POI's & update question, now making me confirm voice every time!

[glen_s]

Been awhile since I've been on this board, but lately when I changed all my favorites to POI's so I don't lose them with every update I was thinking of something.

When using my wifes vehicle, which has a 4 year old Nuvi for GPS (with no map updates), if we are looking for the location of any particular business, we can search the Nuvi and chances are usually pretty good it'll be in its database and we can go to it.

On my Go720, if I try the same thing, chances are equally good it will come up with nothing, especially a business that is not a Hotel or other more obvious POI. Even Hotels that have been in business for decades do not show up, while the Nuvi will find some obscure little Mom & Pop business by name alone.

I went looking to see if there is a master list of POI's to import, but as far as I can see there is none, just area specific, like if I want a list of Canadian Tire or Walmart Stores for a certain area. I would like a master list of most current businesses, I'd be happy with ones just for Alberta & BC if I could get one. Is there such a thing?

Also, since the last two Navcore upgrades, now almost every single time I power up my 720 I am forced to go through the voices menu, even though I have voices disabled when I power it off, Is there a way to avoid this?

thanks in advance..

 

[dhn]

The application updates have a BAD habit of ignoring (or changing) various user settings when installed. Nelieve me when I say that TT is aware of this issue. Hopefully, they'll finally smarten up.

Supposedly, each map update (890 is the latest) contains a poi data set more current and accurate than the previous one; that said, I find most categories tend to be pretty bad in my area as well.

There are other sources for custom poi files. Here are some:
http://www.gps-data-team.com/poi/
http://www.poi-factory.com/
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/default.asp?CAT_ID=20

 

[glen_s]

thanks for the reply - if they have a better POI list I have to say they should send someone to see how Garmin does theirs. Recently we stayed at a hotel that has been in existence for over a decade, I was trying to find it in the POI to estimate TOA and it was nowhere to be found.

Contrast that to Garmin, I was going to look up a business in the city my wife had to go to, just for fun I typed it in her Nuvi and it found it. I then looked for another store she liked to go to, part of a chain. I was able to put an alert in for her that popped up whenever she drove within x meters of this chain, and it worked.

I tried that manually with my TT by manually entering in the POI's and programming alerts - didn't work.

 

[dhn]

What some do, if you know a desired destination beforehand, is find the location on Google maps, note the lat/long and enter that into the device. Most TT devices have that functionality.

TT gets their poi data from 3rd party sources. Maybe they should switch suplliers.

The TT LIVE devices have a Google Search which overcomes the problem of shoddy imbedded poi data in many cases.

 

[glen_s]

On a positive note, this last navcore update looks pretty good, and did not seem to erase my home or latest destinations, like earlier updates have. It also looks like my saved POI's and favorites show up as icons as I go past them, which is a nice touch.

However I see the new Henday freeway on the north side of Edmonton is still not on the map, but for the first time ever I actually got feedback from Navteq from when I reported this to them months ago and they confirmed it will be on a map soon. How soon it will show up on TT map remains to be seen I guess.

I have reported a few errors to google maps and they have responded fast, with corrections.

ps. thanks for the POI links, those look helpful.

 

[canderson]

@glen_s
I see you're up in Canada, so my map will cover your area. Out of curiosity, what was the name and city of the hotel that didn't show up in the POI list? Hotels are something they do seem to keep up with pretty well... however... some hotels seem to change chains/management pretty frequently. I wonder if you got caught in one of those where the brand changed?

 

[glen_s]

@glen_s
I see you're up in Canada, so my map will cover your area. Out of curiosity, what was the name and city of the hotel that didn't show up in the POI list? Hotels are something they do seem to keep up with pretty well... however... some hotels seem to change chains/management pretty frequently. I wonder if you got caught in one of those where the brand changed?

Pretty sure it was Ramada Inn in Sherwood Park, AB - I haven't tried it again since the last upgrade. It has been there quite a few years now and has not changed ownership.

 

[canderson]

I'm using my 740 with its somewhat more limited POI set for the test.

I'm finding something called "Ramada Limited Hotel". It is located on Broadway Blvd, just east of Broadmoor Blvd.

 

[glen_s]

I'm using my 740 with its somewhat more limited POI set for the test.

I'm finding something called "Ramada Limited Hotel". It is located on Broadway Blvd, just east of Broadmoor Blvd.

that's the one.. there was also another I could not find, but it's name escapes me at the moment.

 

[canderson]

Strange, then. My 740 is using exactly the same POI set as your 720.

 

[glen_s]

Strange, then. My 740 is using exactly the same POI set as your 720.

It may be in there now, when I tried to find it before it was before my last update.

I just tried a few other ones closer to where I live though, and they are not there, but it is a lot better than it was that's for sure..

 

[canderson]

Can you shoot me any additional examples to try here? I can run them on both old and new map sets on 720 and 740 models.

 

[glen_s]

Can you shoot me any additional examples to try here? I can run them on both old and new map sets on 720 and 740 models.

BCMI Inn in Lac La Biche, The same Ramada Inn (if you still have an older set). I also notice in the newer map/update I now get all the Costco's - none of them used to show up at all, so their POI list has definitely improved lately.

 

[canderson]

OK - moving on to a much older map set (870) on my 720 which dates back to over a year ago.

I still get Ramada Sherwood Park at the same location (Broadway and Broadmoor) even with the older map.

I get only Almac Motor Inn, Almac Motor Hotel (same?), La Biche Inn, and Lacalta Lodge there in town. There do not appear to be any BCMI motels listed as POI anywhere in Canada - that chain hasn't been picked up by TomTom in their "small" POI list. Then again, BCMI is only in 8 towns in somewhat remote areas (well, certainly in none of the major cities) of AB and SK.