I made a short video clip of the POI Scanner in action to help in visualizing how it operates (link above). It's uploaded it on Youtube. Be sure to raise the volume on your system and disable mute if there is no sound. I created a GPS icon to emulate the moving GPS icon, it's made with the same dark burgundy pixels found in the GPS icon. This way it allows me to test in different areas I could never access. It does the job for testing and saves on gas money. The first alert should be heard after about 20 seconds into the video clip.
The POI Scanner acts as a warner when approaching points of interest and plays a different alert (mp3 or wave) for each of four types of POIs when detected in the preset range around the GPS icon. The POIScanner searches the map for four specially colored push pin symbols. The defaults are blue, purple, yellow and orange large circles. Personalized push pins can be used as long as colored pixels from the default push pins are incorporated in them. Just copy and paste the colored pixels into your preferred symbols. The POI Scanner is compatible with Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 to 2008, AutoRoute 2006 and 2007 and MapPoint 2006.
What's new:
1) Select the individual wave volume at which the sound alerts will be played.
2) The scan area has been resized to reduce the bottom scan area (rearward to the GPS icon) to ten percent of the top scan area (forward of the GPS icon). This should reduce the alert warnings set off once it is passed.
Once a POI is detected, the scanner warns by playing the default sound files, included in the download zip file. Just unzip them in the same directory as the POI Scanner. You can also select any other sound file that you would like instead of the default sound files (in MP3 or wave format) by selecting the Sound Alerts tab of the POI Settings.
How does the POI Scanner work? It first determines the GPS position on the map by finding the position of the first dark burgundy pixel of the GPS icon. Then it establishes a search area around itself, defined in pixels on the map image. The size of this area varies depending of the preferred range set in the POI Settings and the zoom level of the map. When a POI is found to enter this area, it plays the sound alert. The first alert will also indicate the approximate distance setting. A few seconds later, the second reminder alert will not indicate the approximate range since it is assumed the vehicle is moving and the distance has reduced. The rearward scan distance is set to 10% of the forward and sides distance. There is no need to know of a POI once it is passed and behind.
The POI Scanner is configured to work with a zoom level of the map above 50%. Below this the scan range is set to 1 pixel of the map image only. At this zoom level even one pixel is more than 2 km. In short, it needs to be almost touching the dark burgundy section of the GPS icon to sound an alert. The later versions detects the zoom level even when the tool bar is hidden. There's no need to keep it visible.
Please let me know if a bug is encountered or of any suggestions if you try it out.
I added a few bug fixes in version 1.7.0 of the free POI Scanner for Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006, 2007 & 2008, AutoRoute 2006 & 2007 and MapPoint 2006. Details can be viewed here http://poiscanner.googlepages.com/ and a clip on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taPGnf6FOpE
I made a short video clip of the POI Scanner in action to help in visualizing how it operates (link above). It's uploaded it on Youtube. Be sure to raise the volume on your system and disable mute if there is no sound. I created a GPS icon to emulate the moving GPS icon, it's made with the same dark burgundy pixels found in the GPS icon. This way it allows me to test in different areas I could never access. It does the job for testing and saves on gas money. The first alert should be heard after about 20 seconds into the video clip.
The POI Scanner acts as a warner when approaching points of interest and plays a different alert (mp3 or wave) for each of four types of POIs when detected in the preset range around the GPS icon. The POIScanner searches the map for four specially colored push pin symbols. The defaults are blue, purple, yellow and orange large circles. Personalized push pins can be used as long as colored pixels from the default push pins are incorporated in them. Just copy and paste the colored pixels into your preferred symbols. The POI Scanner is compatible with Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 to 2008, AutoRoute 2006 and 2007 and MapPoint 2006.
What's new:
1) Select the individual wave volume at which the sound alerts will be played.
2) The scan area has been resized to reduce the bottom scan area (rearward to the GPS icon) to ten percent of the top scan area (forward of the GPS icon). This should reduce the alert warnings set off once it is passed.
Once a POI is detected, the scanner warns by playing the default sound files, included in the download zip file. Just unzip them in the same directory as the POI Scanner. You can also select any other sound file that you would like instead of the default sound files (in MP3 or wave format) by selecting the Sound Alerts tab of the POI Settings.
How does the POI Scanner work? It first determines the GPS position on the map by finding the position of the first dark burgundy pixel of the GPS icon. Then it establishes a search area around itself, defined in pixels on the map image. The size of this area varies depending of the preferred range set in the POI Settings and the zoom level of the map. When a POI is found to enter this area, it plays the sound alert. The first alert will also indicate the approximate distance setting. A few seconds later, the second reminder alert will not indicate the approximate range since it is assumed the vehicle is moving and the distance has reduced. The rearward scan distance is set to 10% of the forward and sides distance. There is no need to know of a POI once it is passed and behind.
The POI Scanner is configured to work with a zoom level of the map above 50%. Below this the scan range is set to 1 pixel of the map image only. At this zoom level even one pixel is more than 2 km. In short, it needs to be almost touching the dark burgundy section of the GPS icon to sound an alert. The later versions detects the zoom level even when the tool bar is hidden. There's no need to keep it visible.
Please let me know if a bug is encountered or of any suggestions if you try it out.