Making Restrooms POI Available on Google Maps

 

A while back, I looked into installing the restroom POI into Android Auto. made for an interesting discussion on the forum. It did not go well. It turned out that Android Auto would not allow a large CVS file to be imported.
In getting ready for a new trip, I created a base map in Google Maps. I decided to see if I could add the restroom POI to that Google Map as a new layer.

Well it can be done, but there are two major shortcomings. One, Google Maps complained about the size of the import. Evidently, only the first 2000 rows were imported. The restroom POI file has 2359 rows.

Second, Google Maps does not directly show your actual location. I stumbled across how to have your actual location shown on the map. It's a bit convoluted. The map is stored on Google Drive, as such your location is not shown. The work around. On the map as stored on Google Drive, there is a option labeled "legend". Press it and a drop-down list appears. In the grayed portion there is an option labeled "Preview". Press "Preview" and the Google Drive version will be merged with the Google Map version that shows your location. Warning: As usual, things do not work out 100% of the time. I periodically get the error message "Couldn't open map". Makes it unreliable. Now having said that, I went ahead and pressed the error message as an experiment and the map popped-up!!!! (You have to be careful with opening the map with the correct Google account. I have two Google accounts, and periodically mix them up which causes problems.)

To import the rest-stop POI, download the CVS file. You will need to insert a header row containing: longitude latitude Name Type, one for each column.
------------------------------------------------------------------
longitude latitude Name Type
-147.814902 61.800549 AK,AK-1,EB/WB,MATANUSKA GLACIER STATE REC PARK REST AREA GLENN HWY,MM101 [RR,PT,,Pets,HF]|SCENIC VIEW
-145.477366 62.108634 AK,AK-1,NB/SB,COPPER RIVER VALLEY VISITOR CENTER, MM187 [RR,PT,VM,PETS,HF]|GAS,FOOD
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Go to the website: GPS Visualizer: Do-It-Yourself Mapping https://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

There will be a green get started now box. Select your GPS (restroom POI) file as the input. Select the Google Earth option to select the ".kmz" file, which you will have to subsequently download. It may seem counter intuitive but do not chose the Google Map option as you will have to go through additional "hoops".

After the ".kmz" file is on your computer, you can go to Google Maps and import it as a "layer"> After importing it, minor tweaking, changed the layer name to "restrooms". Selected the restroom icon and selected "green" as the display color.

I hope that this alternative method of displaying restrooms on a map will be beneficial.

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Garmin Nuvi650 - Morehead City, NC

Hosting kmz files

I wonder if it would be useful to host kmz files here alongside the CVS and GPX versions.

POI Loader

Have you looked at POI Loader for Android? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lentz.poil... . Has the option to use other maps beside Google.

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Charlie. Nuvi 265 WT and Nuvi 2597 LMT. MapFactor Navigator - Offline Maps & GPS.

Android POI Loader

charlesd45 wrote:

Have you looked at POI Loader for Android? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lentz.poil... . Has the option to use other maps beside Google.

Nope, will have to look into it. Sounds interesting. Amazing how much stuff is available through the internet. We learn by sharing. Thanks for sharing.

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Garmin Nuvi650 - Morehead City, NC

googlemaps

I used one of my maps as the link, works for every map edit<>viewer

non-tracking editor view https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1I_EuJ7jIIuxai6PIvYGe...

position tracking view https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1I_EuJ7jIIuxai6PIvY...

Importing cvs over 2000, just import once, delete 2000 lines (2-2001), import to another layer

edit: old post, already answered, headslap moment

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the title of my autiobiography "Mistakes have been made"

I use Google Maps for routing

almostbob wrote:

I used one of my maps as the link, works for every map edit<>viewer

non-tracking editor view https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1I_EuJ7jIIuxai6PIvYGe...

position tracking view https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1I_EuJ7jIIuxai6PIvY...

Importing cvs over 2000, just import once, delete 2000 lines (2-2001), import to another layer

edit: old post, already answered, headslap moment

I use Google Maps for routing. I do put my POIs in My Maps. They show on my map. The only problem I have is when I go to make a route my POIs do not show up. Do you know a way to get around this?

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Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)

My Field Testing Experience

Well, it was a cumbersome solution. It worked more of less, but it was complicated.

1. Hurdle. Use a smartphone that is hooked-up to your in-dash Android Auto as a "hot-spot" and tether it to a tablet. You still get the driving directions from the in-dash unit. The tablet simply serves as a nice display with a 10" screen that was readable. Additionally, you can manipulate the map on the tablet and that does not interfere with the in-dash unit.

2. Hurdle. We were driving through very mountainous rural terrain, so our smartphone kept losing its signal from the cellphone towers. Periodically we did not have a good fix on our location.

3. Hurdle. Was Android Auto having a "bad hair day"?????? We kept getting routed off the Interstate for "traffic concerns". That really pushed us onto very hilly rural roads with a reduced speed limit. So the trip became very very very long. Eventually, we did get back on the Interest and we ignored future re-routing suggestions.

4. Hurdle. Having 2000 restrooms on the map added too much data and the map became sluggish. Will have to develop a program to slim the restroom file size down to a more reasonable size.

So getting the restroom file onto a map "worked", but it was cumbersome.

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Garmin Nuvi650 - Morehead City, NC