the same playground (a swing, a slide, etc. all from the same compound) is still unacceptable? And if so, why?
It seems clear to me that it should still be unacceptable, but there's a lot of debate about that in my community, and many people still nominate and accept submissions of different facilities.
Regarding the Walking / Cycling trails and or routes.
These routes have a fix starting point which is also the end point of the route.
Do you consider the starting point to be valid (most often signaled with a sign and a map with more information on it, so not quite discussion about these)
Or should we also take generic signs which indicate the directions on the path (signs containing the name of the route and an arrow that points straight on, left or right) These can be found at every crossroad on the path, at a distance of at most a few 100 meters one off another.
When I wrote the question, the photo criteria were different than they are now - they must have been changed since. So I guess my question is now pointless.
Will official seals and emblems be valid considering their historical reference to certain professions/organizations and their artistic construction and symbolism?
Will charities continue to be valid based on them being of great value to the community, gathering places, and encouraging people to come together and help each other by providing services and contributions to the good of the community?
Will it be possible to merge your approved/discovered POI stats if you nominate in both Ingress & Pokémon like you did with the wayfarer agreements stats?
Are there plans to address large backlogs in certain areas? Here in West Texas(Midland/Odessa) we have been accumulating a rather large backlog. I currently have 99 nominations in voting and 54 in queue. This isn’t the worst it’s ever been, but this seems to be getting out of hand again.
Are groups of tennis courts or other sports courts that are fenced and separated going to still be valid like separate sports fields in a sports complex?
Will escape rooms be valid? They are group games where people come together to solve riddles and collect clues in order to escape the room. They can be fun and exercise the mind and in some cases the body as well depending on the layout.
Will maps of large areas or college or church campuses still be considered valid being that they are informative and helpful when exploring an unfamiliar area; similar to trail markers and maps.
What is your guidance for locations that encourage community & civic engagement?
Does this extend to permanent locations you might engage in voter activity and/or permanent ballot drop off sites that are used multiple times throughout the year and have similar cultural impact to little free libraries?
This has been stated several times they are valid mass produced does not always equal a rejection. Playgrounds fit the exercise criteria even if they are mass produced as long as they meet valid criteria for the location they are at.
Comments
What are we going to do with the access portal for all over the world?
Niantic has always treated the criteria for removal as separate from the criteria for approval. That shouldn't change when the latter is updated.
Why? For such cases there is a special section on the forum
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/categories/wayspot-photo
The 40 meter rule is not mentioned anywhere in the new criteria as far as I can tell. Does it still apply? I.e. should playgrounds, athletic fields and such within 40 meters of (but not necessarily on) private property still be rejected?
The category "Community gardens" seems likely to be stretched to the extreme by submitters wanting more stops or get a couch portal. At what point should reviewers draw the line between a famous formal community garden and 'a few square feet of grass that is maintained by the local authorities'?
Similarly, 'Plaza' is open to argument at the moment. Where should reviewers draw the line between a large historic town square and 'just a few paving slabs'?
"Unique local shops" is also likely be stretched to it's limits. My local row of shops has one hairdresser, one Chinese take-away, one hardware store, one general store, one fishing supplies shop and one gardening shop. All of them are arguably unique locally, but surely your intention isn't for all of them to be accepted? Where do we draw the line between 'the only restaurant in town' and 'the only McDonalds in this street'?
What about playgrounds? I mean those that are assembled from standard parts and therefore look the same. In my country, they are widely accepted, justifying that they "encourage outdoor activities", but in my opinion, they are mass-produced objects.
Here is an example of such a ground, specifically this option now stands in our every courtyard. This is easy to see by visiting Intel.
To clarify, does this mean those who are continually submitting things like trees and adult book stores which do not meet criteria?
Often, a great nomination gets rejected with a terrible reason. For example, a trailmarker rejected as a live animal or generic business. If an Explorer nominates this a few dozen times to try and get this accepted, would action be taken against them? This seems like punishment on the nominator, rather than against the reviewer who is selecting incorrect rejection reasons.
I would presume that Niantic will review nominations that were rejected under "Generic Business" and take appropriate action accordingly. I'm anticipating complaints about disciplinary actions from those who were using this rejection reason incorrectly.
Can you clarify what do you mean by indoor nominationes being publicy accesible? Then this mean that playgrounds in apartment complexes are no longer eligible since not eveyone has access to it. Just the tenants of the buildings.
Can you clarify if nominating different facilities from the same playground (a swing, a slide, etc. all from the same compound) is still unacceptable? And if so, why?
It seems clear to me that it should still be unacceptable, but there's a lot of debate about that in my community, and many people still nominate and accept submissions of different facilities.
Should "adult-oriented store or service" be interpreted as any location that requires ID to prove age before entering?
There are still some legacy Ingress 1.X or Scanner Redacted submissions in the system that shouldn't be rejected solely for not having a description.
Your in the wrong AMA. This one is for criteria questions only. You missed your chance to ask this type of question.
Also, S2 cells have no place in reviewing.
I’d hope once they confirm all the legacy Ingress/Scanner [Redacted] subs are out of the system that a description is required.
Regarding the Walking / Cycling trails and or routes.
These routes have a fix starting point which is also the end point of the route.
Do you consider the starting point to be valid (most often signaled with a sign and a map with more information on it, so not quite discussion about these)
Or should we also take generic signs which indicate the directions on the path (signs containing the name of the route and an arrow that points straight on, left or right) These can be found at every crossroad on the path, at a distance of at most a few 100 meters one off another.
Thanks for your clarifications
When I wrote the question, the photo criteria were different than they are now - they must have been changed since. So I guess my question is now pointless.
Will official seals and emblems be valid considering their historical reference to certain professions/organizations and their artistic construction and symbolism?
these arent the s2-cells you are looking for
Will charities continue to be valid based on them being of great value to the community, gathering places, and encouraging people to come together and help each other by providing services and contributions to the good of the community?
Will geodesic markers continue to be valid?
Will it be possible to merge your approved/discovered POI stats if you nominate in both Ingress & Pokémon like you did with the wayfarer agreements stats?
Are there plans to address large backlogs in certain areas? Here in West Texas(Midland/Odessa) we have been accumulating a rather large backlog. I currently have 99 nominations in voting and 54 in queue. This isn’t the worst it’s ever been, but this seems to be getting out of hand again.
Are groups of tennis courts or other sports courts that are fenced and separated going to still be valid like separate sports fields in a sports complex?
Will escape rooms be valid? They are group games where people come together to solve riddles and collect clues in order to escape the room. They can be fun and exercise the mind and in some cases the body as well depending on the layout.
Will community information boards/bulletin boards/kiosks still be valid?
Will maps of large areas or college or church campuses still be considered valid being that they are informative and helpful when exploring an unfamiliar area; similar to trail markers and maps.
What is your guidance for locations that encourage community & civic engagement?
Does this extend to permanent locations you might engage in voter activity and/or permanent ballot drop off sites that are used multiple times throughout the year and have similar cultural impact to little free libraries?
This has been stated several times they are valid mass produced does not always equal a rejection. Playgrounds fit the exercise criteria even if they are mass produced as long as they meet valid criteria for the location they are at.