Methods, devices and computer software for facilitating searching and display of locations relevant to a digital map

Abstract

A portable electronic device is disclosed comprising data processing means and a data repository containing: data records representative of locations relevant to or within a digital map; and data representative of an index associating words contained in the data records with the records in which those words appear. The device further comprises means for, in relation to a received search query including a search string, processing the search string to provide one or more search words; querying the index to identify data records containing the or each search word; and generating a rank for each of the one or more identified data records indicative of the relevance of each identified data record to the search query.

Description

technical field [0001] This document discloses methods, apparatus and computer software for facilitating the searching and display of locations related to digital maps. In particular, this document discloses methods, apparatus, and computer software for searching a data repository of locations based on user input of a free-text search string. This document also discloses methods, apparatus, and computer software for facilitating user searches of data repositories of locations by generating and displaying selectable search suggestions based on user input free text search strings. This document also discloses graphical user interface (GUI) elements for providing different levels of prominence on a representation of a digital map displayed on a display to facilitate user viewing representing, for example, a set of results for a destination search, a set of current Method, apparatus and computer software for multiple locations of traffic accidents and the like. The various aspec...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0016] The problem with the guided search experience is that multiple prompts make the device slow and difficult to use

[0019] However, a problem with the free text search techniques described above is that the mobile device is required to perform the processing required to reduce the search space after the candidate results have been obtained

However, presenting these locations in a way that is particularly useful and easily understandable to the user is problematic, so there can be too much or too little location information displayed with too much or too little functionality, which can reduce user experience and limit ease of use The means to select destinations to route to or efficiently take into account relevant weather and traffic events

Images