Where is the latest US POI rest area file?

Had my Prostate removed 5 yrs ago, so far so good, O PSA,

Aren't there other possible complications or undesirable consequences of having it totally removed?

Yes, there is. Goodbye to the good times, But I am alive.

I'll be sending you some info in an email shortly.

It's just me & my wife driving... the in-laws fly. With all the stuff they take back & forth, we have to fold down the back seat of their Buick Enclave, which only leaves room for two. I made one road trip with them many years ago & we were stopping every hour. Can't make any time doing that.

Guess I was thinking more about the bladder or other nearby organs.

Boy, have we taken this topic off track, or what!

I couldn't help to notice you are still showing the Rest Area on I-75 north of Tampa closed for repairs, I asked you almost a year ago the same question (12/29/10), Gary replied that it would be closed until Spring, my question to Gary, what Spring?

What are they building there a replica of the Taj Mahal?

BTW thanks for the update we are about to hit the road in one week.

The FL DOT website still shows them as CLOSED with a scheduled re-opening of the "Fall 2011." I guess technically, we are still in the "Fall" until Dec. 22.

The Rest Areas Combined POI file has been updated to Ver. AP on 12/21/2011.

The total locations has increased by 5 to 2192 !

33 Additions/Deletions/Corrections were made in 4 states (MI, OH, NY, TN) with the majority being made in Michigan due to an update to the Michigan State Rest Area file by "dalenoel".

POI Verifier II was run on the updated file prior to submittal.

I hope every has a safe Holiday Season and a Happy & Healthy New Year !

MrKenFL

The Rest Areas Combined POI file has been updated to Ver. AQ on 1/23/2012.

The total locations has increased by 1 to 2193 !

14 Additions/Deletions/Corrections were made in 4 states (CA, NC, SC, VA). Majority of changes were reopenings or temp. closures which don't really effect total count.

POI Verifier II was run on the updated file prior to submittal.

MrKenFL

The Rest Areas Combined file has been updated to Ver. AR on 2/24/2012.

Total Locations remains at 2193

9 minor corrections made to file including 2 reopenings.

Contributors were thanked individually.

POI Verifier II was run on file before submittal.

MrKenFL

The RAC file was updated today to ver. AS.
There were 29 additions/deltetions/corrections in 2 states (NM & OK).
Total count increased by 1 location !

Happy Traveling

The RAC file was updated today to ver. AS.
There were 29 additions/deletions/corrections in 2 states (NM & OK).
Total count increased by 1 location !

Happy Traveling

Sorry for repeat !

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sorry for the repeat !

The combined file is there, and seems fine to me. The new version "ass" came out today. Holy crap, the oridginal is over 4 years old. Anyhow, the new version came out today.

I just found something that has pissed me off. It looks like someone decided to ignore POI Factory's terms of use and put out an app for the iPhone, covering rest areas for both the United States and Canada. That wouldn't be so bad if they didn't attempt to claim copyright on our work.

The screenshot on the app store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/usa-canada-rest-areas/id47703...) clearly shows Mr. KenFL's layout for the rest stop information. Not only did the app author download Rest Areas Combined, he also had to download one of the Canada Rest Stop files from the site, likely mine.

I had found this while attempting to look for more information regarding rest stops in Canada, so later on this month I can begin the long work of updating Rest Stops Canada. I know Mr. KenFL gets his information from the states, but the specific expression of the information is all his.

How to get the app pulled?

That might be difficult. A quick Google search turned up a similar complaint here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2769917?start=0&tstart=...

Got curious after reading the post. Checked the Android market and found this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allstays.a..... .Also a free one and a pro. Never had checked for these type of apps for my tablet.

Here are the others https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reststoppe....

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reststoppe.....

I can understand the reasoning behind the last post in that thread. The fact my work is being used isn't what bothers me, but the fact that someone is profiting from my work and attempting to claim credit for it. Besides the fact that the app(s) violate the POI Factory Terms of Use, which quite bluntly says you can't use someone's work to sell your product, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with it if I was properly credited.

I just wonder how many other POI files we have on this site that have been placed into a software wrapper and are being sold in an app store.

This is not the first time this has come up here at POI factory. Several years ago there were other websites listing essentially the entire Rest Areas Combined file as their own work. At the time Miss POI, and I assume, JM had "contact" with the other sites and had them removed.
I agree, no one should be allowed to profit or claim credit for the work done "for free" by others at this sit. The original work I did on the RAC file was over 450 man hours. Since then , who knows ? Maybe in excess of 2000 hours in total !
If the terms of POI Factory are being violated then there should be some effort made to correct this violation.

MrKenFL

Which is why I posted this publicly.

I will contact Apple to see what sort of process they have for this. Depending on what I hear from them, I may also need to check with our attorney.

I will post a follow-up as I get more info.

Jonathan

MrKenFL, maybe you should put some marker records in the file ... some phantom rest stops out in the middle of fields where there are no roads. These would never trigger alerts for legit users, but it would provide easy proof that your content was copied.

There probably are "phantom" locations already in the file - they are so discreet I don't even know about them !

They do that with paper maps as well as some electronic ones, such as Google Maps. They lay out a phantom road, extend an existing road to an impossible degree, or change the path of an existing road to detect counterfeits.

With that said, it's too easy to find a phantom record and delete it. Realistically, stuff like this is going to happen regardless of what precautions are taken to prevent it. The best that can be done is to deal with this sort of thing as it crops up.

They only way I could tell if they were copied files is to check the coordinates. If they are identical - they are copied as it is vitually impossible to get the exact coordinates that I got from Google Earth. Each of my "locations" is unique - believe me . If another file has them down to 5 decimal points - they're copied !

MrKenFL, we really do appreciate your work

Put one on Long Island NY. At least we will have a phantom one!

dobs108

The thing that tipped me off to the possibility that Rest Areas Combined was stolen was in the presentation. You have two things that make your file distinctive and both of those things appeared in the screenshots on Apple's App Store.

Now, I haven't seen screenshots of the Canada side of things, but based upon one comment regarding the Canada side as being "virtually useless" due to lack of information, they were likely referring to my Rest Area file. I have more than a few locations where the facilities are unknown, and that is simply because the provinces don't list that kind of information. The best I can get from the provinces is the locations of their visitor centres.

[/quote]
Put one on Long Island NY. At least we will have a phantom one!

dobs108 [/quote]

Yeh - I remember my trip driving the entire length of Long Island last year and getting "misplaced" a few times, then trying desperately to find a nearby MacDonalds or equivalent.

That a large portion of the information in USA & Canada Rest Areas iPad app has been obtained and used improperly from the Rest Areas Combined file here on POI Factory.
There are certain ways I notate things within a file that convinces me. This includes certain usage of capital & small letters in file .
As best I can read the online description of 10 of the locations listed they are identical to my Master file and the file as shown at POI Factory.

I think I might just buy the app and check it out completely on my iPad. Previously I bought another Rest Stop app for my iPad and that appears unique !

Just my rambling as it certainly appears that the T&Cs of usage of POI Factory files has been violated.

Hopefully this will be resolved in our favor, I wonder how many other POIs have been ripped off?

I PURCHASED the iPad app in question today and downloaded it.
Interesting -
I found at least one of the "Phantom" locations where I actually had made a mistake and the mistakes are in the subject file !
I'm glad I'm not perfect !

can I get my 0.99 cents back now ???????

Well it should be easy for JM to determine who the seller Praveen Dandi associated with iplanet is or who facilitated the file to him and send them a notice to cease and desist.

Won't hurt to make Apple aware, they are the ones with the deep pockets.

Ken, please check the Canada info? I'm curious which file they swiped.

I realize that I'm not the brightest lightbulb available but on the Ipad app I downloaded I can certainly see where the Rest Areas Combined file has appeared in the app 100 % in detail - mistakes and all !
However, I cannot find any Canada rest areas in the file - even on the map showing all the rest areas. I'm probably not using the app correctly but I'll keep trying .
If I figure it out I'll let you know !

Because of any ongoing effort by JM in getting the iPad app in question removed from iTunes or, at the very minimum, getting recognization for POI Factory as the source of the unique data includedin the subject app, I will not comment further on this situation until JM gives me the green light !

Other than, 3 reviews I read today concerning the app were not very complimentary !
In fact, one asked where the Canadian locations were.

Nuff said !

Have a Great Easter all !

MrKenFL

Thanks for your help. I don't have an iDevice so I can't check things out for myself.

While JM works through channels. Anyone that has or is familar with the rogue APP should review it. A couple more negative comments- freezes my ipad, slow to load, missing data, etc. along with ONE STAR all will pull down the rating and scare purchasers off.

Updating a little early this month so that the updated file will be available to sno-birds returning home, people heading off for graduations and students coming home from college.
Inputs from 3 users this month.
Total Locations increased by 6 to 2200.
Made 19 Additions/Deletions/Corrections in 4 States.
(CA,KS,NC,TX).

Thanks to the users who submitted inputs.

I just come back today from NY and again the rest area did not work I download the latest version and like other version it did not alert me of any upcoming rest area. I have the same problem with the rest area before this new version.I tough I was the only one having problem with those rest area,Please bear in mind that the oldest version of the rest area yes they where working great..I like to know if anyone as any oldest version that they work? I also Install the new camera and speed camera and those 2 they work great. but no such luck with the rest area

Please Note that the version that I had problem was the version AS ,I have not try the new version AT yet.

Possible problem, I see you are aware that every time MrKenFL uploads a new file it has a different name, but unless that name matches your sound file name it will not alert with a sound only the screen will show the upcoming rest stop.

Also when you send the file to your unit are you indicating at what distance the alert should go off?

This is an important point. In a folder on the PC is the latest Rest Areas POI file, a sound file, and maybe an icon file. The filename of all these files must match exactly except for the filename extensions. If the filenames are different, rename the sound or icon file to match the POI file. Do not change the filename extensions. Run POI Loader again. I run it in manual and enter a long distance for the proximity alert.

dobs108

You've done one super job on this file, Ken. Just used it to return to Iowa for the summer. Thanks.

RT

Glad it worked OK for you - must be because I still use POI Verifier II to check it out before I submit updates - thanks to you !!!!!!

Have a great summer !

MrKenFL

for knowing how to do all that is necessary to get this done! I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to do that!!

I return from NY from I80 and No my GPS did not show no Rest area and no sound, Like I wrote above on others older version yes it did show on my gps a red alert when I was Near a rest area ,but not the AS version and the same go for the version before this one. If anyone please tell me how to name the rest area to proper match the sound and the icon too.by using those new rest area as a reference..

for rest area RestAreasCombine(ver.AT).cvs

for rest area SOUND RestArea.mp3

for rest area ICON Rest areas.bpm

how should I rename all the above to make work.Please write in details how I should write those.

the same way you will write here the same way i would enter those information on my Gps..

Thank you.

RestAreasCombine.cvs
RestAreasCombine.mp3
RestAreasCombine.bmp

All of the files must be named the same (except for the extensions (.csv, .mp3, and .bmp. I took out the (ver.AT).

I hope that your use of .bpm above was a type (.bmp is a "bitmap")

Your C550 can accept.mp3 files so there should be no problem there.

For alerts to work the file, sound and icon file names must match EXACTLY. The easiest way to do this is to make the file names, alert sound and icon into a shorter name so you only need to play with the one file that changes.

For your situation I strongly suggest you name the files as:

Rest Areas.CSV
Rest Areas.mp3
Rest Areas.BMP

When you download a new copy of the rest area file, save it to the folder you use for the POI Loader input as Rest Area.csv This way you don't have to worry about changing 3 file names, only making the NEW rest area combined file match the existing file name.

If besides getting NO SOUND you are not seeing the RED BANNER on the screen then the problem besides the file name mismatch is the way you are loading the file to your unit with POI Loader, it has to be in manual mode and also need to specify at what distance you want the alert to go off for both screen and sound to work.

I ran ExamDiff against the AT and AS versions and it showed that AT has four new rest areas and two others that had been temporarily closed but are now open again.