Points of Interest (POIs) are commonly objects and encounters found on the surface of landableplanets and moons. Depending on the site type a Points of Interest may be persistent. Note that the Category "Point of Interest" in the Navigation Menu also shows System Signal Sources.
Dav's Hope, an abandoned Settlement POI
POI types
Some POI were added with Horizons and Beyond. Sites that only appear in Odyssey usually have interactive features for On Foot or SRV activities.
Persistent POIs:
Can be discovered by scannig a planet with Detailed Surface Scanner. Following the scan, they appear at about 3 Mega meters distance from planet, both as targets on planet's surface and in the System Navigation Panel.
Flying a Ship at around 2 km above the surface. Blue circles on the scanner display mark areas which contain a Point of Interest. These fade out below 2km, vanishing fully at about 1.5km. Unless you spot the point of interest visually, it is best to land and switch to an SRV to use the Wave Scanner to finish tracking it down.
Threats
Some points of interest are guarded by NPC soldiers, mercenaries and Skimmers, which have Bounties. The Skimmers are initially buried, and will unearth themselves when the POI is approached. Be on guard for potential reinforcements while scavenging.
If there is a trespass zone marked in red on the scanner display, lingering in it for too long will trigger the hostility of the skimmers. If the POI is in an area ruled by law and the skimmers do not have bounties, lingering in the trespass zone can also give fines and bounties. Shooting the skimmers earns you a bounty on your head.
