What is a Point of Interest?
A point of interest (POI) refers to a specific location or place that is of particular interest or importance. It can be any physical entity, such as a restaurant, park, museum, or shopping mall. Essentially, a POI is any location that people may find noteworthy, relevant, or useful in their day-to-day activities.
What is POI Data?
POI data typically includes attributes associated with each point, such as the name, address, coordinates (latitude and longitude), category, contact information, hours of operation, reviews, ratings, and sometimes additional details like photos, descriptions, and user-generated content. This information helps users find and navigate to particular points of interest in various applications and services.
Who Uses POI Data?
POI data is used extensively in mapping and navigation systems, mobile applications, travel guides, directory services, and location-based services. It enables users to search, discover, and get directions to specific places, whether they’re looking for a nearby coffee shop, planning a road trip, or exploring a new city.
Where to Find POI Data?
Google Maps is a widely-used source for POI data. It provides a vast collection of information about various points of interest, including businesses, landmarks, and more. Users can search for specific places, explore different categories, read reviews, and obtain directions.
However, it’s important to note that Google Maps does not provide a direct option to download or export their POI data in bulk. If you are specifically looking to scrape Google Maps data, Outscraper is a service that specializes in scraping Google Maps data. It offers a Google Maps Data Scraper tool that allows you to extract POI data from Google Maps. The tool can retrieve information such as business names, addresses, phone numbers, reviews, and more.
