POI Loader

Import customized points of interest created by others with the help of Garmin's new POI Loader software. In today's fast-paced world, points of interest are ever-changing. With the help of POI Loader, you can now add your favorite new restaurant, or that supermarket having the grand opening, as points of interest (POIs) to your compatible Garmin GPS. The possibilities are endless — upload safety cameras or school zones, and you will receive a warning if you are traveling too fast. In addition, an optional proximity-alert feature notifies you of upcoming custom POIs. Our free, new POI Loader software lets you personalize your GPS, giving you the freedom and flexibility to literally go anywhere.

As an added benefit to our customers, you can download the latest version of POI Loader software for free from our website.

What is POI Loader?

POI Loader is free software for your PC that lets you upload customized POIs to your compatible Garmin unit. POI Loader does not create customized POIs, nor is it software for your Garmin GPS. It simply gives you the ability to upload POIs created by others from your PC to your compatible Garmin — making it easy for you to navigate directly to these points of interest.

What are Points of Interest?

POIs include restaurants, hotels, post offices, emergency services, entertainment, plus much more, and are represented by small icons on the maps displayed on your unit. Many of our mapping products, such as MapSource City Select or City Navigator, include a database of nearly 6 million points of interest. With POI Loader, you can now add additional points of interest to your compatible Garmin. This means you can upload custom POIs to supplement the nearly 6 million points of interest that are already in your unit. Traveling on holiday? Upload the POI for that bed & breakfast that just opened or the new restaurant that your guide book recommends.

Custom POIs can also include .bmp images, as well as speed and proximity alert information. These POIs can be created by you, your friends, or third parties. There are several free and subscription services on the Internet that also provide POIs. See our Custom POI Sources web page for links to these third party websites.

How Does POI Loader Work?

POI Loader must first be installed on your PC. After installation, search and navigate to personalized POIs on your PC, and use POI Loader to upload these points of interest from GPX or .CSV files to your compatible Garmin GPS or onto an SD card.

With POI Loader, you can configure your unit to alert you when you are within a certain distance of a point or if you are driving over a certain speed near a point — perfect to warn you about upcoming school zones, red lights, and speed cameras. For more information on POI Loader, see the help file that is included with the free software download.

These screens illustrate the proximity alert feature in action:

What is Garmin TourGuide™?

With the latest POI Loader software, third-party developers can create and load special Garmin TourGuide POIs, which turn your compatible Garmin unit into your own personal, electronic tour guide. These POIs have an audio file associated with them. When you pass by a TourGuide POI with your compatible Garmin unit, the TourGuide audio file begins playing automatically. Garmin TourGuide has so many different applications: you can use it for bus tours, hotels, rentals, real estate sales — the possibilities are endless!

Garmin TourGuide POIs are currently compatible with the nüvi™, zūmo™, and the StreetPilot® 2730, 2820, 7200, and 7500.

How does Garmin TourGuide work?

You must have a compatible Garmin unit with the latest software, the latest POI Loader software, and the latest version of MapSource in order to create and load Garmin TourGuide POIs. Download the latest POI Loader software. Then, consult the POI loader help file for details on how to create and load Garmin TourGuide files to your Garmin unit.