• POI Mega File for Microsoft Streets and Trips (North America)
  220 POI categories (pushpin collections) in a single Streets and Trips file

• POI Mega File for Microsoft AutoRoute (Europe)
  97 POI categories (pushpin collections) in a single AutoRoute file

Larry has been very kind to put together these files containing many thousands of POI (points of interest). Feel free to download and use the file(s). Credits also go to DiscoveryOwners, SteveJonesMO, SpadesFlush (Phil), iRV2DriVer, Tom Bernardi, Tom @ USCAmpgrounds.info, and many others who willingly contributed to this huge collection.

• [Video] Tutorial (6:00 minutes), [Video] Overview (4:11 minutes)

• Download either the compressed .zip file (downloads faster), or the uncompressed .stt or .axe file (doesn't require un-zip. This is the version to download, if you don't know what 'ZIP' is.)

• Europeans download the AutoRoute2010 file, North Americans download the Streets201x file

• Note that the 2011 version requires the new Streets & Trips 2011.

Attached Files

	Streets2011_POI_MegaFile.Apr.zip (7.18 MB)
	Streets2011_POI_MegaFile.Apr.stt (25.00 MB)
	Streets2010_POI_MegaFile.Dec.zip (7.46 MB)
	Streets2010_POI_MegaFile.Dec.stt (25.32 MB)
	AutoRoute2010__POI_MegaFile.Jun.zip (8.05 MB)
	AutoRoute2010__POI_MegaFile.Jun.axe (29.35 MB)

Can this somehow be used with Streets & Trips 2009?

Pegleg

Hi Pegleg. The file itself is not openable in an older version. You could import one-by-one all of the POI collections from DiscoveryOwners.com (and/or other POI sources) into any older version of S&T, but having so many pushpins displayed on the map would slow down S&T quite a lot. This should no longer be an issue in Streets & Trips 2010 thanks to the new pushpin management features.

Just downloaded and installed it. I really like having all the POIs available to turn on and off.
Thanks for doing this.

I love this file. Deleting any pushpin sets you don't need just takes a minute and is much easier than importing all the ones you want.

Once you have it how you like it you can save the modified est to your desktop or other location and double click on it as a way to open S&T using this file each time.

Another way is to saving it as a "New North American Map.stt". That way you'll get this map even when you launch S&T from the start menu.

Here is a blog post on How to Customize the Default Map Template for details on how this can be done.

Pegleg said:
I have used the pushpin functionnality a lot in the 2009 version. Because of the feature limitation (you can not control which pushpin set easily that will be visible on the map), it is almost unpraticable to do the same things in the 2009 version. What i have done before is to have a few pushpin sets in a master .est file and then when i open it, i delete the unneeded pushpin sets to see what i want to see on the map. Possible but very annoying. Forget about having 200 pushpin sets in the 2009 version, it will fill the map completly and you will see nothing on the map. Theorically feasable, but practically unusable...

If this functionnality is important to you, the 2010 version is a must to achieve this possibility. ..

The S&T 2010 Mega POI file has been updated for November! It now contains 209 pushpin sets (on top of what Microsoft provides).

What's new?

• Clearance 12' 4" Low Clearance - updated
• Clearance 12' 6" Low Clearance - updated
• Clearance 12' 9" Low Clearance - updated
• Clearance 13' 2" Low Clearance - updated
• Resorts of Distinction - updated
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Campgrounds - newly added
• SKI resorts/locations - updated

Marvin has updated the zipped est file at the top of the this thread and its ready for downloading.

Looking at the pushpin sets in this file - they seem to be in alphabetical order - how do you do this?

Hi Tom,

Prior to the S&T 2010 release order didn't matter since there was no way to hide pushpin sets. After importing 3 or 4 your map would be very cluttered.

Now that we have the show/hide feature and there is a likely a need for sorting. Currently, the order that the pushpin sets are displayed is the order that they were imported. First at the bottom - Last at the top.

As of now you cannot change this order

If you want any set of collections together one thing you could do is delete the sets (the ones you want together) then re-import them in the reverse order you want them to appear. They'll show up on the top of the list - together. You can grab the original source files from here. Choose "Text only" from the dropdown.

Thanks Larry - that's what I thought first loaded, last on the list. I will put it on my wishlist for 2011!

Somehow, I missed this YouTube video before today. It is very, very droll; congrats S&T team. You really captured the old BBC-1 style and I am hoping you will do an AutoRoute version.

That discovery file is great. I have also found poi-factory.com to be a fantastic, easy to use and very up-to-date source of a massive variety of categorized POI data. It would be easy for someone to peruse it and make a custom template S&T file to fit their needs.

They have several thousand lists though, so it wouldn't be practical to combine them all into one .est file.

As an aside, I have put my ridetoeat.com list of restaurants into 2010 and 2007 files interested persons can find at Downloads | Ride To Eat.

Doh!

(fixed)

Wow, not only was that link broken, once you got to the page the links to the files on IT were broken too.

Sigh. It's all fixed now.

The MS S&T Megafile is updated often, so be sure to check MAP OVERLAYS regularly. Also, you can join the Yahoo Group escapeeboondockers to get notices when updates are made. Notices are sent out as Special Notices, and you can choose to only receive Special Notices if you wish.

Also, I would like to publicly thank Larry for all the help that he provided to make the Megafile possible, and also with the Access programming.

-Bob
Currently in Pahrump, NV "Kingdom of Nye!"

I would like to add some poi's to this group and also how do I correct some that are in my area.

This is a nice map to work with. If everyone would look at there area they live in or travel in and make corrections or add poi's that are missing this would even be better. I'll help tell me who to send updates to.

Please send any additions or corrections to me:

BobandMary@escapees.com
and copy
cookrd1@juno.com

Thanks
Bob

Thanks Bob!
As they say 'many hands make light work'.

I would encourage those interested in contributing to download the file and view the locations in your neighborhood. If there are corrections to be make send them to Bob.

Here's a pleasant surprise from Larry:

The updated file is now available in the first post on page #1 of this thread. And, by the way, the "MegaFile" has been downloaded 781 times since Larry made it first available about 6 weeks ago. Thanks to all who have contributed.

P.S. Larry, is there a limit to how many POIs can be included in a single S&T file? Hmm, perhaps we will one day find a limit of this MegaFile if people keep on contributing their collections.

That would be a great problem to have. I've never hit the limit so far but the 2010 release is still young.

Special thanks to Steve Jones from Ridetoeat.com for his huge contribution of points of interest. I would encourage you to visit his website to learn more about what type of eateries make it into his collection.

Update

Larry keeps making the POI MegaFile bigger and better.

Thanks, Larry!!!!!

I just checked, and the POI MegaFile has been downloaded already 998 times. Who is going do the download #1,000?

Hi Everyone, I gust purchased Streets and Trips 2010 and would love to be able to use this mega file of pushpins. My problm is I have no idea how to import it, nothing I try seems to work. Any help would be great. I am not very computer literate.

Lee,

You don't import it, it is a Route file or an .est file.

Open S&T and just do a File Open and find it where you downloaded it to.

It will come up and then you can have fun, be sure to save your new file with a different name [Save As]

Browse around the board a bit and you will find all kinds of Tips and Tricks.

Tom
Avid RVer

Hi Lee,

Welcome to Laptop GPS World.

Just to add to what Tom said above, the downloaded POI Mega File is a .zip file that needs to be un-Zipped. You might have done that, but I'm mentioning it because I've always wandered if we should include not just the compressed .zip file, but even the uncompressed .est file as a download to make it easier for some people.

Thanks everyone, I`ll try again when i get home from work tomorrow morning.

Hi, I've been trying again to get this mega file into Streets and Trips 2010, and I'm still not having any luck. I download the file, unzip it, I click on the S&T icon and open Streets & Trips, then click on the open file icon in S&T, find the mega file in my documents and click on it. The file opens and changes the title of S&T from Map-Microsoft Streets & Trips to ST2010_poi_megafile.dec-Microsoft Streets & Trips and puts a pushpin column under legend and overview with all of the pushpins. Great, I think! I try and save this and it said the file already exists. OK what ever. If I make a route, save it and exit, the next time i open S&T from the desktop icon that route is nowhere to be found. Either is the pushpin file. If I go to my documents and click on the megafile the route is there when it opens, also the megafile. If I make another route and save it the first one I saved disappears never to be found again. I have never been able to get pushpins to show up under the legend and over heading when I open S&T from the desktop icon. I still don`t see what I`m doing wrong. HELP

Hi Lee,

The universe is unfolding just as it should, Grasshopper.

When you open Streets&Trips using the desktop icon, all it does is make the program run with an empty file. That's what it's supposed to do (yeah, I know it's not what you want it to do.)

If you want a map file opened in Streets&Trips, you have to use the File > Open menu to open that file.

Or, as you have discovered, you can just double-click a Streets&Trips map file (*.est) in Windows Explorer (e.g. My Documents, My Computer, whatever), Windows will launch Streets&Trips and tell it to open the file you double-clicked on.

Everything is working just as it was designed and now you know two ways to open the file.

...ken...

Lee, I forgot that there's another way.

If you launch Streets&Trips from the icon on the desktop and click the File menu, look partway down the menu and you will see a list of recently opened files. Your mega file should be listed there, so you can just click on it rather than having to go through the whole Open thing.

And then there were three!

...ken...

Ken, thanks for the help. I thought the pushpins would be under the legend and overview heading when i open S&T from the desktop icon. I guess I misunderstood. Again, thanks for the help Lee

Lee, if you wish the POI Mega File to replace the default template of Streets & Trips, you can do that, too. Just rename the POI Mega file to New North America Map.stt, and then replace the default S&T template in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Streets & Trips\Templates\, or a similar folder where the template is located on your computer.

POI Mega File Update

No, thank you, Larry!

In less than 3 months, the POI MegaFile has been downloaded over 1,600 times. That's over 500 times per month.

The file can be freely downloaded by anyone. The most up-to-date version is always available on the top this page, right on the bottom of the first post.

Larry:

FYI, I recently made a large number of corrections and additions to the RideToEat.com database and it would be great if you could refresh the Mega File with the new RTE data.

I am not sure which format is most useful to you, but if you go to Downloads | Ride To Eat I am sure there is something there that will work for you.

Thanks!

Thanks Steve! I will be sure to update with the new RTE info for the next version.

I also noticed that the DiscoveryOwners site has updated Sam's Clubs and Rest Area info so I've got some work to do :-)

By the way, I ate at a couple of your RTE locations while I was in FL. Good choices for places to eat.

Btw, what's the procedure for updating the POI Mega File once you have copied it to the New North American Map template? Do you suck it into that template, or will that result in duplicates? Or, do you suck it into a fresh map and then once again overwrite the template?

Thanks!

Regards, Chris

I think Phantom62's latest post in the thread about how to make it the default template has a solution that would work the best for me.

http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/2634-how-set-default-file-microsoft-streets-trips

If you used that suggestion, when a new version becomes available just download the POI Megafile, load it into a new map, then save it with the same name as the previous .EST file in order to overwrite it. Use the icon on the desktop to open it whenever that's what you want to start with.

...ken...

Hey, Ken! Thanks for the reply and suggestion. The reason I was asking, though, is because I've also grabbed a number of other POIs off of the POI Factory, so if I start with an empty map I have to reinstall all of the POIs again, not just the Mega File. So, I was wondering if there was another way, or if S&T would sort out what's new and only import those? I guess not, though, eh?

Thanks, again, for the suggestion...

Regards, Chris

P.S. I went to U of R way back in the mid-70's (yes, kiddies, I'm a dinosaur!), so I have a fondness for Regina even though I haven't been there for years.

The POI Megafile is a way to give users a huge headstart in creating a personalized map template with all the collections that you care about.

As you start using the file you may delete a few collections that do not interest you and add new collections that suit your interests. Over time you will have a 'custom POI megafile' that works for you.

Those users savvy enough to use the Import Data Wizard don't neccessarily need to download the new POI Megafile - just update your version with the new collections.

The best place to see what is new is here: DiscoveryOwners. Choose "text only" from the dropdown list and the recently updated files are listed right at the top.

Steve owns the extensive Ride to Eat POI collection and he has an update available on his website: Downloads | Ride To Eat

Tip: when assigning columns in the import process - choose lat/longs over addresses for pushpin placement. Assign address column as <other data> otherwise S&T will geocode using address and not lat/long.

Doesn't the data import automatically default to use Lat/Lon if the wizard thinks those columns are fully populated? I can't see where the user interface offers any control over that... am I missing something?

BTW, I just added another file format to the download page. It's a Streets and Trips optimized TSV file with the headers named properly for the import wizard, and the address data combined into one field so it doesn't take up so much vertical space in the balloon. You can see it halfway down the Ride To Eat download page.

Larry, et. al.

I find it easier to hide all the pushpins on the old megafile, and then use the Export GPX function to "capture" my route. Then update [open] the megafile, and do a Import GPX function to bring my route into the updated megafile.

If you have added pushpins [they should be at the top of the list], go ahead and unhide them and the GPX file will include them also. The only thing needed after that is adding back the pushpin graphics to the added pushpins as the GPX file doesn't bring those across.

Whatever works best for the individual.

Tom

Tom, you are THE man! That's *exactly* what I was looking for... some way to avoid having to individually reimport a dozen push pin sets. Although it took awhile for the computer to churn through the data, both exporting and then reimporting them, it was sure a heck of alot easier than doing it manually one set at a time.

Bravo for you, dude!

Regards,

Chris

February Update

Larry writes:
Thanks Larry! Both, the .zip, and now also the .est file (no need to un-zip), are available on the top of this page, in the first post.

I've also recently modified the last field ("RTE Review") so that it is no longer just a generic link back to the RTE website, but a hard link back to an anchor tag for that specific entry. That modification has also been applied to the S&T2007 and S&T2010 files. All are available on the Ride To Eat download page. Hopefully it will be integrated into the next POI Mega file update as well.

I've undertaken a rather massive ongoing effort to enhance the RTE data. I've capped it at 1000 entries for now. To keep it there, when a new entry is received I delete an old unreviewed entry. I also update address/phone/website data as new entries and entry updates are received. I have street address on about 3/4ths of the entries now. As always, 100% of the entries have Lat/Lon data.

In under a month I've gone from less than a quarter of my entries including reviews, to over half. The last half is going to be the hardest though... Once the data is 100% made up of fully reviewed locations, I'll remove the cap and let the dataset grow again. In the meantime the data is evolving rapidly, so if you're planning to use it on a trip or something you may want to download it again to freshen your copy before departing.

Enjoy!

Thanks Steve for your on going efforts and commitment to this awesome collection of recommmended eateries.

I will most certainly include the latest and greatest version of the RTE data in the March release of the POI Megafile however those who want it now can just grab it from your website easy enough.

I have used Streets and Trips 2008, 2009 and now 2010 for about two months. I just discovered the Discovery POI download and it is great.

When I open the version Streets and Trips 2010 with the new POI's imported, and then try to open a trip file created in the original Streets and Trips 2010, it takes me out of the newer version with the POI's.

My question is how can I open a trip file created in Streets and Trips 2010 with the expanded version with the new POI data?

thanks,

Clermont Ed

Hi netmarks,

Welcome to the forum!

2 ways to do this:
1) Launch S&T by double-clicking on the saved POI-Megafile.
or
2) replace the Streets & Trips default template with the POI Megafile. Make a copy of the default file in case you want to go back.

Well Larry, I did what you said and created a new template and saved a new N.A. map. However that hasn't solved the problem. All of the trips that I had saved prior to the POI import, were saved in a file called My GPS Trips in My Documents. New trips built with the POI version work fine and open in the correct version.

My challenge is when I am in the new Streets & Trips 2010 w/POI and try to open a trip in My GPS Trips that was created with the non POI version, it won't open, but instead kicks me back into the earlier version.

I have numerous trip saved that I would like to run using the POI version but can't seem to find a way to do it.

Am I dense?

netmark, do you use all of the POI in the mega file? Why not just copy & paste the ones you use most often into your old files. I don't think there is a way to "merge" the new template with your old files. The template only comes into play when you create a new file, as best as I understand it.

Hi netmarks,

My apologies if I didn't understand your question.

Here is how I would transfer pushpin sets from POI Megafile to my older saved map.

1) Open the S&T 2010 POI Megafile
2) Open the trips you saved prior to having the POI megafile
(you should now have 2 instances of S&T open in 2 different windows)
3) On the POI Megafile under pushpins - single-click on the POI collection you want to copy
4) R-click and choose 'copy' or do a ctrl+c
5) Now bring the other instance of S&T (showing your old trip) to the front.
6) press Ctrl+V or r-click anywhere on the map and choose 'paste'

Result: the pushpin set now shows up on the old map (including the custom icon!)
Note: It doesn't matter if the pushpin set is in the (hidden) state for the transfer.
Also: there is no way to select multiple pushpin sets and copy them all at once. It must be done one-by-one.

Let us know how that works for you.

Larry

Thanks to Larry & Gadget Girl. I got it done.

On to bigger and better challenges!

Clermont Ed

Wow! Another new feature I hadn't noticed! In earlier versions of S&T (at least up until 2006) you could only have one map open at a time. Being able to open multiple maps is REALLY handy!

Well darn! Add THAT to the wish list, Larry! Being able to ctrl-click multiple sets and then copy and paste would be really handy.

Regards, Chris

Hi guys new to the forum and just purchased Streets and Trips. I have downloaded the Mega file and looked it over. I had started a thread and another member suggested I might want to add an idea to this discussion:

It would be nice to compile trail head info along with a complete listing of State/National parks. I have had the opportunity to look over the POI Mega file, and while this is a great help it also lacks some/many state parks, a few National ones and very few to no Wilderness areas.

I would be interested in working with others to compile the data for trail heads, National forest and other outdoor spot locations. I live in South Eastern TN so the Great Smoky Mountains along with many other National forest and wilderness areas in my region are something I would be wiling to compile.

That is if others are interested. Not sure how many hikers and outdoorsy types use this software. If we combined our efforts then a better idea of where things were could be compiled.

I'm not looking to use this for hiking, map/compass and hand helds are fine for that. I'm just looking to gaining more info about where trail heads, national parks, State Parks, wilderness areas, OHV parks, historic site locations basically anything outdoors are. I think this additional info would be a great addition to this software/file.

What I had in mind was more of a local tour of the area of unknown locations as well as well know ones. Like the Cumberland Trail, Cherokee National Forest, small state parks, OHV parks, rafting outfitters, rock climbing areas and other places in Eastern TN that I know of that most people have never heard of. When people come to the Smokies they manly converge on the main attractions, which like many of you in hard hit National Park areas know are places to avoid.

The big National Parks are the places to go when traveling and most of the time there is only time to hit the highlights, but if there is time to spare it would be nice to avoid the crowds and see something locals find that rival the more well know sights.

I may be messing up our hidden treasures by adding them to this but I also would like to find other states hidden treasures. So there is a give and take to wanting to find these things out.

March Update

April Update

THANKS LARRY

June Update

Larry writes:

Thanks Larry for making the POI Mega File possible, and a special thanks to SpadesFlush for the Philly Cheesesteak collection.

AutoRoute POI Mega File Update

I recently make a contribution to the POI Mega File and I can't wait to see how it's going to look!

Larry,

Looks like Super Wal Marts are in the June database twice...smile...you must like them. We do - smile!

Tom

Thanks Tom! It's hard to get good help these days.
I'll be updating the file in July and I'll stick with just 1 entry.

Larry,

Another suggestion for you - I just went to www.catscale.com and you can download all the locations of CAT Scales - they are used by both truckers and RVers [on occasion - when we want to check out our rig weight for safety]. I downloaded the GPX version and the CAT .bmp file, so it should be an easy one to do. Not sure what your protocol is, but it downloads for free, and you can sign up for updates to the file.

Tom

I just spoke with Liz from Catscale and she gave the green light to include this collection with the POI megafile. Thanks Tom for the tip.

It would also be nice to have all the Starbucks locations - the wife and I have a latte everyday - most times we make it ourselves with the ground espresso, but occasionally if we are out sightseeing and it's nice to just stop and grab a "quick fix". I have a database, but again you probably need permission. I also have the database on my iPod, so it must not be that secret! Smile.

Tom

July Update

A special thanks for reminding us about HST ! Yeah, Happy Canada Day!

August Update

Larry writes:

Thank you Larry!

I know this is a thankless job - but I care!

Tom

Ken just suggested to upload new smileys for just this type of occasion ...

Thanks, Larry ...

Wow! Thanks! That is why I do this...for the new smileys! Hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to all the contributors it gets better every month.

I hope I am not off base, but I need some help with S & T 2010. I have been searching Microsoft and everywhere on the Internet with no luck.
I opened Import Data Wizard, selected 12 POI's (.est) files and loaded them into Streets & Trips. In my pushpin folder on the left, only 1 (TA) shows up. No where can I find the other 11. Also when I click the FILE Menu and scroll to the bottom 4 of them show up and are able to be opened.

Sorry if I am in the wrong Forum. Thanks Don

Don,

Only one .est file can be loaded at once. If you want to load more than one POI file, use the .txt or .csv versions of the file. If you are getting them from Discovery Owners, that's why I don't use the MS S&T files for that reason.

If you have the 2010 version, just download the megafile from this site and then just delete the ones you don't want, then save the file as your base.

HTH,
Tom

Tom,

I am still confused. I have at least 4 POI's because I can open them from the File/Open menu at the bottom where previously opened files are listed. They all open, but only the latest one shows in Push Pins, not all.
Right now none of them show, not even pushpins.
When I do Find Nearby Places_Restaurants or Places it only shows what was on Streets & Trips originally, not my POI's.

So if we cannot solve the above, where was that file that you suggested to down load and how to use it?

Thanks for your reply, Don Blume

Hey Don,

You seem to be having some difficulty with Microsoft's concept of "map" files.

Each of those files you referred to are separate "map" files. You can only have one open in Streets&Trips at a time. So you have a couple of simple options.

1. You can just open another copy of Streets&Trips with your planned route in it and open another copy of Streets&Trips and open one of those map files with the desired POI list in it. Then you just switch between them to see what you want to see ... the route or the POI/pushpin list.

To open a second copy of Streets&Trips, just launch it the way you normally would, by double-clicking the desktop icon or launching it from the Programs list in the Start menu.

Or...

2. You can combine those four POI lists into the map file with your route in it. To do this, you need to run two copies of Streets&Trips.
- In the first one, open your file with the route in it.
- In the second copy of Streets&Trips, open one of your POI files.
- Select the pushpin set and use the Copy command.
- Switch to the copy of Streets&Trips with your route in it and Paste the pushpin set.
-* Switch back to the copy with your POI list in it and open the next POI list.
-* Select the pushpin set and Copy.
-* Switch to the copy with your route and the first pushpin set and Paste the second pushpin set.
- Repeat the last three steps for the remaining two POI lists.
- Save the map file so it now contains the route and your four POI lists (pushpin sets) whenever you open it.

Now you can take another step in simplifying your use of the POI lists.

- Open the map file that has your route and your four pushpin sets in it.
- Delete the route.
- Save this new file that only contains the four pushpin sets as a Template file with a name that makes sense to you.

Now, whenever you want to start route planning and also have those pushpin sets available along with the route, just open the template file you just saved as your starting point for the planning. Make a route and save a map file with a relevant name and work with it for that trip. It will have the four pushpin sets in it and your new route, all available within the one map file.

I hope that helps.

...ken...

Ken,

My undestanding of S&T 2010 is that you can have several POI files loaded and viewable, one at a time. I understand this, what I am trying to do is Locate where the other POI's are stored in Streets & Trips. I have searched every Menu & tool to find them, there are 12 in all. When I get Points of Interest in Legend & Overview it only shows what came with S & T, not what I imported.
When I open the File Menu, at the bottom it shows 4 of 12 files that I had previously opened like, TAMS.est- PILOTMS.est - PETROMS.est - CASINO.est. I can open these one at a time, but nowhere can I find where all 12 POI's are stored in order to select one of them to open.
I hope I have been able to explain the situation.
By the way I have searched all over Microsoft Support and Frequently Asked Questions and my DVD copy of S&T 2010 has no phone support number only the Web site, which I tried.

Don,

OK, one more time, each of those "map" files [don't call them POI files] is a MS S&T file, and only one MS S&T FILE can be open at once. What you are seeing on the File Menu is files that have been opened previously and would include the current one open at the top.

What you need to do is follow Ken's advice carefully and do exactly what he is saying to create ONE .est file with multiple POI "Pushpin sets".

You will never be able to see more than one .est file at a time, BUT an individual .est file can contain hundreds of POI sets of pushpins.

Please download the megafile from this website and open it, and I think you will see what we are talking about.

Tom

I assume you mean the MegaFile - 2010_DiscoveryOwners.est which came out of the Zip file. I did that, put it in a folder and in S&T went to DATA/ Import Data Wizard and it would not open an .est file, only Excel and Txt files. .est does not show up as a file to select to open.
Don

est is the extension for S&T map files. You should be able open it in S&T 2010 by clicking (or double clicking) on it.

Terry

Don, download the POI Mega File from page #1 of this thread.

Don,

The megafile is just like the files you have been opening. Use the command File Open, not the Data Wizard.

Let us know. Once you open it, read the "flash screen" then delete it and your are ready to go!

Tom

Is there a reason I can't find KOA's on the Mega File? Other then me being blind!

Many thanks to the great replies on finding my POI's, I thought they were stored in S & T. I see now that they only open up in S&T. I could not find that information in Streets & Trips HELP files or else I just missed it.

Thanks a lot for your replies.

Don

Hi Lee,

In order for a pushpin collection to be included in the POI megafile it must meet 2 criteria. 1) it must be free 2) owner of the data must give permission to share it out in this way.

I think it would be a great idea for KOA to provide a database but maybe they don't yet realize the opportunity they are missing!

Thanks Larry..... I thought I was going crazy not being able to find it. Now that I know it's not there I will quit looking....

I downloaded the Mega POI file but don't know where it is supposed to be placed in Streets. Also can't get it to display the new POI's or show them in legends. Is there a function to install them? I'm lost.

Is there a manual somewhere that tells how to use Streets. Help doesn't seem to answer all my questions.

Could it be because I only have a 60 day trial copy and it hasn't installed all of the features?

RS

There is nothing disabled in the trial version. If the download is an est file, you can open it in S&T by clicking on it. If csv, you can import it. If its a zip, unzip it first!

Terry

One of the best places to look for information about S&T besides this forum is the Streets & Trips Team Blog.


Terry

I did unzip it. Don't know how to get it into Streets and show up in Legends.

RS

The download is an est file or will be after you unzip it. Make sure you know where you put it and open S&T 2010. From File-Open find and choose the est file. The results will show on the Legend and Overview tab under the Pushpins header. Click on the + to the left of it if it is not already open

Terry

That's just the problem, I Don't know where to put it and nobody will tell me. It doesn't do it automatically. Like I said it's not intuitive.

RS

Nothing you download is ever put where the program expects to look! There is nothing unintuitive about that. If you don't want to create a folder for S&T to store the files you create or download, check where File-Open normally looks and place your download there!

Terry

Part of the reason this procedure does not appear intuitive is the download has nothing to do directly with Streets and Trips. It is just organized and presented in a fashion that S&T 2010 can open and use. It is not a Microsoft or Streets & trips site but makes information available in an S&T format because S&T is widely used with that type of information.

Terry

RS, the reason this may appear to be so confusing and frustrating at first, is because this is just too simple.

1. Download the file anywhere on your computer you want (for example Desktop)

2. Click on it.

That's it. You are done. There is nothing else that you need to do. You do not need to "import" anythings, you do not need to place the file to any special folder, etc. All that you need to do is to simply 'click' on it.

If I click on the Mega file that I downloaded it does open with all the pushpins in the 'Legends' panel. And I can unhide them. But when I click on a 'trip'in the folder I have saved it loses the pushpins in Legends and just reverts back to original. It would be nice if the pushpins would stay onscreen as I move down the road. Not all of them of course, just the ones I want to see.

RS

Each of these is a different file. Try opening both files at the same time. Copy and paste the sets of POIs you want from the mega file one to your trip one.

Terry

The crucial thing to remember is that this POI file is a complete file on its own. If you open, or have it open already, another file in which you have created a route or otherwise populated the file with data, that is itself another complete file.

As Terry said above, you can have both open at the same time. If you have them open in side-by-side windows, you can copy selectively things you want from the POI file to your own file.

Or you can use the POI file to start constructing your own route. That is, open the POI file, start making a route or whatever, and then save that with "Save As" with a new file name. This latter step is very important to avoid writing over the original POI file. Doing it this way saves a lot of copying and pasting and assures everything from the POI file is on your route file. You can either hide or delete POI pushpins that are not relevant to your route.

I couldn't figure out how to get the Mega file into Streets so it would load up when Streets was launched. Well thanks to a friend who has used Streets for many years I learned what steps were involved.

There is a file called 'New North America Maps.sst'. The mega file has to be saved to a 'Templates' folder hidden deep in Windows 7. You have to save the file using that name. You are overwriting the file with the new file and using the same name. By editing the Mega file to eliminate all the stuff you don't need and also setting your on screen map whatever you want to the location and size you like. When you launch Streets the next time it will only load the POI's you want and the view you want.

Apparently I have to recreate my saved trips as they won't be in the new file. But any new ones I create will be saved for future callup.

Nowhere did I find the directions on how to impliment the New Mega file.

RS

RSTravler,

I used to rename it and make it the default, but most times I don't need to load it initially, I just load the current file I am traveling under. I just save it in a LaptopGPS folder and change it each month when the new update comes out, and bring it up after S&T starts - to me - lots easier.

One other thing I have done is take a current planned route and move it to a new updated Megafile. I just Hide all pushpins, and do a Data Export GPX and save the small GPX file onto the desktop, then open the new updated Megafile and do a Data Import GPX and all of your route appears, except for the nights or times for scheduled stops.

Maybe the MS Development team can work on that. Also, work on a Alpha sort of Pushpins and a delete pushpin function that will not return to the top of the list each time you delete a set. Sometimes I want to delete multiple sets of rest stops or state parks that we will not visit. It would also be nice to delete multiple sets at once.

Just a thought,
Tom

Sorry, but I did not understand that you were asking this question in your earlier posts and I tried to answer the question as I then read it. There are some downsides to making a POI megafile your STT file, but if that is what you want to do, fine.

He hasn't used the latest version of S&T then as you don't have to do that anymore.Under Tools - Options - Maps tab, you can save your current configuration and it will open every time.

Also, we made suggestions as to how you might implement the file and others about how to transfer points of interest to your existing trips.

Terry

Just look how much new stuff you've learned, RS!!

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but the POI Mega File is a massive, and totally voluntary, effort by a few people in their relatively limited spare time. So I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that those who want to take advantage of it should be required to learn a little bit on their own time so they can make the best use of it. Especially since everyone who uses it wants to use it a little, or a lot, differently.

I think your comments about no instructions to use it are somewhat unjustified. Thousands of words of guidance have been written in this discussion thread alone, since it was initially started. Many of those words have been written in direct response to your requests for help. Some of those messages included explicit instructions how to do what you just did ... make it into a template (and creating templates is included in the Streets&Trips Help file). So, if the assistance that was provided was not adequate for your needs, it sure wasn't through any lack of trying on the part of a lot of your fellow users.

I'm glad you found a way to get it done.

Be well.

...ken...

Ken,

I'm sure what you say is true that a lot of time and effort have been put in build and use the info in the Mega file. It's a great compilation of data. And I do appreciate all that has been done. And I'm sure it's been discussed in how to use and apply it. Apparently I haven't researched far enough or long enough to find what I needed to know. In time I would have found the answers if it were here somewhere.

Fortunately I have a friend who has used it for a long time and was aware of what I needed to do. He is good to share what he knows as do I if I have anything to contribute.

My thanks Ken to you and Terry and all the others for the effort put in and for all your help. Thank god for the internet for the resouce that it is. Without it I for one would be totally at a loss. How did we ever get anything done before computers?

RS