Building a POI database

jpkeates · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 13, 2004 Posts: 24

I have a lot of data (about 9,000 addresses) that I want to build into a POI database, without driving to each location and getting the co-ordinates.
For obvious reasons.

I have an accurate postcode for each,
but not a longitude / latitude reading.

Is there any way of converting a postcode to a longitude / latitude reading.

I appreciate that this isn't going to be pin point accurate, but the locations are quite large.
They're buildings, so getting pretty close would probably be OK.
Unlike, say, speed cameras.

BoPeep · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:16 pm Post subject:

Hi,

You could use Streetmap.co.uk, which is what I use for creating POI's. If you input the postcode, it will convert it to all manner of things for you, including longitude/latitude.

HTH. Thumbs Up

Regards,

Bo Peep.
_________________
TomTom 730
HTC Desire - Co Pilot Live Premium (Europe)

Oldie · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 7:28 pm Post subject:

Or you could try my CodeSearch program in the Downloads area. The postcode files are not complete but it should give you a good start.

MK · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 07, 2004 Posts: 6

Do you know any Java? I have written a little app that will generate a CSV file with Lat Long and the Name (which can be converted using "makeov2"). It will perform Postcode -> Lat Long lookups for you, so it would be little effort to write an application to do the conversion automatically.

It's not quite ready to be published yet, but it's close!

Will notify the forum once I have finished it.

bestyman · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 11:07 pm Post subject: try this

This may help
http://www.tomtom.com/support/ce/support/nav_poi.php
is the database of anything interesting?if so can I have a copy?
Mark

barryd · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 12:27 am Post subject:

The "Code Search" files on the Points of Interest download page on this site contain what you want.

They're in ov2 format (i.e. TomTom POI files), so you'd first want to convert them to text files. One tool for doing this ("ov2tools") is freely available on TomTom's website. This gives you a load of long text files looking like this:

Oldie · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 7:09 am Post subject:

Barry,

My CodeSearch program uses the George Spanellis CodeSearch OV2 files and makes it easy for you to extract a subset of postcodes that interest you. Then you can save them as a TomTom POI overlay for use with TTN3 and TTGo.

Also in the downloads area http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=22 is a Windows version of the TomTom ov2tools called WinOV2 which you may find more user friendly :D

Richard

jpkeates · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 13, 2004 Posts: 24

barryd · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 10:16 pm Post subject:

Hi Oldie

Sorry for clouding the issue!

Have just downloaded some of your tools. I found the WinOV2 interface slightly odd at first but did then get the hang of it. The POIConvertor program is great - has given me an easy way to put TomTom POIs into OziExplorer waypoints, so many thanks for that.

Barry

jpkeates · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 13, 2004 Posts: 24

Thanks for all the help.

I have converted the post code files into an access database, cross referred all my POIs, exported and converted with WinOV2.

So I now have about 8000 of them in an OV2 file.

I have a bmp icon with the same name as the OV2 file, but it isn't being used as the icon in Tom Tom Navigator. What am I missing?

Oldie · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:43 pm Post subject:

Oldie · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Mostly Done

Janice · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 25

Hi all,
Hope some kind person can help me.

Am to infer from these messages that you can only use full postcodes on TomTom Go if you put them in from a database yourself?
This seems to defeat the object a bit, surely you want to put in a postcode to find a place. We have a delivery business and need to travel in all of London and also anywhere else in England. Does this mean I need to put in all the postcodes in London just in case I ever need to punch one in to find a place? 8O
I am able to put in the first half of a postcode, but that just usually gives you a whole town and isnt very specific. The road I live on is in the countryside and doesnt have a name even!
I suppose there couldn't be a database containing all teh UK postcodes or it wouldnt fit on the sd card - is that the problem?

Thanks, Janice

jpkeates · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 13, 2004 Posts: 24

Janice · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 25

Further to my last message, I installed some of the postcode databases which you spoke about Oldie, and they work fine in TomTom Go!

However, we suddenly have star symbols keep coming up along whichever route we take, even if we have not punched a route in (if you see what I mean) does anyone know what these are?

	PocketGPS
	Web