Custom POI info needed!

If http://gpsvisualizer.com/ cannot find the exact house number (when using Yahoo default as the 'Primary Source'), it will give the coordinates of the street. If it can't find the street, it will give the city; if it can't find the city, it will give the state, etc. When using the single entry, you can tell the precision of the geocoded coordinates by looking at the 'Result precision' at the top of the results. Geocoding a batch is a different story. Although it still does the geocoding the same way, it doesn't tell you the 'Result precision'. This is one reason there are so many coordinate errors in some POIs.

RT

If you click on the top left corner of the "Where to" screen (you might have to do it a few times) to access the satelites screen, then it will show you the exact location where you currently are..

nüvi 2xx don't have satellite screens. To get the current coordinates you will have to tap on the vehicle icon.

I used my first GPS in perhaps 1995. To this day, ALL GPS units as well as Mapquest, Yahoo, Google all show my house at the wrong end of my block. They all use the same map databases. Both Navtec and TeleAtlas are wrong.

When you find such a thing, you might be able to enter a Favorite by using coordinates vs an address. This is how I have set my "home" address. With a coordinate-based entry, I can update it later.

I don't know if the 2xx will let you do that or not. If it shows "coordinates" as one of the options on your "Where To" screen, you can do this.

You can report map errors or corrections at Navteq or TeleAtlas which ever map your GPSr is using.

You can save the actual location as a Favorite by touching the car icon. From that point, you have several options:
1. Keep all of your customers locations as Favorites
2. Create or adjust a custom poi file.
Assuming that you created your custom POI file in Excel, you can easily edit it and replace the current custom poi file. First, there are several options to exporting your Favorites. I use Mapsource (usually free from Garmin, search for mapsource on this site for more info), and import my Favorites as waypoints onto my PC. At that point, I can view the lat and lon values and use these to update my poi file.

Thanks to all!

I will have to figure out how to create a poi file. will try to in Excel. Now begins the hair pulling, not that I have much to pull out.

any suggestions?

Put longitude in first column.

Put lattitude in second column (both should be in decimal format).

Put name in third column.

Put any other amplifying information in fourth column.

Save as a .csv file.

Download Garmin's POI loader from their website and install it.

When you run the poi loader, point it to the folder you put your custom poi in when it asks you to browse.

You can save your current location as a favorite if the address/coordinates is off when you actually arrive to get started.

it is very rare that any of the maps or GPS have the street numbers match the coordinates. For example, my street on Google, Garmin - everywhere - shows street numbers that do not even exist. And my house number is about a block away from where it really is.

I've seen this so many times, that when searching for a street number, I just assume that it will get me close and then I will have to hunt and peck until I find it the first time.

Great! Thanks guys. I will give it a shot.