Points of Interest & Markers

The plugin has a comprehensive marker system with multiple types of markers serving different purposes. Understanding these types will help you effectively manage your route points of interest.

Marker Types vs. Marker Entities

It's important to understand the difference between marker types (the templates) and marker entities (the actual things you place on maps):

The Two-Step Process

Step 1: Define Marker Types (Templates)

First, you create reusable marker type definitions that specify how a category of markers should appear and behave:

What they control: Icon, colour, label format, visibility settings
Example marker types: "Café", "Bike Shop", "Car Park", "Water Fountain", "Photo Spot"
Where to create them: Routes → Config → POI Markers
Analogy: Think of these as rubber stamps - you design the stamp once

Step 2: Add Marker Entities (Actual Markers)

Then, you add individual marker entities - the actual points of interest using those types:

What they are: Specific locations with coordinates, descriptions, and assigned marker types
Example entities: "Miller's Café at High Street", "Pete's Bikes on Main Road", "Beach Car Park"
Where to create them: Routes → Destinations
Analogy: These are the stamped impressions - you use the stamp many times

💡 Key Insight:

You might have one marker type called "Café" but dozens of café entities (Miller's Café, Joe's Coffee, The Tea Room, etc.). Each café entity uses the same marker type definition for its appearance, but represents a different physical location with unique details.

Marker Categories Overview

Category	Default Colour	Purpose
Route Destinations	Red	Primary tea stops/cafés for the route
Additional Destinations	Yellow	Alternative mid-route stopping points
Custom POI Markers	Configurable	Bike shops, viewpoints, car parks, etc.
Distance Markers	Blue	Auto-generated distance reference points

Destinations Management

Destinations are curated locations (cafés, tea stops, bike shops, etc.) that you manage centrally and can associate with multiple routes.

Accessing Destinations

Navigate to Routes → Destinations to view and manage all your destinations.

The Destinations Table

The destinations table shows all your curated locations with the following information:

Name - The destination name
Category - The type of destination (café, bike shop, etc.)
Address - Physical address or coordinates
Visibility - Current visibility status
Actions - Edit, delete options

Filtering Destinations

Use the category filter dropdown at the top of the table to show only destinations of a specific type. Click the category column header to sort destinations alphabetically by category.

Adding a New Destination

Click the "Add New Destination" button at the top of the Destinations page
A modal editor will open with the following fields:

Destination Fields

Field	Description
Name	The name of the destination (e.g., "Miller's Café")
Category	Select from configured categories (Route Destinations, Bike Shops, etc.)
Street Address	Physical address for display and geocoding
Coordinates	Latitude and longitude (can be auto-populated)
Website	Website URL for the destination
Notes	Additional information for riders
Visibility	Control when/if the destination is shown
Google Street View	Optional preview image (see Street View section)

Address Search with Auto-Population

The destination editor includes a powerful address search feature that speeds up data entry:

Enter a business name (e.g., "Smith's Café Brighton")
Click the "Search for Address" button
Review the search results showing matching locations
Click your desired result to automatically populate:
- Street Address
- GPS Coordinates
After coordinates are populated, use the "Generate from Coordinates" button to add Street View

💡 Fastest Workflow:

Enter business name → Search for Address
Click the correct result (auto-fills address and coordinates)
Click "Generate from Coordinates" (auto-creates Street View)
Save destination

This 4-step process takes just seconds and gives you a fully populated destination with Street View!

Visibility Options

Each destination can have one of four visibility statuses:

Visible: Always shown on maps and in lists
Hidden: Never shown (for internal use or discontinued locations)
Temporarily Disabled: Hidden until a specified date
Seasonally Available: Only shown during a specific date range each year

Main Destination vs. Alternative

Destinations can be marked as "Main Destination Only" which means they will only be used as the primary tea stop for routes, not as an alternative mid-route option. This is useful for cafés that are specifically designed as the main stopping point for club rides.

Custom POI Markers

Custom POI (Point of Interest) markers allow you to display additional types of locations on route maps beyond the standard tea stops. Examples include bike shops, viewpoints, water fountains, car parks, and photo spots.

Setting Up POI Marker Types

Navigate to Routes → Config → POI Markers
Configure your POI marker types with:
- Name: What to call this type (e.g., "Bike Shop")
- Icon: Font Awesome icon to use
- Colours: Background and icon colours
- URL Key: For filtering purposes
Save your configuration

Adding POI Markers

POI markers are added as destinations with a specific category:

Navigate to Routes → Destinations
Click "Add New Destination"
Fill in the name, address, coordinates, etc.
Select the appropriate Category (e.g., "Bike Shop")
Save the destination

💡 Automatic Updates: When you save a POI marker, the system automatically calculates which routes it's near and updates those routes. You don't need to manually assign POI markers to routes.

Calculating POI Proximity

For initial setup or bulk updates, use the POI Calculator:

Navigate to Routes → Custom Markers Calc
Select routes to process (or "All Routes")
Select which POI marker types to calculate
Set proximity radius (default 500m)
Set exclusion radius (default 1km from start/finish)
Click "Start Calculation"

Viewing POI Markers on Maps

POI markers appear on route maps with their configured icons and colours. Users can toggle them on and off via the View menu in the top-right corner of the map.

Each POI type has its own toggle
The toggle shows a count of markers (e.g., "Bike Shops (2)")
POI markers are hidden by default to keep maps clean

Destination Proximity Calculator

After you have a list of curated destinations, this tool figures out which destinations are relevant to which routes.

Purpose of the Tool

For each route you select, this tool analyses its GPX track. It then checks your entire list of curated destinations to see which ones are within a specified radius of the route's path. This information is saved with the route, allowing you to display "nearby destinations" on the route page.

How It Works

Route Analysis: The GPX file is parsed to get all trackpoints
Distance Calculation: For each destination, the system calculates the perpendicular distance to the nearest point on the route
Along-Route Distance: If within the proximity radius, it calculates how far along the route (in km/miles) the destination is
Exclusion Filtering: Destinations too close to the start or finish are excluded

Using the Proximity Calculator

Navigate to Routes → Route Management → Destination Proximity
Select the routes you want to process using:
- "Select All" to process all routes
- "Select Routes Needing Processing" to only process routes that haven't been calculated
- Manual checkbox selection
Configure settings:
- Proximity Radius: How close to the route a destination must be (default 500m)
- Exclusion Radius: How far from start/finish to exclude (default 1km)
Click "Start Proximity Calculation"
Wait for processing to complete (may take several minutes for many routes)

⚠️ Processing Time: Each route takes 0.5-2 seconds to process depending on GPX size. For 200 routes, expect 2-5 minutes.

Google Street View Integration

Each destination can include a Google Street View preview, helping users see the destination before they arrive. This is particularly useful for identifying cafés, bike shops, and meeting points.

Adding Street View to Destinations

When creating or editing a destination in Routes → Destinations, you'll find the Google Street View section directly below the Street Address field.

Method 1: Generate from Coordinates (Easiest)

This is the quickest method and works without a Google API key:

Ensure the destination has coordinates entered (either manually or via address search)
Click the "Generate from Coordinates" button in the Google Street View section
A Street View preview will automatically appear showing the closest available Street View imagery
Save the destination to store the Street View URL

💡 Tip: This method generates Street View from the exact GPS coordinates, which may place you in the middle of the road or at a slightly different angle than ideal. For more control, use Method 2 below.

Method 2: Manual URL Entry (Best Control)

For precise control over the Street View angle and position:

Open Google Maps in a new browser tab
Search for the destination or navigate to its location
Drag the yellow Street View pegman onto the map at your desired location
Adjust the view angle, zoom, and position until you're happy with the preview
Copy the URL from your browser's address bar
Back in the destination editor, click "Enter Manually"
Paste the URL into the field that appears
Click "Save" to set the Street View

Managing Street View

Once a Street View has been added:

Preview: The Street View appears as an embedded preview in the destination editor
Open in Google Maps: Click the link below the preview to view full-screen
Remove: Click the "Remove" button to delete the Street View
Replace: Simply generate a new one or enter a new URL manually