Q: My business is not listed on my own GPS unit, can you help add my business to GPS devices?
A: That's what BizMappers does, we get your business listed as a POI (Point of Interest) on GPS devices.
Q: Does BizMappers update all the GPS and PND (Personal Navigation Devices)?
A: BizMappers updates the three major business information database companies that supply data to virtually all GPS and PND brands. We have verified that the top GPS brands which account for over 95% of the GPS devices sold in North America are supplied by these data companies.
Q: How long does it take for GPS devices to see the Points of Interest BizMappers inputs for me?
A: It can take several weeks for the database companies to process updates. Most GPS manufacturers receive data updates from the data companies quarterly, one gets updates weekly. Then the GPS owner needs to update the map data on their GPS unit. Most commonly that is done by connecting the GPS unit to a computer and running an update program.
Q: Will every GPS unit get these POI updates?
A: Not all consumers take the time to refresh or update the maps on their GPS devices. Most GPS devices allow the consumer to download the latest map upon activation. Most GPS device companies offer consumers free map updates for a period of time and then by subscription thereafter.
Q: I've tried to contact the GPS data providers myself and have NOT been able to get a response or corrections made.
A: Sometimes the GPS data providers can be non-responsive. They deal with millions of updates, so BizMappers has a few techniques to get changes processed in a reasonable timeframe.
Q: Some customers say their GPS units give them wrong directions, why does that happen?
A: Several possible reasons. One is map geocoding errors involving street navigation, ie. one way streets, turn restrictions. Another reason is an error marking your business street address at the wrong place on the map. Third, is a missing or incorrect POI for your business. BizMappers has found that businesses generally have more than one of these errors as well as significant data omissions.
Q: What's geocoding?
A: Geocoding is associating a point on a map with a street address. It allows you to type an address into an online map or GPS unit and directs you to the correct location. BizMappers can fix geocoding errors. BizMappers found a business geocoded in a patch of forest, not at the mall plaza a short drive away and around a corner.
Q: What about online maps?
A: BizMappers also updates the major online maps that allow business information searching (Google, Bing and Yahoo).
Q: Customer GPS's place my restaurant across town. Can BizMappers fix that?
A: Yes, BizMappers can get the location on the GPS corrected to identify your real physical location.
Q: My Garmin only shows an old POI, the store that was previously in our location, in the place of my current business! How do I get that removed?
A: BizMappers can remove that store listing from the Garmin GPS data source as well as any other incorrect databases.
Q: My restaurant is incorrectly classified as a sushi restaurant. We don't even serve sushi, we serve Mandarin and Chinese cuisine. How can I get that fixed?
A: Some GPS brands classify restaurants by category. One major brand uses 53 different possible classifications, other GPS brands lump all restaurants together. BizMappers can work with you to make sure your restaurant is classified optimally. We look at the possible correct options, how popular they are and how your nearby competition is classified. The goal is to get you classified in a popular category that's accurate.
Q: I sell books plus coffee and pastries. In which category do I list my business?
A: Some data providers (databases) allow up to five or six separate classifications. Other databases allow only one classification, for these we'll look at several factors: what your core business is, what POI categories are most common on GPS devices and from which category are you most likely to draw drop-in clients.
Q: When my POI is first input in the databases, do all GPS units get it immediately?
A: No, first the GPS companies need to get the update from their database company, some do that weekly, some quarterly. Second the GPS owner needs to update the map data on their GPS unit. Most commonly that is done by connecting the GPS unit to a computer and running an update program.
Q: Is there any situation where you would not recommend adding a business POI to the GPS databases?
A: Yes, if your business is known to be located near dangerous, impassable "roads" that GPS devices would try to route your customers on to get to you. If you wish, BizMappers can request those roads be marked as impassable.
Q: I've tried to contact the GPS data providers myself and have NOT been able to get a response or corrections made.
A: Sometimes the GPS data providers can be non-responsive. They deal with millions of updates, so BizMappers has a few techniques to get changes processed in a reasonable timeframe.
Q: I'm listed in Google but don't seem to come up in the map results when someone searches for my service. Why?
A: Google has over 2,000 possible categories to select from, usually there are a few options to choose from that match your business. BizMappers will look at the local scene, your competition, and popularity of your possible categories plus their synonyms and suggest what is best for your specific business and situation.
Q: Why should I use BizMappers?
A: BizMappers tests all the different ways a potential customer can find you: using your business name, your address, searching for your type of business (ie. restaurant, gas station, convenience store). We examine all the directories and databases to identify errors, missing data and incongruencies between them. BizMappers performs searches on actual GPS units and knows how to trouble shoot to identify why customers are not finding you whether it be geocoding errors, missing POI data, and/or localized map issues.
BizMappers recently had a hotel business with an "unknown address". The hotel was constructed on a brand new street. BizMappers worked with the local county government to get plot coordinates for the new road so that the road could then be added to the online maps and GPS databases. BizMappers supplied the map data companies with the official (verified) information needed to draw the new road on their maps so that this business could now be found by its customers.
(Thanks Mom for this question.)