OV2

OV2 is a binary data file format used to store points of interest (POIs) for navigation devices, most notably those from TomTom. It is commonly employed to distribute custom POIs such as gas stations, restaurants, or tourist attractions that a user or developer wants available on a device or mapping application.

A typical OV2 file contains multiple POI records. Each record represents a geographic location and can include coordinates (latitude and longitude) along with associated metadata such as a name, category, address, or a short description. In many implementations, POIs also reference an icon by index, with separate icon resources stored in companion files. The exact field set and encoding can vary between device firmware versions, leading to some differences in how data is interpreted by different TomTom products.

OV2 data is often used together with companion resources, such as image files for category icons or mapping files that translate numeric category IDs into human-readable labels. Users commonly import OV2 files onto a TomTom device or compatible software by copying the file to the device’s storage and following the device’s POI import procedures.

Editing and converting OV2 data is supported by various third‑party tools and utilities, including editors and converters that can transform POI lists from formats like CSV into OV2. Because OV2 is a proprietary, device‑specific format, not all GPS platforms natively support it, and some modern applications may prefer open formats such as GPX.

See also: GPX, POI, TomTom, navigation data formats.