Points of Interest (POIs) resources

Last updated February 19, 2008

This thread originally dealt solely with custom points of interest (POIs), but I've updated and reorganized it to include online sources of POIs, conversion tools and more.

Custom points of interest (POI) resources

• How to create custom points of interest (POIs) for Garmin receivers
• A Mio POI loader.
• MioMagic is a third-party Mio POI manager.
• A GpsPasSion thread on sharing custom POI's.
• Here's an article that tells how To create POIs using POIEditor.com (supports TomTom .ov2, Navman/Garmin .csv and ascii files).
• Three ways to make custom POI icons for Garmin receivers.
• GPSInformation.net has a forum on how to create custom POI's using Garmin's POI loader.
• POIs can be loaded to Navigon units using POI-Warner.

POI message forums

• GPSInformation.net also has a forum on POI collections.
• GpsPasSion's maps and POIs message forum.
• POInUSA's message forum.
• Here is a TomTom POI message forum.
• POI Factory has several POI-cenrtric forums.

Garmin POI loader help

• A richly detailed thread on Groundspeak on the Garmin POI loader.
• How to put multiple POI files on your Garmin GPS.

Online sources of POIs

• Poi2GO.com.
• POInUSA is another U.S. database, with its own message forum.
• POI Friend is a site that allows users to create and share POIs, which can be rated and commented on by others.
• Free Garmin POIs for the UK.
• Eurpoean speed cameras.
• PocketGPSWorld has a TomTom POI page with an extensive POI database. They say "Currently these are available in TomTom Navigator (OV2) format, but will be made available in other formats in months to come to include AutoRoute and CoPilot Live." You should be able to convert these to other formats with one of the third-party solutions listed below.
• Here is a source of Czech Points Of Interest (POI)'s.
  
• Garmin has a list of POI sources.
• POIHandler has an extensive list of POI's, mostly free, with a strong focus on Europe.
• Custom POI files from RoadmapGPS.
• A U.S. POI database.
• Another U.S. POI database.
• POI Factory has an extensive list of POI files.
• GPSWaypoint.org has an assortment of waypoints/POIs, with a strong emphasis on Europe.
• TellMeWhere.com is a user-generated POI site, with a strong European focus.
• POI Download UK focuses on the UK (of course).
• POI Plaza has POIs from around the world.

Tour guides

• Geovavtive Solutions helps you create GPS tours that can contain images, audio, and text.
• GeoTourGuide features Garmin format tours you can download, forums, tools and more.

Conversion tools

• A GMapsToPOI converter (converts Google Maps search results to POIs). Don't forget that you can use GMapsToGPX to convert Google maps search results to GPX files.
• Mobile Crossing has posted a link for a POI Converter.
• POI Edit shareware reads Garmin gdb files, among other things.
• RouteConverter supports Navigon, Route 66 and TomTom POI file formats. Via Navigadget.
• More POI conversion tools and other resources are listed at GPS-Data-Team.com.

POI services

• DataToGPS.com is a commercial service that will convert addresses to POIs for you.

Comments

[Y Katz]

website that allows GPS devices to add POI of over 1000 glatt kosher restaurants and minyanim all over USA and Canada.
www.kosherrestaurantsgps.com

[GeoTourGuide]

Largest collection of Garmin TourGuide files available online. Also, free tool for creating GPI files without the limitations of POI Loader. www.geotourguide.com

[Lane Roney]

Geovative Solutions
http://www.geovative.com
Use GeoTours to easily and quickly create GPS tours that can contain images, audio, and text associated with geographic locations. Tours can be shared on the website and downloaded into GPS and non-GPS devices including Garmin GPS devices, smartphones/PDAs, iPods, and Google Earth. Garmin TourGuide format is supported, including ability to download the tour's Garmin TourGuide POI file in .GPI format without need for POI Loader.

[Mickael]

You can also use http://poiconvert.free.fr to convert your files - Tomtom ov2, Garmin asc, Google kml, Nokia lmx

[iper]

Thanks for linking poi2go.com.

I want to let you know that I am going to upgrade the poi2go.com and mypoi application (which support UK, CA and other Europe countries).

Let me know if you have any suggestions.

thanks again.

[John]

Another online source for POIs is http://poifriend.com/