Importing From a Text File

Pimp-My-Nav supports importing from various POI file formats including the following:

Importing from the first three formats is straightforward as there is no ambiguity about how the data is represented in these types of files.

However importing from an ASCII text file is potentially more complicated due to the many ways in which POI data can be laid out in this unstructured format, and therefore involves an extra step to confirm the layout of the file.

It is highly recommended that you use the text file format only as a last resort when none of the other formats is available.

 

Text File Examples

Consider the following text file examples:

Example 1 - Text File With Header

LONGITUDE,LATITUDE,NAME
-3.93333,5.25,ABIDJAN COTE D' IVOIRE FELIX HOUPHOUET BOIGNY
-99.75,16.75,ACAPULCO MEXICO GENERAL JUAN N. ALVAREZ
-0.16667,5.6,ACCRA GHANA KOTOKA
38.8,8.98333,ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA BOLE
138.53333,-34.95,ADELAIDE ST AUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL

This POI file contains the field names in the first row, followed by the actual data from row 2 onwards.  There are three columns of data, separated by commas ",".  The first field contains the LONGITUDE, the second field contains the LATITUDE and the third field the NAME of each point of interest.   Pimp-My-Nav has all the information it requires to import this file successfully, and will not need any manual "coaching".

For files like this, do the following:

  1. Ensure that the "File Has Header" option is left ticked
  2. Click OK to import

Note:

  • The "File Preview" pane allows you to view the contents of the file before importing it.
  • The file-to-database field mappings at the bottom of the dialog are automatically populated in this example because the field names are defined in the first line of the file, and because the three required fields (LATITUDE, LONGITUDE and NAME) are present.

 

Example 2 - Text File Without Header

5.25,-3.93333,ABIDJAN COTE D' IVOIRE FELIX HOUPHOUET BOIGNY
16.75,-99.75,ACAPULCO MEXICO GENERAL JUAN N. ALVAREZ
5.6,-0.16667,ACCRA GHANA KOTOKA
8.98333,38.8,ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA BOLE
-34.95,138.53333,ADELAIDE ST AUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL

This file also contains three columns, separated by commas ",".  However because the field names are not defined on the first line, Pimp-My-Nav has no way of knowing which fields correspond to LATITUDE, LONGITUDE or NAME in the database.  Furthermore, the LATITUDE and LONGITUDE fields are in a different order to the first example, making it impossible to make any assumptions about what information is in the different columns.

For files like this, do the following:

  1. Untick the "File Has Header" option
  2. Click on "Field0" (Check that this field contains latitude information!)
  3. Click on "LATITUDE"
  4. Click the "MAP" button to associate the field in the file with the latitude field in the database.  The mapping will be added to the "Mapped Fields" at the bottom of the dialog.

Repeat for the LONGITUDE and NAME fields until all three required fields are mapped as follows:

The OK button will now be active, allowing you to start the import.

Note that the "LATITUDE", "LONGITUDE" and "NAME" fields must always be mapped, while all other fields are optional.

 

Example 3 - Text File With a Comment Header

; LONGITUDE,LATITUDE,NAME
-3.93333,5.25,ABIDJAN COTE D' IVOIRE FELIX HOUPHOUET BOIGNY
-99.75,16.75,ACAPULCO MEXICO GENERAL JUAN N. ALVAREZ
-0.16667,5.6,ACCRA GHANA KOTOKA
38.8,8.98333,ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA BOLE
138.53333,-34.95,ADELAIDE ST AUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL

Although the header in this file is technically a comment (i.e. the row should be ignored because of the ";" prefix), Pimp-My-Nav will nonetheless treat it the same as example 1.

 

GPS Co-Ordinates in Text Files

Latitude and longitude GPS co-ordinates for POI can be represented in many ways in a text file.  The main variations are the use of a decimal number to represent degrees as opposed to splitting the into degrees, minutes and seconds, and the use of negative values instead of a direction such as West or South.

Latitude values range from -90 to 90 degrees, while longitude values range from -180 to 180 degrees.

These are some of the permutations, with the first column showing if Pimp-My-Nav supports them:

Supported Description Examples Applications Using This Format
Yes
(Recommended)		 Degrees (+/- decimal)
ddd.dddddd
-ddd.ddddddd

For latitude, positive is North, while negative is South of the equator

For longitude, positive is East, while negative is West of Greenwich

 -26.54321
54.12345

155.3
-34.56789

 TomTom (*.asc)
Navman (*.csv)
Garman (*csv)
MioMap (*.csv)
Yes Degrees (Positive decimal with direction suffix)
ddd.ddddddd N(ORTH)
ddd.ddddddd S(OUTH)
ddd.ddddddd E(AST)
ddd.ddddddd W(EST)		 26.54321 WEST
54.12345 NORTH

155.3°E
34.56789°S

  
Yes Degrees (Positive decimal with direction prefix)
Nddd.ddddddd
Sddd.ddddddd
Eddd.ddddddd
Wddd.ddddddd		 W26.54321
N54.12345

E155.3°
S34.56789°

  
Yes Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (decimal) with direction suffix
ddd° mm' ss.sssssss" N(ORTH)
ddd° mm' ss.sssssss" S(OUTH)
ddd° mm' ss.sssssss" E(AST)
ddd° mm' ss.sssssss" W(EST) 		26° 32' 35.56" WEST
54° 7' 24.42" NORTH

155° 18' 0.00" E
34° 34' 4.40" S

  
Yes Degrees, Minutes (decimal) with direction suffix
ddd° mm.mmmmm' N(ORTH)
ddd° mm.mmmmm' S(OUTH)
ddd° mm.mmmmm' E(AST)
ddd° mm.mmmmm' W(EST) 		26° 32.5926' WEST
54° 7.407' NORTH

155° 18.0'E
34° 34.0734' S

  
No Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (decimal) with +/- prefix
ddd° mm' ss.sssssss"
-ddd° mm' ss.sssssss"		 -26° 32' 35.56"
54° 7' 24.42"

155° 18' 0.00"
-34° 34' 4.40"

  
No Degrees:Minutes:Seconds (decimal) with +/- prefix
ddd:mm:ss
-ddd:mm:ss		 -26:32:35.56
54:7:24.42

155:18:0
-34:34:4.40

  

Notes

  • The first format in the table is the most commonly used.  Usually the longitude column is before the latitude column in files that use this format.
  • Wherever a decimal point is used, it should always be a period "." and not a comma "," regardless of your country or the regional settings of your computer.
  • For longitude, a negative number always presents WEST, while a negative latitude is SOUTH.

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