Every GPS brand needs another format for the POIs

We have created POIs files for the following systems of GPS Navigators/Navigation Programs:

We have installed the POIs on the following systems ourselves and can explain you in detail how to install them on these systems:

Same Icons on your GPS as in GE

We have also created small BMP files, so you will see the same Icons on your GPS Navigator as in Google Earth. There are two formats. One series with 22x22 pixel BMP files for all systems, except Destinator, which needs 16x16 pixel BMPs.

Here are the zipped .BMP 22x22 pixel files: BMP22Categories1to15.zip

And here you will find the zipped .BMP 16x16 pixel files for Destinator: BMP16Categories1to15.zip

Click on the right link for your device/program and download the file to your desktop, or where-ever you prefer. Now you will have to unzip the file to obtain the BMP files. We will explain below how to get them into your GPS Navigator.

Naming Convention

All files start with "be" for Belgium. This is to keep it short, as some systems do only accept 8 characters for the file names. "be" will distinguish them from, for example, "fr" for France.

Transferring the POI files and BMPs to your GPS

Let's start with the most simple systems: Tomtom and Route66.

Tomtom

Download the right Zip file: Tomtom1to15.zip

Also download the BMP22 file above. Unzip both files.

Sync your device with your computer. Copy all .ov2 files and all .bmp files (you can copy them all at once) and simply paste them in the same directory on your device as where the Tomtom maps for Belgium are stored, probably "Benelux-Map".

Tomtom Benelux Map Folder

Route66

This is as simple as Tomtom.

Download the right Zip file: Navman-Route66-1to15.zip

Also download the BMP22Categories1to15.zip file above. Unzip both files.

Sync your device with your computer. Copy all .csv files and all .bmp files (you can copy them all at once) and simply paste them in the same directory on your device as where the Route66 POIs for Belgium are stored, probably "Benelux".

Route66 POI Folder

In Route66 you choose "Navigate to", then "POIs near GPS position" or "POIs near Destination". Suppose that you want POIs near GPS position and choose "beAbbeys". The list with Abbeys will be presented in order of the distance to your actual GPS position, so if you planned right, your next point to travel to will be number one in the list. No long scrolling.

Destinator

This is a less user-friendly procedure than the above ones. For the POI files you will have to use the Destinator Console on your computer

Download the right Zip file: Destinator1to15.zip and unzip the file.

Sync your device with your computer. Launch the Destinator Console. Click "Favorites Importer".

Choose the first file and click "Convert". Do the same for all other 14 files. Don't forget to click "Convert" each time that you select a file.

Destinator Console

After you converted the 15 files, you can click "Download" in order to download them all at once.

Favorites Importer

For the BMP Icon files you do not need the Destinator Console anymore.

Download the BMP16Categories1to15.zip file for Destinator (see above), unzip it and copy the 15 resulting files.

In ActiveSync click "Explore", then "Folders", then "Storage Card", if this is where you stored the Destinator Application.

Choose "Destinator Apps", "Destinator", "User Data", "Favorites". What a long road! Paste the 15 .BMP files here.

Did you see the .dat files? These are the converted files that you uploaded above.

Destinator Favorites

On your device you will find our Points of Interest under "Favorites". As we added the number in front of all POIs, in Destinator they are listed in numbered order: 1, 10, 100, 101, 109, 11, 110, etc. If you want to choose number 7 in the War Cemeteries and Memorials list, you will have to scroll down very far, and you have to do it one by one. No page at the time. Not really user friendly neither.

Navman iCN 510

We specify the model, because this is an older one and we use the older NavmanST Desktop Console to load the POI files to the GPS Navigator. We have no experience with the new NavDesk Software.

Download and unzip the BMP22Categories1to15.zip file above.

Download the right Zip file: Navman-Route66-1to15.zip and unzip it to the .csv files.

In SmartST click "Map", then "POIs...". Another window opens. This is the POI Editor. "File", "Open", choose directory, where you stored the unzipped .csv files.

Choose one .csv file. "File", "Save to Device". New Window "POI Options" opens. Choose corresponding Icon File (BMP 22x22 pixels with the same name as the .csv file. Click "OK". You will have to do this 15 times.

SmartST only takes the first 8 characters of a file and makes all 8 characters Capitals. We suppose that the new NavDesk does not have these limitations.

Remark about newer Navman system

Judy van Vroonhoven from the Netherlands wrote us that she has successfully loaded the Navman POIs via Navdesk to the Navman S70. Everything works great.

Garmin

Download the right Zip file: Garmin1to15.zip and unzip it to the .csv files.

Download and unzip the BMP22Categories1to15.zip file above.

Use Garmin PoiLoader to transfer the files and Icons to your Garmin device.

MioMap

Download the right Zip file: MioMap1to15.zip and unzip it to the .csv files.

Download and unzip the BMP22Categories1to15.zip file above.

Use MioMap Console to load the files and Icons to your device.

MioMap iGO

Download the right Zip file: Mio-iGO1to15.zip and unzip it to the .upd files.

Download and unzip the BMP22Categories1to15.zip file above.

GPS eXchange

This is a rather universal format. If none of the above formats works for your GPS Navigator, you should try the GPS eXchange format.

Download the right Zip file: GPSeXchange1to15.zip and unzip it to the .gpx files.

Download and unzip the BMP22Categories1to15.zip file above.

Friendly Request

If you managed to install the POI files on a GPS Navigator, not mentioned above, please tell us in detail how you did it. If you agree, we will publish your experience and your name here.


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