New Expanding Nomination Categories

General Discussion
1

Hi Wayfarer community,

I’d like to open a discussion about whether it would make sense for Niantic to expand the current nomination category list to better reflect certain types of real-world locations that are currently hard to classify.

In general, the existing categories work well, but there are some notable gaps when it comes to modern community infrastructure—especially places tied to sustainability and environmental awareness.

In German-speaking regions (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), environmental protection and recycling play a particularly important cultural and societal role. There are many dedicated facilities such as:

  • Recycling centers (Altstoffsammelzentren)
  • Community reuse/donation centers (where people can give away items that are then resold to support the facility)
  • Well-organized recycling islands with multiple collection points

These places are often more than just functional—they can be well-designed, educational, and actively used by the community. In that sense, they align with Wayfarer’s core ideas of encouraging exploration, education, and community engagement.

However, when submitting such a location, it’s difficult to choose an appropriate category. The closest available option is often something like “waste bin,” which doesn’t accurately represent the scale, purpose, or quality of these facilities.

As a concrete example: the Altstoffsammelzentrum in Feldkirch (Austria) was recently rebuilt after a fire and is a well-structured, and visually impressive facility. I would like to nominate it, but I cannot find a suitable category that reflects what it actually is.

Suggestion:
Would it be possible to introduce broader or additional categories such as:

  • Recycling / Sustainability
  • Environmental Education
  • Community Resource Center

Alternatively, even a more flexible or customizable category system could help better represent such locations.

I’m curious to hear how others handle similar nominations and whether there is support for expanding the category system in this direction.

Thanks for your thoughts!

2

What category list are you referring to expanding?

The eligibility list is just a great place for exercise, exploration, or being social.

Those tags you have to add if you submit through Pokemon Go have nothing to do with eligibility. They even include things like elementary schools, which are strictly not eligible. They are an artifact left over from when Niantic was selling the Lightship database to other developers iirc, and are not part of the Web Submit process. I hope they will be removed from the PoGo submission flow, too.

3

I don’t think an Altstoffsammelzentrum would meet criteria, which as Cyndie mentioned are a great place to explore or be social, or a great place for exercise. I have never done these things at a recycling center. You can try nominating the new one for its architecture, or it might have eligible things inside the premises (murals, seating areas, info boards)

4

Thanks, I get that categories don’t affect eligibility.

My point is more about player behavior and representation in Pokémon GO. If a recycling/reuse location is a PokéStop and can be part of a route, it could encourage small real-world actions (like returning bottles or donating items) alongside gameplay.

I agree this may be cultural, but that’s exactly why it could also have educational value. I’m not saying all such places should be eligible—just that having a better-fitting category could help represent the ones that already meet the criteria.

Btw here are some pictures of the example I gave Altstoffsammelzentrum, Feldkirch – Kaufmann Zimmerei, Tischlerei, Holzmodulbau

5

The categories do not appear in Pokemon Go at all. They don’t change how the wayspot is used, how it is perceived, how pokemon spawn etc. Flagging something as a Church dos not make it appear as a Church - it is the photo, title and description that have to achieve that.

Fortunately, the web submission route has discarded the category selection.

6

Hello @Lapidus101477

I think it best to ignore the categories but rather look at your question which i think is about recycling location. Is that correct?

As someone who teaches Environmental Science /issues, I naturally find topics like recycling interesting. Everyone should be recycling, reusing and reducing waste :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:
The approach in wayfarer is not to list specifics as eligible objects/locations. Each place needs to be considered against criteria. Here is my logic.
The actual sites have a utility function.
The type of place you describe is not designed to be somewhere you exercise.
It is not designed as somewhere you go to be socialable. Yes you might happen to meet someone there, but they are very functional. There is no space to sit and chat for example.
That leaves exploration.
This may be possible IF there is an aspect that meets criteria at the location. For example a mural, if there is artistic merit in the architecture, if there is an education information area. There would need to be an area where it was safe to interact with what would be the point of interest.
Most have vehicles moving around requiring care attention for users and staff. So most areas wouldn’t be safe.
You need to make the case for any individual place.
The web pages you link to don’t do this for this site.

7

I understand that many experienced reviewers don’t pay much attention to categories, especially when using the web tools. But for players like me who submit directly in Pokémon GO, these features do matter.

When I’m standing at a location, I don’t think in coordinates—I rely on what the app shows. If I can’t find a fitting category, it feels like the nomination isn’t appropriate, so I’m less likely to submit it. On the other hand, if a category exists, it signals that this type of place might be worth nominating.

For example, if “waste bin” exists as a category, it’s natural to assume such objects are acceptable—so it’s confusing that a well-maintained recycling center wouldn’t be.

Beyond that, these kinds of places can actually be useful in-game. I sometimes find that Pokémon GO gives me a better sense of small, practical points of interest (like bins or toilets, or small statues, murals, markings, etc.) than maps do, especially when hiking—it turns the experience into a bit of a treasure hunt.

8

This is why the web submission is better - no categories. You are using the categories in a misleading way that is causing you problems.

There are items in the category list that are explicitly not eligible, such as schools. This list does not indicate or deny eligibility in any way at all. Paying any attention to it is a complete waste of time.

To work out if something has potential, look at the key criteria - Social, Exercise, Exploration. If it meets one of those, it has potential.

9

And we are telling you that you are using those categories incorrectly. Those categories have never been an indication of a wayspot’s eligibility. If you were standing at a nu-de beach would you submit it because you found that category in the list? Because, Nu-de Beach is a category and it is absolutely NOT an eligible location. This isn’t just an “expert” thing. This is a problem with Wayfarer that has been remedied by removing the categories from the submission process through the web interface.

10

I understand your point about the categories not being tied to eligibility.

But from a player perspective, submitting Wayspots in Pokémon GO happens inside the app. The website, forum, and Wayfarer tools are secondary for many users. So naturally, people rely on what the app shows them.

I think we can actually agree on one thing: the current category system is confusing and not well aligned with eligibility. If it’s misleading enough that people intuitively use it the “wrong” way, then that’s more of a UX issue than a user issue.

I was simply using the app as presented, and I don’t think that warrants a harsh response.

11

We totally agree, It has been requested many times that it should be removed. As it is only in the App then it sounds like it is a Pokemon Go issue not a Wayfarer issue.

It seems to have been implemented when a big part of the game was data collection to be sold on to 3rd parties, this does not to seem to be the case since PoGo and Wayfarer where sold (at least not in such a big way).

We are just regular wayfarer uses that are trying to advise, I don’t think anybody was meaning to be harsh. Remember it is difficult to determine intent with text.

Good Luck