Travel Mapping Manual: Review a preview highway system

If you notice incorrect highway data, please report it. If the route belongs to a active system, the issue should be reported on the forum. If the route belongs to a system with in-development status or preview status, or the issue is in relation to such a system, you can report it anytime on the existing forum thread for the system.

The introduction of a new highway system requires a peer-review. This is usually done by a volunteer contributor when the review was requested by the developer of the system.

The procedure below describes a thorough peer-review of a preview system on the way to get it active.

Announce that you will do a peer-review
Check the highway system for completeness
Check highway data errors, concurrencies and near-miss points
General mapview or HDX check
Check route names in Highway Browser route list
Check routes with Waypoint File Editor
Check routes with showroute
Check forum for questions
Final general check

Report the issues to the forum thread. Clearly indicate the route name. Make batches especially when it's one of your first or the developer's first highway systems. Note on the forum if you skipped a step, for instance if using the HDX is too fancy for you.

If you want to make a thorough peer-review, you must have reached the required level on the way to become a highway data manager.
The thorough peer-review can begin when the system is in preview and when the developer of the system has made his final checks. The developer usually notifies this on the forum's thread.

If the system looks like being in this state for awhile, you can directly ask the developer whether the system is ready.

Clearly announce on the forum's thread and agree with the developer of the system, that you will do a peer-review.

Have a general look on the highway system to get familar with the region-specific attitudes.
Check the sources indicated on the forum's thread, under credits.php or README.md on Github.

Ask on the forum's thread for sources if they are not indicated.
Find additional sources if required.

Check that all routes from the sources are available in the Highway Browser and Route Finder.

If a route is missing and there is no notification why it is missing, report it on the forum.

A thorough data error check helps to sort out general issues and avoids getting confused with individual route draftings later on. Since fixing of these errors is always a risk to break things, it is better to have it fixed before the detailed peer-review starts.

Check the data check list for errors to the system.

Ignore less important errors like VISIBLE_DISTANCE or SHARP_ANGLE but ask the developer to fix more critical errors before you proceed the review.

Check concurrencies for the region(s) with mapview or HDX
Check near-miss points for the region(s) with HDX

You can skip the HDX checks if it is too fancy for your actual skills but please notify it on the forum.

Assuming that the system developer had to make changes, you might have another general check with the HDX or user maps (mapview.php) of the region(s).
If you have skipped the HDX checks before, have a thorough check with user maps for anything looking odd.

Check that the Highway Browser route list is correct, please refer to highway system lists (.csv).
Pay special attention to:

Route names
Banners
City names

Load the .wpt files into the Waypoint File Editor and check route by route.
Pay special attention to:

Sections of the route that go outside the thick red line overlaid on the map.
Missing required waypoints.
Signed endpoints for the route and correct routing.

Position of the waypoints.
Label names of waypoints which do not refer to other routes in TM's database.

Open the Highway Browser and check each route in showroute.
Pay special attention to:

Label names of intersecting TM routes.
Click on the table to open the info window for each waypoint and compare the intersecting route names to the waypoint label:

Check for transposed digits.
Check for missing use of TM routes in the label name.
Check that TM routes used in the label name do have the intersecting TM route link.
Note that there are rare exceptions where the waypoint does not necessarily match.
Check for correct usage of the direction letters.

Revisit the forum's thread while the developer is working on the review to fix your reported issues.
Response to questions in case that your reports are not understood.

Have another final check with the HDX or user maps (mapview.php) of the region(s).
Report on the forum's thread when your peer-review is complete and you think that the developer can activate the system.