POI

[nicowalker85]

Hi, does anybody have a compatible file they could email me with speed cameras on? Also id like to add supermarket petrol stations. Is there a good source for these? I have the columbus.

 

Cheers

[mareq]

Hi, does anybody have a compatible file they could email me with speed cameras on? Also id like to add supermarket petrol stations. Is there a good source for these? I have the columbus.

 

Cheers

Download it from here:

 

POI SpeedCameras

[nicowalker85]

Cheers

[BillyJim]

Use the VW Discover PRO download option and not the Škoda Columbus/Amundsen.

The Škoda options are for the old RNS devices and won't work with the new Columbus/Amundsen (not without first going through the rigmarole of converting them).

[Hozz]

Use the VW Discover PRO download option and not the Škoda Columbus/Amundsen.

The Škoda options are for the old RNS devices and won't work with the new Columbus/Amundsen (not without first going through the rigmarole of converting them).

Sorry I am a bit lost with this. My manual tells me to go to the Skoda My Destinations website and save the POI's on to an SD Card. It then says to search the system for a software update and it will import the POI's.

I cannot make this work though and I cannot find VW Discover Pro download option anywhere.

The Skoda site takes the POI's ok but when I put the file it gives me on to the SD card the Columbus doesn't seem to recognise it.

[BillyJim]

I use neither the quoted POIpoint site nor My Destinations.

I use POIbase but the camera POIs, while excellent, aren't free.

At least it saves it in the correct format for the Amundsen/Columbus in the "software update" format so doesn't require any further conversion.

Having had a gander at POIpoint the VW Discover option on the POIpoint site appears at the bottom of the page when you get to the point of download. Unfortunately it only converts it to DB3 and not the mib format which you need, so you still need to convert it!

 

I assume the converted download from My Destinations is a zip file. Did you extract it to the SD Card rather than just copy the zip across? There should be two folders on the card - mib1 and mib2. Talking baloney here! That's the map update. See my post below.

Edited 8 March, 2016 by BillyJim

[Hozz]

I use neither the quoted POIpoint site nor My Destinations.

I use POIbase but the camera POIs, while excellent, aren't free.

At least it saves it in the correct format for the Amundsen/Columbus in the "software update" format so doesn't require any further conversion.

Having had a gander at POIpoint the VW Discover option on the POIpoint site appears at the bottom of the page when you get to the point of download. Unfortunately it only converts it to DB3 and not the mib format which you need, so you still need to convert it!

 

I assume the converted download from My Destinations is a zip file. Did you extract it to the SD Card rather than just copy the zip across? There should be two folders on the card - mib1 and mib2.

Unfortunately I cannot use POIbase as I have a Mac.

Yes I did extract it to an SD card and I confirm there are mib1 and mib2 there.

I'm just wondering if there is a limitaion on the number of POI's as there are quite a number of speed cameras but I had no problem with my Superb 2 loading that many.

[l4wrence]

Unfortunately I cannot use POIbase as I have a Mac.

Yes I did extract it to an SD card and I confirm there are mib1 and mib2 there.

I'm just wondering if there is a limitaion on the number of POI's as there are quite a number of speed cameras but I had no problem with my Superb 2 loading that many.

 

Hozz, you might be interested in my post here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/385597-sat-nav/#entry4507141

[Hozz]

Hozz, you might be interested in my post here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/385597-sat-nav/#entry4507141

L4wrence, you seem to have exactly the same problem as me, as soon as you try to put in a large number of POI's, such as speed cameras, it doesn't work.

Interestingly I contacted Skoda who now say that although my car is brand new it seems to be missing 22gb worth of updated map information and this could be causing the problem!

Anyway they have escalated this further and I will keep you informed.

I have got Cameralert but would prefer the icons on my Skoda map as I did on my Superb 2.

[Hozz]

Just to add an update, Skoda have said that they will investigate why the Skoda MyDestinations website doesn't seem to work for POI's in that the downloaded file is not recognised by the new Columbus.

The good news is that POIbase does work for importing POI's but you have to use their database for speed cameras and being German based it does not seem as up-to-date or comprehensive as some others.

I would welcome views from anyone else who has tried importing POI's.

[Hozz]

Well I have finally cracked it with no thanks to Skoda.

Basically the Skoda MyDestinations POI website does not load the correct files.

The solution is to go to the VW Discover Pro website 

http://www.volkswagen.de/de/navigation/discover-pro/poi-listen-sammlung.html

However having downloaded and unzipped the file it produces you must only copy the 

metainfo2.txt and PersonalPOI files to an SD card.

Then follow the manual for loading the POI's into the navigation system.

[Neilmonstermell1]

Call me stupid, plenty do. When i click on the link you have posted what do i then do and could you provide some form of idiots guide? Very much appreciated.

[BillyJim]

On 07/03/2016 at 23:01, Neilmonstermell1 said:

Call me stupid, plenty do. When i click on the link you have posted what do i then do and could you provide some form of idiots guide? Very much appreciated.

 

Call me German, plenty do! Hope this helps and not too much like teaching granny to suck eggs.

You need to do this on a computer - it won't work using a smartphone nor on many tablets.

 

Step 1: Sorting your POIs and images.

Gather your POI files on your computer, along with any icons you want to appear on the map.

You can have as many as you wish but only up to 8 (or it may be 10?) can be shown at any time on the map.

POI files must be in the format specified on the site; ASC, CSV, GPX, or KML/KMZ.

Images to be used as map icons must be GIF, JPG, BMP, or PNG and, regardless of original size, will be resized to a maximum 39x39 pixels whilst maintaining the original HxW proportions. Bear in mind JPG does not support transparency.

 

Step 2: Go to the VW POI site. (Link works fine on my Mac/Safari but others have had difficulty. If it doesn't work for you try using a different browser).

Click on the orange Neue POI-Sammlung erstellen button ("create a new POI collection").

+++

Click "Choose File" under "POI-Kategorie laden" and load the first POI category file from your computer. The file name will appear next to the button.

Check the box under "Annäherungsinformation" if you wish this POI category to be able to have a "vicinity warning".

(Plays a bong tone as you approach the POI. This can be switched on/off in the car and applies to ALL activated POIs. So if you have two POI files - let us say speed cameras and public toilets - you may want to enable vicinity warning for cameras but not the toilets. If you mark them both for vicinity warning you cannot switch them off individually in the car. The car will "bong" whenever you approach either cameras or toilets. You cannot load your own audio. The distance of the alert cannot be specified but it is dynamic, giving you earlier warnings relative to your speed).

Enter a name for the category in the text box under "Kategorie-Bezeichnung vergeben" - for example "Public Toilets". A name is a requirement.

Load your image file that will be used as the icon displayed on the SatNav map by clicking "Choose File" under "Kartensymbol laden". The file name will appear next to the button.

If you don't select an image to use, a default icon will be used.

 

Step 3: Adding more POI files.

After adding your first POI category you will see a screen with your POI category listed.

It shows the file name, the name you gave this category, whether it is set to have a vicinity warning, the icon that will appear in the SatNav, and a button to edit it (pencil).

Beneath this are two buttons. Left is a blue text button "Weitere POI-Kategorien einlesen" which roughly translates as Load More POI Categories.

Click on this to return to +++ in Step 2 above.

After you have loaded at least two categories a self-explanatory trash button appears next to the edit button.

 

Step 4: Saving your POI collection.

Now click the orange "POI-Sammlung sichern" button - "save your POI collection".

On the screen that pops up - "Ihre POI-Sammlung sichern" - enter a name for the ZIP file that will be saved to your computer, then click "Jetzt sichern".

The ZIP file is saved on you computer and the contents should now be extracted.

You should have a text file named metainfo2.txt and a folder named PersonalPOI.

           The metainfo2.txt file generated by the VW site is no longer compatible with Škoda Columbus. Delete it.

           Replace it with the compatible version of metainfo2.txt which you can download by clicking here. (Thanks to @Hozz & @Rifleman for resolving that).

           Copy metainfo2.txt and the PersonalPOI folder to a clean SD Card (using a USB memory stick may also work).

 

Step 5: Loading it into Columbus.

Per the manual...

Insert the SD Card.

Select "Nav".

Select the settings/options (cog wheel button).

Select Version information.

Select Update.

Select the SD Card.

 

And Bob's your uncle - a job well done! Now it's up to you to choose which POIs you want displayed and whether or not you have the warning enabled.

 

Advice for visitors to Europe: In several countries, most notably France, Germany and Switzerland, it is unlawful to have safety camera locations and/or alerts on SatNavs. Consider using an icon other than the all-too-obvious camera, such as the "hazard" warning sign. Try using different colours if you want to differentiate between fixed, mobile and SPECS. Here are just a few examples already scaled to 39 pixels...

 

 Fixed Speed Camera

 Mobile Speed Enforcement

 SPECS start (average speed cameras)

 SPECS end

 Red Light (ATS) Camera

 

 

 

Edited 4 November, 2017 by BillyJim
VW POI link fixed, again - why do they keep moving it?

[Neilmonstermell1]

Thanks for the explanation. The first bit is where iam falling foul. When i click on the link there is no add new poi in orange. It just looks like a german vw sales site. Is it because i am opening it on android and not wundows based laotop? I will give it a try on a laptop.

Edited 8 March, 2016 by Neilmonstermell1

[philsmith]

I was always able to get the symbols to show on the nav screen but could never get the warning sound.

Thanks for the detailed explanation above, I have updated the system and will go out later for a drive to the nearest camera to see if I get a bong!

I think I must have missed the tick box for 'Annäherungsinformation'

Trouble is there are no cameras around here!!

[johnboy615]

I was always able to get the symbols to show on the nav screen but could never get the warning sound.

Thanks for the detailed explanation above, I have updated the system and will go out later for a drive to the nearest camera to see if I get a bong!

I think I must have missed the tick box for 'Annäherungsinformation'

Trouble is there are no cameras around here!!

No cameras around? No wonder you went for the 280

[philsmith]

No cameras around? No wonder you went for the 280

 

 Yes Bromley Council took most of them out a few years ago, there is a police mobile unit up at the airport (Biggin Hill) quite often that you have to look out for but otherwise the nearest is several miles away and actually I cannot think off the top of my head where it is!

The mobile one is listed on the database so I will take a drive up there to check out my bong.

[mrmulti]

BillyJim your a star, the guide works great.

 

Cheers

[l4wrence]

Some things to bear in mind:

 

If you have existing custom POIs loaded in the Columbus and you create a new set to be loaded in, your existing POIs are all deleted. So, if you have a cam database and your own favourite POIs categories you have to load them all in every time into the website when you create the file to unzip onto the SD card.

 

If you use the show POIs option in the map settings under the navigation menu and you have personal POIs selected to show in the map (max 10 categories) then when you load in new personal POIs your previously selected personal POIs are removed (unselected), even if you have kept the same name for them. So, after loading in your personal POIs you need to re-select them on the select categories screen for the show POIs setting.

 

All of this means it's not exactly user friendly. I use my own POIs for detinations I want to pinpoint using my loptop at home (e.g. using Google Earth / convert to GPX and upload to 'My Destinations') but for a cam database updated regulary (e.g. every 2 weeks) like Pocket GPS World the whole process is tedious and drawn out. So I prefer to use the CamerAlert app on my phone for cam warnings over Bluetooth.

[philsmith]

Went past the mobile camera spot as marked on the map and it bonged,   thanks billyjim finally got it to work.

[BillyJim]

Thanks for the explanation. The first bit is where iam falling foul. When i click on the link there is no add new poi in orange. It just looks like a german vw sales site. Is it because i am opening it on android and not wundows based laotop? I will give it a try on a laptop.

The screen should look like this, with the orange button on the right (screen grab is from a Mac)...

The 1, 2, 3, sections at the bottom are guides (in German).

[Neilmonstermell1]

The screen that opens when i click on the link is not that one. I will have to try it on a pc dont know if smart phone looks different. The screen i get is a welcome to vw screen. Thats it.

[BillyJim]

The screen that opens when i click on the link is not that one. I will have to try it on a pc dont know if smart phone looks different. The screen i get is a welcome to vw screen. Thats it.

That makes sense if you're using a phone. Web sites often have two versions - a full browser version and a mobile version. Sounds to me like you're being redirected to the mobile version and would explain why you cannot see the POI site as it needs a computer linked to it to create the POI files.

[Neilmonstermell1]

That makes sense if you're using a phone. Web sites often have two versions - a full browser version and a mobile version. Sounds to me like you're being redirected to the mobile version and would explain why you cannot see the POI site as it needs a computer linked to it to create the POI files.

 

It is the phone or tablet. If I access the link on a windows computer then the same page as you have shown displays.

 

Now one more last question. Where do you get the speed camera locations from in the first place. Can you advise on a decent simple to use link?

[BillyJim]

Most are pay sites when it comes to Enforcement POIs. You can usually register free to get shops, banks, petrol stations, etc, but then need to pay for the good stuff.

I used Pocket GPS World for a few years. The UK coverage is good but the continental coverage, which I'm personally more interested in, was poor.

I believe GPS Data Team is free, but I don't have faith in their enforcement POIs.