Attempting to Create a Custom POI file – Part 1

Posted on November 12, 2008May 3, 2022 by GeorgeK

The family goes down south to Disney World in Orlando every couple of years (well twice now….) we always have a good time there seeing all the sites and attractions. Also everytime I say “I wonder why there is no GPS Point Of Interest file available for download into a GPS unit”. This seems like a “natural” to me. Especially for persons having portable GPS units that want to get to an attraction in the shortest route possible from inside or outside of the park. So, I searched the internet and came up with one “Disney World POI” file… but it only has about six entries for the gates of the different theme parks… not so useful for what I want!

I decided to create my own file. No problem. Open the Magellan POI program and enter in the information that is required.

Oh, you don’t have Magellan POI File Editor software on your PC/Mac. Man, you are soooo out of luck.

It is supposed to be on the CD that came with your GPS. Being extremely lazy I did not even try to locate that CD… I just Googled until I found a link someone posted. Maybe I should be nice and add a link to let you download it from here….. we’ll see….

Magellan POI Editor UPDATE 12/14/2015 The link to the POI Editor no longer works so I have removed it. Try searching for this. Things are a lot easier now than when I originally posted the link. Not to mention the version I had posted is long out of date!

Small and portable it can be used in the car or stuck in a pocket for pedestrian use – like walking around Disney World! (Batteries are supposed to be good for 3 hours or so.)

Seems simple enough, there are only about three things: Latitude, Longitude and Name for each POI. Oh, what is that information for each of those? Where do you get it? Hmmm… maybe not quite so easy after all. Open Google Earth, pan around until you find the location, zoom in to make sure it is right, copy the info from the screen into the Magellan POI program…. sort of time consuming. Maybe not such a great idea after all, but it seems like there should be a better way to do this.

A search found a web site forum with some hints, and a reference to another web site where you can do latitude and longitude lookups using an address, name, etc. Check this out –>
UPDATE 12/14/2015 This appears to no longer be working so I removed the link but you can copy and paste to try it. “itouchmap.com/latlong.html”. One thing it does others may not, reverse lookups… if you have a latitude and longitude plug them in and see where in the world it is at. Might be good for doing a “cross reference” check on points you have.

But, this is still a rather slow, copy and paste operation. Find the location, copy the info (a piece at at time) paste it into your file, add Name/Description and go to the next place. If you have a lot of points be prepared to spend some serious mousing time. So… there has to be a better way. Google to the rescue again! An extended search for: POI +file +create and some other terms and come up with a lot of nothing…. wait what is this one…. ITN Converter…. download it, install (cool it doesn’t “really” need to install, it is an executable that runs on it’s own. Even from a USB memory stick.)

So… does it work or not?

Continue reading→

I was lost, but now I’ve found my way.

Posted on October 31, 2008May 7, 2022 by GeorgeK

I have been spending the last couple of days playing around with the Magellan GPS software. A long time ago . . you know way back in time, like two years ago… I created a custom POI file for all the sites at the company for which I work. Now when I travel to them I can just select a “Custom POI” file and go! Also helps getting there from hotels, airports, etc.

Then last weekend we went for a drive to see the fall foliage, and had a hunger for a Starbucks coffee. Even with 9,000 or so of them in the US it isn’t always easy to find one. When we got back home I did an internet search and found a POI file for all the Starbucks in the US! Perfect, just what I wanted, a complete list to upload into the GPS!

BUT…., isn’t there always a “but” . . . there is a problem in getting them from the standard downloadable file format into the Magellan. Downloading a .CSV file works okay, and the Magellan POI program imports them okay. The first time I did this, I immediately imported it into the Magellan GPS and it worked like a charm. Then I saw the crazy descriptions for each location in the unit and decided I would clean them up. Since many of the descriptive names are longer (I think the Magellan limits it to about 16 spaces.) it would truncate the description in the unit and look strange and of no real help anyway. So I opened the .CSV file in Excel and changed all the names to “Starbucks”, nice and simple. Reimported into the Magellan POI software, saved everything and closed down for the night.

The next day getting ready to upload to the GPS unit, I opened my file again, and crap . . . it only had about four locations in it, when it should have had thousands! What the heck, well I must have saved it wrong, or maybe with the wrong name, or I opened the wrong file and so on. So I recreated the file again, carefully saving it as an ASCII .CSV file in a known location. Everything looks great now. So closed things down until I got the GPS unit to upload to later. Okay, now I am again ready to update the unit, so I open the Magellan POI software, open the carefully saved .MGLN file (special Magellan format they create within the software) and . . . . CRAP!! It is missing all the data except the same stinking four locations. Okay, go through the whole process again, check the locations before and after the ones that show up… they look fine. No strange characters, no extra commas (comma delimited .CSV file) everything is perfect, so save the file, reopen it and look at the beautiful work that I did . . . . CRAP! Gone again. Now being a fast learner and all I went through this process about 8 times with the exact same results everytime. (Insanity = doing the same thing you have always done and expecting different results. ) Finally gave up on it and went back to reading a book. Couldn’t get this out of my mind though…. so kept thinking about it… what is different this time than before…. first time I saved it, and then immediately uploaded into the Garmin… but why should that make a difference? Oh, the other thing I did was “clean up” all the long descriptive file names. . . . hmmm. . . . If every name is now just “Starbucks” and originally they were “Starbucks at the corner of 5th and 27th Street in Madison Wiscon….” what is the difference… okay now ALL the descriptions are exactly the same…. hmmm…. Back to Excel, import the .CSV file, delete all the descriptions, put in “Starbucks 000001” and then drag down the column changing each description to “Starbucks 00001”, “Starbucks 00002”, “Starbuck 00003” and so on….. now save it in Excel. Open it in Magellan POI editor, save it, exit and reopen the MGLN file again. Hot Dang… there they all are!

The interface for the Magellan POI software is pretty simplistic. When you load up a file it shows all the locations… and if you have reversed the latitude and longitude it shows up real quick! What a DQ in the middle of the South Atlantic! Must be one they opened on an cruise ship going to Antartica.

The other thing I realized as I went through all of this, when I tried the GPS with the original downloaded points it did not find some that I thought for sure should be there… like right down the street from the house. Again I assumed the file would be correct, and there must be some reason they were not included, like it is inside of a store, not a stand alone building or it is to new to be included, and so on. What I now realize is that all the descriptive names that ended up being truncated leaving the exact same description were skipped from the file. Maybe it is thinking that location is already in the file so is attempting to be helpful by not saving duplicates….. so a lot of locations ended up with similar descriptions and therefore not included.

With this great success I looked up the next most important, or actually maybe even THE most important locations to find on a trip…. ALL the Dairy Queen’s in the USA! I now have a file loaded into the GPS so we can immediately locate a DQ for a quick sugar fix whenever we need it on the road! WOOT! Instant ice cream locations, all 5,332 of them!

Next project: Programming all the Parks, lodges and major attraction at Disney World in Orlando… the only “ready made” file I found only has the theme park locations in it. I want the Disney resorts, lodges and other things like International Village and the “Shops”, along with nearby attractions of interest… and the hotel we like there.

Until the final satellite burns up on reentry,

George

Software and Running = Part 2

Posted on October 6, 2008September 1, 2022 by GeorgeK

In which I continue the monologue on equipment and software I use to track exercise efforts.

Software for recording Running and Races. The first software I got for tracking workouts and races was Runners Studio. I have been using it for about nine months at this point. I really like the layout of the software, it is easy to navigate and has a nice visual appeal. One of my favorite features is the “upcoming race” calendar/listing. You can enter races that you want to run or are thinking about running into the software and it lists them all in a page view. The view includes customizable columns so you can add/remove what you want to see, or rearrange the order of the columns. The entries may also be sorted by different columns such as date of race, have you registered yet, length of race, etc. The view also shows the number of days remaining until race day, a very handy visual to use for planning. It also quickly reminds you of how many days there may be between races, so if you need to set priorities it is easy to do.

A short list of my favorite features:

Import data from Garmin Training Center. Much easier than entering all the lap data manually, also includes elevation, heart rate, etc.
Track run data from GPS using Google Earth with a click of the mouse.
Track shoe useage to see how many miles you put on them.
Goals you can set for about any combination of miles, time, pace, weight, etc
Mega-Goals which can be set to see how far you run in total, can you make it around the world? I’m just working on getting from California to New York…..
Upcoming races which I mentioned.
Race history which lists all the races you have entered, your goal and the results.

I could list everything the program does, but it would be easier for you to visit his web page, read what he has to say, and then download the software and try it out!

The program is constantly being updated, and the author seems receptive to adding new features that are requested as he has done for my requests several times. There is still a “wish list” I have for him, but it is getting closer to my ideal program with every revision!

Software and Running = Part 1

Posted on October 1, 2008May 3, 2022 by GeorgeK

When I started exercising more the first thing I bought was a fairly simple pedometer. It is a Omron Model HJ-720ITC which has the ability to export data into it’s own software tracking program. The first entry was August 1, 2007.

As of today I have more than 1,450 miles and 2,600,000 steps recorded in the last 14 months. Note that the miles is probably not all that accurate since the stride length used to calculate distance was set up for a walking pace, and my running stride is somewhat longer, so the distance shown is correspondingly shorter. I use this mostly as a reference number so am not disturbed with the inaccuracy knowing in my mind that I have run far more than the pedometer indicates.

+++++

Pocket Pedometer with PC software HJ-720ITC
Omron’s most technologically advanced pedometer, model HJ-720ITC, now includes Omron Health Management Software to help you track days, weeks, months and years of exercise. Simply connect the pedometer with its USB connection to your PC to begin tracking your health today. The pedometer measures steps, aerobic steps (10 minutes or more of continuous movement), calories and distance. Your path to better health is just steps away.

+++++

I still wear the pedometer when I exercise whether it is running, walking, treadmill, etc. I do not wear it all day which a lot of people do, but I am more interested in seeing what efforts I expend outside of normal activity.

The plus’es to the pedometer are that it resets automatically every day at midnight so you do not have to remember to reset it to capture the daily steps. Another plus is it seems very accurate in picking up steps. It does not seem overly sensitive as to where it is kept or worn while in use.

The negatives to the pedometer. It resets itself every night, and only every night. It cannot be manually reset. If I transport the pedometer it will begin counting steps before I begin an exercise period and it cannot be zeroed before I begin. Sometimes this can add a significant amount of steps. To some degree they can be ignored since they typically are not “aerobic” steps, and I mainly track only aerobic activity. But it does mess up totals. Another negative is that it is very sensitive, and will pick up steps wherever it is located…. including in a suitcase or even sitting on a car seat. This is what adds “unearned” steps. Basically the strengths are also the undesired traits.

The plus’es of the ability to download all the activity into the software outweigh the negatives, at least for my use.

If anyone is aware of a pedometer on the market that can be manually reset and also downloads daily data to a PC please let me know! Until I find one the Omron Pedometer gets the Team Toe-Jammer seal of approval.

Until the final foot fall falls over the land,

George

Amazing Discovery made after 58 years!

Posted on July 20, 2008May 3, 2022 by GeorgeK

Perhaps I should not admit to this, but for years I have suffered from “crooked bows”, yes, crooked bows are real and can lead to major embarrassment in social situations! I want to get the word out so that others suffering from this malady may read this, find condolence in knowing they are not alone, and may benefit from my advise on how I have finally conquered it!

Yes, it’s true after 58 long years of suffering from crooked bows I have finally resolved the knotty problem, made adjustments to my life styles, and tied a knot around the problem.

Background: For years my shoelaces have had bows that are perpendicular to normal persons shoelaces. Sad but true, with one bow laying across the laces and the other pointing the way up my leg, under my pants cuff, and in general running amok! While I never outwardly let people know how distraught this made me, inside I would cringe whenever I would notice people eying my shoes. It did not matter the brand of shoe, the type of lace, if I double knotted, or did an extra “safety twist”, the bows pointed to the North and South as surely as the best Boy Scout compass! For awhile I was saved when the popularity of Velcro replacing laces was in vogue. However as most fashion statements, it waned and with it went my self esteem again. Now only my sandals have Velcro, but they too are wearing out after years of faithful service.

The Life Style Change: As you can see from the earlier posts I have begun getting a little exercise, and part of that includes some walking and running. To do this properly I purchased some “real” running shoes. (Neutral – Cushioned as far as shoe type descriptions go. Asics Gel Nimbus 9 and 10 as for exact models.) To make sure I used the shoes to the best of their ability, which far exceeds mine, I used the internet to research some various method of lacing shoes.

The Breakthrough: As I was reviewing the different methods of lacing I tried a couple ways that looked like they were something I thought might add, or subtract actually, time from my running pace. As I was experimenting one time I tied the bow just slightly different than I ever had before, suddenly before my eyes the bows laid down, pointing perfectly due East and West as if they had been doing that for the last 42 years! I was astounded, flabbergasted one might say! How could this be, such a simple change, with such a dramatic effect. To me it measures right up there with Bells first telephone transmission, Marconi’s first wireless transmission, and maybe even Goodyear’s discovery of vulcanization!

How did I achieve this remarkable breakthrough. How has it affected my life by allowing me to mingle in social situations, be accepted by my exercise peers, brought me fortune and fame beyond my wildest dreams? Please visit the Kazology store and order a copy of “How to ~~bilk millions~~ achieve your Dreams”. Only a small annual recurring fee, plus appropriate charges for shipping and handling and you too can become as confident as me in nearly all social situations! If you want to run sub 3 marathons you must Act now! UnLimited copies available at this time. Offer only valid in the continental US, in states which have no Better Business Bureau, or have names beginning with the letter Z.

The Future: Will I ever revert back to the old bow tying method, will I have a lapse in memory and forget how I achieved this remarkable event so that it remains a mystery to me, as much as why all the Cliff Dwelling Indian’s disappeared? Only time will tell.

I feel so good in having this monkey off my back after so many years, that I felt I must get the word out to other sufferers to let them know there is a cure!

Until the final shoe is properly laced,

George

New Toy for Tracking Running Stats – Part 2

Posted on May 29, 2008September 1, 2022 by GeorgeK

A really cool new toy! Part Two
Where upon having purchased a new Garmin 305 I put it to use.

During the initial run I bruised my wrist really bad (hard plastic back, flat, and relatively heavy for a “watch”) so I bought some wrist sweat bands and now wear one with the watch strapped tightly on over it. So far I am really enjoying it. Not having a stop watch hanging from a dog leash around my neck is quite nice. I used to have to let it hang under the shirt to keep it from swinging all over, then try to drag it out to stop it without strangling myself, and getting it stopped without adding minutes (it seemed like) to the end of a run. Plus I can now actually see the information while I am running, including elapsed time, heart rate, pace and distance (or other information depending on how you configure it.Continue reading→