Points of interest (POI) refer to a location that has a special or particular interest for a particular purpose. POIs can be a tourist attraction, cultural, architectural, or recreational site, scenic spot, or a site of historical or archaeological interest. Examples of POIs include a museum, an amusement park, a beach, a hiking trail, a park, an observatory, a zoo, a church, an airport, or a city square.
POIs play a crucial role across various industries. In tourism, they serve as reference points for visitors, offering detailed information about attractions and facilitating exploration. Transportation companies utilize POIs for route planning and efficient navigation. Environmental sciences benefit from POIs by defining habitats and tracking species movements, aiding in research and conservation efforts.
Geocoding providers like LocationIQ, offer APIs that helps access nearby POIs with a simple HTTP request. By providing coordinates and radius as input, users can retrieve a comprehensive list of POIs within a specified area. This functionality streamlines location-based services, enhancing user experiences across platforms and applications.