Combining POI Projects for Your Area

 

I searched for this topic but couldn't find anything, so I apologize if this has been mentioned before.

As I was looking at various POI projects I realized that I'm really only interested in POIs in my general area. So it dawned on me that you can just download the csv files, combine them, and then delete the POIs you are not interested in.

I tested this in Excel and its really easy. Just add all of the csv files to one spreadsheet, sort them by longitude/latitude, and then delete those rows outside your area of interest.

How about format of lat/lon info? And naming spots to search?

GadgetGuy2008 wrote:

....
As I was looking at various POI projects I realized ....it dawned on me that you can just download the csv files, combine them, and then delete the POIs you are not interested in.

I tested this in Excel and its really easy. Just add all of the csv files to one spreadsheet, sort them by longitude/latitude, and then delete those rows outside your area of interest.

Simple and elegant! Love it.
If I have info that I want to add, how do I convert the lat/lon to the accepted format?

And I also want to know how to name things when I am searching for Interstate intersections or mile markers or exits? I am learning gradually by viewing the POI files, but when I attempt to set up a viapoint to make a route to avoid certain roads, it always comes back unknown. There must be a standard format that I am overlooking....

--
"Making tracks..." {:)-<=| Nuvi 880

These Should Help

Check out these links. The first thread should answer most of your questions.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6658

Editing = Good. Combining = bad.

Editing down POIs to only the areas you are interested makes sense, but combining them all into one big local POI files doesn't make sense. If you jumble them all together, it becomes much harder to locate a specific destination to tell your Garmin to go to it if you have to wade through tons of other unrelated POIs in the same file. Where as if you keep the POI files separate, then you can at least pick the POI file of the thing you are looking for, then your list of choices are all relevant to what you are searching for.

Perhaps an example would make it clearer. I have my local SUM ATM POI file in my Garmin as well as local hockey rinks I need for my son's league. Oddly these tend to be related, but that is besides the point. wink

Now if I am out and about and need an ATM, then I am likely to want which ever SUM member ATM is closest. So when I open up the POI it, by default, shows me the closest 52 or whatever the exact number is. I can usually just pick the first one off the top of the list. Likewise, my hockey rink POI files only has about 52 entries in it total, so when I pull up that list, I can scroll down to find the rink we need to get to, which often will be the further away rinks far down on the list since I tend to know where the close by ones are as we go to those most often.

If I took those two POIs and put them into one combined file, it is not a big deal when looking for an ATM since there is likely to be mostly that in the first bunch of choices. But if I am looking for a rink that is 30 miles away, there would very well be many dozens, if not more than 50, SUM member ATMs closer than the rink. So the rink I need won't even show up. I would then have to tell the Garmin to show me the ones in the town I am going in order to narrow the list down the rink I needed. Kind of a pain. Where as with separate POI files, I just touch my Rinks POI file and then scroll to the rink I need without a lot of searching, changing locations, etc.

So I do agree though, if you get a national or very large regional POI and are only interested in the local stuff, by all means chop it down in size. But I think you will find that keeping the various POI files separate is a better idea unless the POI files are very closely related (e.g. you might go ahead and combine local fast food joints into a single local POI file, but leave out auto parts stores and dance recital studios).

PT

--
Garmin nüvi 200 (my first GPS), 780, & 3700 Series. And a Mac user.