Making a POI datatabase and bmp file.

[DocL]

I've only joined up today, so apologies if this has been asked before, but ........

I have recently bought a version 4.40 TT-GO and I'm very impressed by it's features for a transportable device. I have loaded up the Safety Camera POI's and also POI's for Caravan Club sites and their CL's. I got a bit of a shock when I got the cow mooing sound to indicate I was within 400 yds of a CL. (Cuckoo sound for CC sites); forgot I had it on!!

However, I would like to compile my own POI database (and .bmp icon) for a number of 'recommended' campsites in Europe and here.

I've looked at how these files are built up, but how do I get the lat. and long. co-ordinates for any location WITHOUT going there? Can it be read by TT-GO, somehow, from the 'map'?

Any advice, gratefully received,

Plus any advice on making an effective .bmp icon would all be very helpful.
_________________
Cheers, Doc L.

[Privateer]

Hi, what’s up Doc?

(Sorry couldn’t resist it)

to the forum.

If you’re not going to visit each one of the campsites then you need to do the next best thing and visit the appropriate websites which will hopefully have the longitude and latitude coordinates. You can then use Oldie’s (Richard) great and free program – POI Converter. Which will convert the list (.ASC file) into an .OV2 file. By the way POI Converter can also handle OSGB coordinates.

You can download one of the existing POIs from this website and use POI Converter on the .OV2 file to turn it into an .ASC file (which can be read by MS Notepad). You can then use the .ASC file as an example.

You can then read this thread for information on creating a BMP.

Regards,
_________________
Robert.
iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 14.0.1: iOS CamerAlert v2.0.7
TomTom GO Mobile iOS 2.3.1; TomTom (UK & ROI and Europe) iOS apps v1.29
Garmin Camper 770 LMT-D

[pushandpull]

Go to:-
http://www.expansys.com/forum.asp?code=TOMTOMGO

Look at my posts there "Idiots guide to using POIEdit with TTG", parts 1,2 and 3.

Covers it all.

[DocL]

Thanks P&P, very helpful instructions in your link.

Just one point though, as a complete newbie on a steep learning curve; 8O

When I look at pre-made POI databases in the asc format, I find that the first 'column' is longitude, second is latitude, and third is "name of place".
All comma delimited.

e.g. this copy from a German, Camingplatz POI database.

; Readable locations in C:\TomTom stuff\Campingplatz.ov2
;
; Longitude, Latitude, "Name"
; ========== ============ ==================
7.24947 , 49.29470 , "Campingplatz;66459;Kirkel;Am Mühlenweiher"
7.36468 , 49.24994 , "Campingplätze;66482;Zweibrücken, Pfalz;HsNr. 1" . . . . etc.

IIRC your instructions puts the "Name" first; does it matter, and if it does which is correct?? Presumably the order Longitude, followed by Latitude is necessary.

When I looked at the Safety Camera database this also had the "Name" e.g. "GATSO 5047" in the 3rd 'column'.

T.I.A.
_________________
Cheers, Doc L.

[Oldie]

You need to check the requirements of the program that you are using to do the conversion. The TomTom command line utility MakeOV2 requires Longitude, Latitude,"Name" and my POIConverter program uses the same order. POIedit could be different.

Richard

[pushandpull]

To Oldie and Doc.L

Now you've got me flummoxed! 'Cos you both appear to be right!

To experiment I took two files - "MyGigs.ov2" (a file I created using POIEdit) and the "pocketgps_uk_gatso.ov2" file. (I don't know what this was created with unfortunately.)

I then used the following programmes to open the .ov2 files:-
WinOV2-v200
WinOV2-v102
Dumpov2.exe (DOS version 1.22)
POIEdit 3v2

For some reason I could not get either version of WinOV2 to open either file.

Dumpov2 opened both files successfully.
POIEdit opened both files successfully.
When read with Notepad the order given was - Longitude, Latitude, Name.
When read with POIEdit the order given was - Name, Longitude, Latitude!

So which order is right for the TTG? Who Knows? Does it actually matter as both orders work OK?!

Of course it might be that although POIEdit shows the order as Name, Longitude, Latitude it produces the ov2 file in the order of Longitude, Latitude, Name.

Anybody know the author of POIEdit?[/u]

[pushandpull]

Just a follow-up to the above.

POIEdit would not open a file called "Postcodes_NE.ov2" - it stopped responding half-way through loading.

The DOS programme Dumpov2.exe did manage to open it successfully. I assume this must be some sort of file size limitation in POIEdit.
The above file is an amalgamation of postcodes and is over 5Mbs in size.

Overall, it looks to me as if the DOS programme Dumpov2.exe and its' corresponding "Makeov2.exe might be the better option for the TTG.

[DocL]

Thanks to Oldie, PandP et al.

I used the Dumpov2.exe program to get the .asc file from the ov2 files, and got the long., lat., "Name" order as you've found.

Oldie, I guess with your program, I can build the database as a .txt file or .xls file etc. and then use POIconverter to get the ov2 file, but the Makeov2.exe program seems to require an .asc file.

Sooo. . what is the best way of writing out the database for the most effective (and rigorous) production of a 'working' ov2 file, be it by your program, or Makeov2.exe ?

Use Excel and get an .xls file or whatever.
Use Word or Notepad etc. getting a .txt file, or whatever.
If I need an .asc file (as Makeov2 requires) how do I get one, as my Word program won't write (or read) one; it converts it, with some error message screens, into a txt file?? It was such a copy I put (in blue) in my second posting.

Still climbing the learning curve, but a bit further up now with all your help!!

Oh. I've yet to download POIedit; should I bother?
_________________
Cheers, Doc L.

[Privateer]

Hi DocL,

I would think that the vast majority of TomTom POIs, which are available from the POI download page, were created by using either WinOV2, or its successor POIConvertor. Both programs were written by Richard (Oldie).

I recommend that you try POIConvertor and use MS Notepad (not MS Word) for editing the .ASC files. You can get your PC to associate .ASC files with MS Notepad, so a double left clip will open the file. This is done by a single right-click, then select the Properties where you will see the “opens with”. If it is not Notepad then you can change the associated application there.

Regards,
_________________
Robert.
iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 14.0.1: iOS CamerAlert v2.0.7
TomTom GO Mobile iOS 2.3.1; TomTom (UK & ROI and Europe) iOS apps v1.29
Garmin Camper 770 LMT-D

[DocL]

Thanks, for that, Robert.

I'll try it out as you suggest when I've an hr. or two. 8O

One other thing; when I had a 'look' at the Safety Camera Files, it came up as an Excel type database with bordered, columns and rows etc. which I found much easier to 'read' than a comma delimited list. {Can't remember which conversion prog. I used}

When I eventually get round to building a POI database, it did look that it would be much easier using an Excel type format (as seen with the Safety Cameras) rather than the asc/txt format I've seen with the German Campingplatz database. Any thoughts, Robert, Richard et al.??

A bit further up the learning curve; thanks guys.
_________________
Cheers, Doc L.

[DavidW]

Microsoft Excel can read and write CSV files, particularly if you give them a .CSV extension. That's probably what you saw.



David

[DocL]

Right guys, I'm back again, this time with a POI file conversion problem.

I've recently tracked down a POI list on French Campsites which has over 3,500 sites; me 'happy bunny', but one snag. It's from the http://www.jollyinteresting.co.uk/pushpins/index.html site and is a 'pushpin' file for Autoroute in .axe format.

OK thinks I, I'll just use Oldie's POIConverter to make it into a .ov2 file.
Bung in the .axe file and it won't convert (too big?); now NOT a 'happy bunny'. Tried makeov2, and it chuntered away for a few mins. and spewed out just 30 odd sites, instead of 3,500!!!

Should I try POIEdit, or have I done something daft?? I would also want the associated .asc file so I can read the info in the files, or can you do this with .axe files straight off? Still plodding up the learning curve.

Oh, if anyone wants to try and do the conversion and is successful, please can you e-mail them to me AND tell me/us what you did!!

TIA
_________________
Cheers, Doc L.

[Oldie]

:D POIConverter will be fixed :D The amount of text included in some of the pushpin balloons is greater than the space that I had allocated within the program, hence the failure. But at least you got an error message (which I could understand )

I will post again when a fix is available.

Richard
_________________
Various TomToms, Garmin eTrex Legend, GPSMAP 60CSx, Oregon 550t, Forerunner 405

[DocL]

[Oldie]

I have modified the program and a sample of the extracted data is shown below

Longitude,Latitude,Name,Information
-1.58115,49.03891,"france","Camp Municipal Le Martinet, Boulevard Lebel-Jehenne, Agon-Coutainville [tel: 02 33 47 05 20] 122 pitches, wc, showers, hook-up , laundry , English spoken, open 1Apr-30Oct"
-1.59295,49.04206,"france","Camp Municipal du Marais, Boulevard Lebel Jehenne. 50230 Agon-Coutainville [tel: 02 33 47 25 72] 148 pitches, wc, chemical waste disposal, hook-up , laundry, shops near, open 1Jul-1Sep"

You will see that in effect all of the POI are called France. If all of the double quotes are removed and the file opened in Excel then it is possible to delete the "France" column and use the next field for the POI name. In most cases this will the the camp site name, but there are some blanks which should be given an ID.

If you email me then I will send you a modified version of POIConverter. I do not want to release it as a new version yet as I am adding support for OZiExplorer and it is not quite finished.

Richard
_________________
Various TomToms, Garmin eTrex Legend, GPSMAP 60CSx, Oregon 550t, Forerunner 405

We see you’re using an ad-blocker. We’re fine with that and won’t stop you visiting the site.
Have you considered making a donation towards website running costs?.
Or you could disable your ad-blocker for this site. We think you’ll find our adverts are not overbearing!