Method and system for generating a round trip

Abstract

Method for generating a round trip (10) in a network of transport lines (11) on geospatial data, wherein the geospatial data are divided using a grid (20) from a plurality of adjacent cells (21), each of the cells (21) being assigned information about at least points of interest (23) and transport lines (11) enclosed therein, the method comprising: - Obtaining an origin (2) for the round trip (10), wherein the origin (2) is a geospace location, and defining a starting point and an endpoint for the round trip (10) as a common point on the network of transport lines (11) based on the obtained origin (2); - Obtaining route parameters that define at least one of a requirement and a constraint for the round trip (10); - Determine one of the cells (21) in which the origin (2) is located as the origin cell (22); - Evaluating cells surrounding the origin cell (22) based on their respective assigned information with respect to the obtained path parameters; - Selecting some of the evaluated cells (21) based on the evaluation results, wherein the selected cells (21) together with the original cell (22) form a closed ring (24) of adjacent cells (21); - Determining one or more intermediate points (8) based on the associated information about the points of interest (23), wherein in each selected cell (21) one point of interest (23) is selected as one of the intermediate points (8); and - Determining route segments (9) between the starting point, the one or more intermediate points (8) and the endpoint and connecting the determined route segments (9) to obtain a round trip (10) from the starting point via the one or more intermediate points (8) to the endpoint.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of route planning, and in particular to the field of generating a round trip. Specifically, the invention relates to a method and a system for generating a round trip along geographical transport routes, e.g., roads, which include one or more intermediate points, such as points of interest along the round trip.

[0002] Modern navigation systems, online mapping applications, and other services often include a route planning function to generate a route that typically runs from a starting point to a destination or between two or more points. Routes can be generated that take into account specific user constraints or preferences, applying a variety of optimization parameters, such as the shortest distance, shortest travel time, most fuel-efficient operation, avoidance of traffic jams, and so on. The points of a route can be part of a network of transportation lines based on geographic data. Transportation lines can be any type of road, local streets, highways, or similar infrastructure, but can also include unpaved paths or other geographic lines suitable for any type of transportation. The type of transportation line used for a planned route may depend on the type of transportation being used, for example,It can include a car or other motorized vehicle. However, it is also known for planning hiking routes.

[0003] Route planning can be based, in particular, on a network of transport lines contained in geospatial data. Geospatial data is information that has a geographic aspect. This means that the records in a dataset contain coordinates, addresses, or other location identifiers that link them to a place on the Earth's surface. The term "geospatial" combines "geo" (a prefix meaning "Earth" or "land") and "space" (spatial or location-based). Geospatial data can include, in particular, latitudes and longitudes, addresses, postal codes, or even more complex references such as census areas or areas within political boundaries. Geospatial data can be either vector or raster data.Vector data represents features in the form of points, lines, and polygons, while raster data represents features in the form of a grid of pixels, often used for various types of imaging data, such as satellite imagery or scanned maps. Geographic data can also include a temporal dimension, such as weather data, which changes over time and affects route planning accordingly.

[0004] Points of interest (POIs) can also be described using geospatial data. A point of interest is a specific location that might be useful or interesting to someone. POIs include various places such as landmarks, tourist attractions, businesses, and government buildings. In navigation and mapping systems, POIs are used to help users find destinations and services such as hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and museums. Therefore, POIs can often play a role in route planning.

[0005] While route planning often involves a start and end point and possibly one or more intermediate points, certain situations may require a round trip that visits specific points or regions of the transport network, with the start and end point being the same, for example, in tourist travel or delivery logistics. Automatically generating such a round trip, especially when adding customization parameters, is not a trivial task.

[0006] Generating a round trip is comparable to the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), a classic problem in theoretical computer science and combinatorial optimization. The task is to find the shortest possible round trip that visits a series of cities (each exactly once) and returns to the starting point. Formally, it is a graph problem: given a graph where the nodes represent the cities and the edges are assigned costs or distances, the goal is to find a permutation of the cities such that the entire route is as short as possible, visiting each city only once and returning to the starting city.While the TSP requires intermediate points (the cities) to be specified as input, it may be desirable to plan a round trip without specifying or even knowing any intermediate points, but only the origin where the route should start and end.

[0007] The problem of generating a round trip can become even more complex because road networks can vary greatly in terms of density and shape. In some regions, the road network density may not be sufficient to provide round trips in all directions, or at all. Therefore, it is impossible to reliably create round trips that meet specific criteria without comprehensive knowledge of the network. However, gathering comprehensive information for every round trip request is costly and usually exceeds the self-imposed latency of a few seconds of processing time.

[0008] US 2020 / 0309545 A1 discloses a method for generating a pedestrian tour, comprising the following steps: receiving a query from a user device over a network, wherein the query indicates a request for a pedestrian tour and includes a location and preferences, including a target length for the pedestrian tour; and obtaining a graph of a geographic area around the location of the user device, wherein the graph contains nodes indicating path intersections and arcs indicating paths connecting pairs of nodes.

[0009] US 2022 / 0113143 A1 discloses a device for navigating a pedestrian tour. The pedestrian tour comprises a starting point, a first pedestrian tour zone, and a second pedestrian tour zone, all connected by a series of connecting paths.

[0010] US 2017 / 0276502 A1 discloses a method and system for generating a route through a navigable network in a geographical area, wherein the navigable network is represented by an electronic map comprising a plurality of segments, each of which is assigned a direction of travel.

[0011] US 2009 / 0234577 A1 discloses a method for operating a vehicle navigation system and a vehicle navigation system, wherein an initial route to a destination is determined, the initial route comprising a plurality of connections, each of which involves initial costs. The initial route can be calculated to lie within a predetermined distance of one or more predetermined waypoints.

[0012] US 2006 / 0206258 A1 discloses systems, methods, and devices for generating a route based on a distance. One embodiment of the method includes program instructions that are executed to receive a distance input and generate a route based on the distance input.

[0013] One object of the present invention is to provide an improved approach for generating a round trip. In particular, it is desirable to improve one or more aspects of efficiency, effectiveness, accuracy, and error rate in generating a round trip.

[0014] A solution to this problem is provided by the teachings of the independent claims. Various preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided by the teachings of the dependent claims.

[0015] A first aspect of the invention relates to a method, particularly a computer-implemented one, for generating a round trip in a network of transport lines based on geospatial data. In the method, an origin for the round trip is determined, wherein the origin is a geospatial location, and a start point and an end point for the round trip are defined as a common point on the network of transport lines based on the determined origin. Route parameters are obtained that define at least one requirement and one constraint for the round trip. One or more intermediate points are determined on the network of transport lines in a geospatial region extending from the origin. To generate a round trip from the start point via the one or more intermediate points to the end point, route segments between the start point, the one or more intermediate points, and the end point are determined and connected.A validation value is determined for the obtained round trip using one or more validation parameters, and if the validation value is below the predetermined threshold, the route parameters are adjusted and the determination steps are repeated, or if the validation value is equal to or above a predetermined threshold, the obtained round trip is output.

[0016] Accordingly, the method can be viewed as a sophisticated procedure for calculating or constructing a round trip for a specific location within a network of transportation lines using geospatial data. It can generate a round trip that starts and ends at an origin, which can be defined by a user, for example. The method can then automatically determine intermediate points to be visited along the round trip. The round trip is then validated to ensure it meets certain requirements, such as quality standards, in order to provide a pleasant and meaningful result that appears as if it were created by an expert, a local, or a tour guide. In particular, as explained in more detail below, the method can generate a round trip that takes into account a user's request, preferences, or wishes.The round trip can be used, for example, for tourist purposes or for planning other tours, e.g., for delivery, maintenance or security services.

[0017] Validating the round trip helps avoid substandard routes, such as those with many duplicated locations, roads that require two or more trips, confusing intersections, or loops. If the validation score falls below a predefined value, the round trip is recalculated with adjusted route parameters, meaning the intermediate points and route segments are redefined. The resulting recalculated round trip is then validated again until a valid route is found. This iterative process ensures a reliable round trip. Manual planning or even knowledge of the region to be traversed is unnecessary, as the intermediate points and connecting route segments are determined automatically. A network of transport lines based on geospatial data, such as electronic maps, serves as the foundation for automating the route search process.Furthermore, geospatial data can help improve the resulting itinerary. Overall, the method provides an improved way to generate itineraries that meets the requirements described above.

[0018] The term "round trip," as used herein, refers specifically to a route or tour that starts and ends at the same point, which can be considered the "origin." The origin can be a geographic location, i.e., a place on the Earth's surface. The round trip can be described on a network of transport lines, which is why the starting point, one endpoint, and intermediate points should be part of this network. Both the origin and the intermediate points of the round trip can be other geographic locations, such as points of interest, which can be represented on the transport line network.

[0019] The term "transport line," as used herein, refers specifically to a line, that is, a longer straight or curved continuous, predominantly one-dimensional geometric structure. A transport line exists on "geospace data," that is, on the Earth's surface, and may be a line that forms or is part of a transportation infrastructure, for example, for the transport of people or goods. Examples of transport lines include local roads, highways, freeways, or any other paved or unpaved path or trail that can be traversed by any type of vehicle, such as a car, or by bicycle or on foot. A transport line may correspond to an area of ​​a more complex network that includes multiple transport lines, such as a road network with several interconnected roads.

[0020] The term “geospatial data,” as used herein, refers to data that can be defined or expressed in a geographic coordinate system, such as latitude and longitude or UTM coordinates. In particular, and without limitation, a transportation route, such as a road, as represented by an electronic map, such as an electronic map based on map data for car navigation systems or maps on navigation applications on a computer or portable device, e.g., a smartphone or tablet computer, can be described by geospatial data or equivalent map data.

[0021] The term “acquiring” (or “obtaining”) data, e.g. route parameters, refers in particular to (i) the generation of this data by the “acquiring” entity itself, e.g. by means of one or more sensors or by derivation from input data, such as user input, or (ii) the receipt of this data from an external data source.

[0022] The terms "first", "second", "third", and the like in the description and in the claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily to describe a sequential or chronological order. It is understood that the terms used in this way are interchangeable under suitable circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein may be operated in sequences other than those described or illustrated herein.

[0023] Where the term “comprehensive” or “including” is used in this description and the claims, it does not exclude other elements or steps. Where an indefinite or definite article is used when referring to a singular noun, e.g., “a” or “an”, “the”, or “a”, it includes a plurality of that noun unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0024] Furthermore, unless expressly stated otherwise, "or" refers to an inclusive or and not an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

[0025] As briefly mentioned earlier, the obtained (and validated) patrol route resulting from the first aspect of the process can be used in many different applications. A patrol route can be applied to a tourism context to mimic the behavior of a tour guide. Applied to a security context, it can provide an unbiased patrol route for police, military, or other entities, covering the maximum area selected based on objective characteristics, such as incidents reported in the past week. Another application is in a maintenance context, where the patrol route can provide an optimal plan for the on-site visual inspection of the condition of roads and their surroundings.Based on the general road quality, the condition at the last inspection, the time since the last inspection and the estimated traffic load, it might be possible to derive a deterioration model that simulates when a road section should be included in a round trip.

[0026] Preferred embodiments of the method are described below, which can be combined with each other or with other aspects of the present invention as desired, unless such a combination is expressly excluded or technically impossible.

[0027] In some embodiments, the validation value is determined by including one or more of the following: a form factor and a deviation factor. The form factor represents the ratio between a perimeter and an area defined by the obtained round trip on the geospatial data. In other words, a valid round trip should exhibit minimal roundness. While this may depend on other constraints such as the geography of the landscape or simply user preference, a round trip can be considered valid, or at least preferred, if it is truly "round" and not, for example, merely back and forth. The deviation factor represents a deviation of the actual properties of the obtained round trip from the respective route parameters. This can help to minimize the deviation of certain parameters of the resulting round trip, such as...Distance or time, where the route parameters are below a certain threshold. In this way, a round trip can be provided that is optimized, for example, with regard to the user's needs, such as a round trip that is not much longer or shorter than what the user expects or desires.

[0028] In some embodiments, the validation score is determined by calculating a weighted and normalized linear combination of at least the form factor and the deviation factor. This allows the validation to be customized and adapted to specific needs. For example, the factors mentioned above (and potentially other factors contributing to the validation score) can be weighted individually. Normalization can be performed on a uniform domain, which may be a user-defined setting or learned from past experiences.

[0029] In some embodiments, the method further includes post-processing the obtained round trip to identify and remove invalid segments. This can be used to clean up a obtained round trip. The invalid segments may include loops, duplicate or multiple trips, clusters, or similar features, or a combination thereof, which could make the tour undesirable. Such segments of the round trip can be charged higher costs to reduce the likelihood of being selected again during a recalculation of the round trip.

[0030] Loops can be removed by deleting the transport lines that form the loop, ensuring that each point in the transport network is traversed only once. Removing loops also eliminates self-intersecting round trips. It is understood, however, that only small loops can be removed, while larger loops might be permitted if this is appropriate within the context of a specific routing request.

[0031] Multiple trips can be eliminated by displaying transport lines that are used more than once and recalculating the round trip, at least partially, avoiding the displayed transport lines so that each transport line is used only once. Multiple trips can be considered an amplification of a "tentacle factor," which can describe the section of double or multiple use of transport lines. The tentacle factor should therefore be below a certain threshold. However, it is understood that in certain cases, double trips may be permitted, for example, if their elimination would lead to a dead end.

[0032] Clusters of transport lines can also exist around an intermediate point. These clusters can be removed by moving a corresponding intermediate point to a nearby location in the transport network and at least partially recalculating the round trip. Clusters can lead to many maneuvers at an intermediate point and can be removed by (slightly) relocating an intermediate point, for example, by setting it to the first (local) maneuver and omitting the set of complex maneuvers. Clusters can indicate a complex topology that may impair the round trip and should be reduced or avoided.

[0033] In some embodiments, invalid sections are identified by determining a lateral distance between sections of the round trip, with sections being identified as invalid if the determined lateral distance falls below a predetermined threshold. The distance between two sections of the round trip can be calculated in various ways. For example, a clearance profile can be constructed along the route that should not overlap. Another method may involve dividing the round trip into small sections that should not intersect with another section during a virtual rotation of, for example, 90 degrees. It is understood that the lateral distance can be assumed to be zero for sections of the round trip that are traversed twice.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present invention, which can be considered a first variant of the construction of the round trip, determining one or more intermediate points comprises obtaining a travel direction as one of the path parameters and determining a center for the geospatial region in which the intermediate points are determined, wherein the center is located in the travel direction relative to the origin. This provides a method in which the area in which the round trip is to take place can be defined by specifying a travel direction, wherein the travel direction particularly originates from the origin. Then, a center is determined, which can be considered a point or region around which the round trip is to move.The distance of the center from the origin can depend on route parameters, such as the distance traveled or the travel time, since the distance between the origin and the center affects the overall length and duration of the round trip.

[0035] In some embodiments, the direction of travel is obtained by receiving user input specifying a desired direction, or by determining a direction based on environmental criteria of a geographic region surrounding the origin. For example, the user can indicate a direction such as "south" or "north" (from the origin). The direction of travel can also be determined, for example, based on a description of the type of trip or by specifying certain points of interest relative to the origin.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method further comprises selecting a basic route geometry, wherein the basic route geometry is selected such that it extends around the center and has its origin along an outline thereof, and defining one or more auxiliary intermediate points located on the outline of the basic route geometry. The intermediate points can then be determined by projecting them onto corresponding points on the network of transport lines in the vicinity of the auxiliary intermediate points. Specifically, the intermediate points are locations actually visited on the round trip, while the auxiliary intermediate points are points on the outline of a selected basic route geometry. This is an auxiliary measure to roughly define the path that the round trip around the center is to take.Providing a basic route geometry as a "control form" increases the efficiency of generating the round trip. In particular, the iterative validation process can be accelerated compared to cases where intermediate points are chosen arbitrarily without regard to a basic route geometry. A plausibility check can be performed when projecting the auxiliary intermediate points onto intermediate points, for example, by verifying that the intermediate points are actually reachable (and not, for instance, located in a body of water). The intermediate points are projected from the auxiliary intermediate points onto the basic route geometry onto points that are actually located on the network of transport lines.

[0037] In some embodiments, the basic route geometry is chosen as a regular geometric shape, such as a circle, elliptical, or polygonal form. This simplifies the process. For example, a circle can be chosen to describe the basic geometry of the tour, with the center of the circle being the aforementioned center and the origin lying on the circle's outline.

[0038] In some embodiments, the auxiliary intermediate points are defined as a selected number of equidistant points along the outline of the basic route geometry. While in principle a single intermediate point may suffice, it is preferable to select at least two or more intermediate points that "spann" the area of ​​the round trip. It is understood that equidistant points can be advantageous in many cases, but other decisions, e.g., depending on the conditions of the landscape or the user's preferences (e.g., manually entered intermediate points), may also be appropriate.

[0039] In some embodiments, determining the route segments involves determining the sequence of intermediate points in which they are traversed during the round trip, with the sequence being based on a clockwise or counterclockwise order of the respective auxiliary intermediate points on the outline of the basic route geometry. This provides an efficient way to establish the order in which the intermediate points are to be traversed. Furthermore, this can accelerate the validation process, as this sequence selection can avoid or reduce undesirable route shapes, such as intersections or retracing certain sections.

[0040] In some embodiments, the method further comprises defining at least one restriction area, wherein the restriction area includes at least one region containing the center, and the restriction area defines a geographic region that must not be crossed by route segments when determining the route segments. Avoiding the center or a central area within the entire travel area (which is essentially determined by the basic route geometry) for route segments passing through it can effectively prevent intersections or "non-circular" route shapes, such as "star shapes," which involve many inconvenient back-and-forth journeys between the center and an outer area. The restriction area may also be referred to as the "avoidance area" or "avoidance geometry."

[0041] In some embodiments, the constraint area is defined such that it maintains a minimum distance to each of the one or more auxiliary intermediate points. This avoids situations where, for example, the constraint area is chosen to be relatively large in the middle to allow sufficient leeway for determining the path segments. In other words, spaces are kept clear around the intermediate points to ensure proper path finding between them.

[0042] In some embodiments, determining the route segments involves selecting the order of intermediate points based on the characteristics of the transport lines, environmental criteria, or user preferences. In particular, selecting the direction of travel (clockwise or counterclockwise) may depend on other factors, such as user preferences, the weather on that day or the weather forecast, or even aspects like the quality of the scenery when traveling in a particular direction. Determining the route segments may also include including or excluding transport lines based on their characteristics, environmental criteria, or user preferences.

[0043] In some embodiments, determining one or more intermediate points comprises at least one of the following: receiving user input specifying at least one intermediate point, and selecting at least one point of interest from a collection (e.g., a database) of points of interest. In particular, in addition to automatically determining intermediate points as described above, manual input of intermediate points is also possible. Points of interest (POIs) can be particularly valuable for a tour in a tourist context and may be, for example, specific sights, restaurants, or similar. POIs can also be defined and, if necessary, selected in other contexts.

[0044] In some embodiments, obtaining the origin includes obtaining a current user location, receiving user input specifying a desired geographic location as the origin, or setting a default location as the origin.

[0045] In some embodiments, the route parameters include at least a direction of travel, a travel time, a distance traveled, a type of transport route, a type of intermediate point, and the energy resources available for the round trip. The direction of travel can be the direction of travel described above. The travel time can be the duration of the journey, i.e., an estimated total travel time, a minimum travel time, or a maximum travel time. The distance traveled (travel time) can be a planned route, a minimum distance traveled, or a maximum distance traveled. The type of transport route can be defined as preferred or to be avoided (e.g., dirt roads, highways, toll roads, etc.).

[0046] In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining route preferences, wherein the route segments are determined such that route segments fulfilling one or more of the obtained route preferences are favored. The route preferences can include route-internal or route-external parameters. The route-internal parameters can specify characteristics of the transport lines, such as the number of curves, speed limits, road surface condition, or the like. The route-external parameters can specify characteristics of an environment along the transport lines, such as preferred surrounding regions, e.g., forests or mountains, proximity to certain points of interest, e.g., gas stations, restaurants, tourist attractions, or even weather conditions, e.g., avoiding thunderstorms or the like.

[0047] In some embodiments, the method further includes obtaining transportation line features, wherein the route segments are determined such that route segments are preferred based on one or more of the obtained transportation line features. In this way, the round trip can be further optimized or adapted to specific needs. As described in more detail below, the transportation line features can include at least one of the following data: road sensor data, traffic monitoring data, public warning data, aerial inspection data (e.g., UAV sensor data obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) such as a drone), and charging station availability data (e.g., available charging stations for electric vehicles along the road).

[0048] In some embodiments of the present invention, which can be considered a second variant of the round-trip design, the geospatial data are divided using a grid of a plurality of adjacent geospatial cells (also simply referred to as "cells" or "grid cells"), with each geospatial cell being assigned information about at least points of interest and the transport lines enclosed therein. In this variant, the validation process can be omitted, particularly because of the use of the grid of cells. However, it is understood that the validation process described above and other features can also apply to this variant. It is also understood that the use of the cell grid described herein can be applied to the first variant described above as far as possible.

[0049] In this embodiment of the method, one of the cells containing the origin is designated as the origin cell. Cells surrounding the origin cell are evaluated based on their respective assigned information regarding the obtained path parameters. Some of the evaluated cells are selected based on the evaluation results, with the selected cells, together with the origin cell, forming a closed ring of adjacent cells. The one or more intermediate points are then determined based on the assigned information about the points of interest, with one point of interest in each selected cell being chosen as one of the respective intermediate points. The path segments are then determined as described above to obtain the circular route. In other words, in this variant, the circular route is oriented around the cell grid.Since the cells are associated with information about the transport lines and points of interest (POIs) available within each cell, an evaluation can be performed to select the cells that are most promising for a round trip. A POI is identified within each cell, for example, one that is most important for a particular routing request, thus providing a simple way to locate intermediate points. Because the cells are selected to form a closed loop, it is ensured that a closed round trip with a reasonably circular shape is constructed. Post-processing, such as that described above, can then be carried out to optimize the route defined by the round trip.

[0050] In some related embodiments, the cell evaluation includes calculating a score as the evaluation result, represented by a normalized numerical value. Numerical values ​​can be easily compared and ranked, which facilitates the selection of cells for the tour.

[0051] In some embodiments, the score represents a combination of a POI score and a connectivity score, where the POI score represents the relevance of the points of interest in a cell with respect to the route parameters, and the connectivity score represents the connectivity available between adjacent cells via transport lines. These two factors provide an efficient way to generate a pleasant round trip. Since the points of interest are to be the focus, the aim is to determine which cells provide the most interesting or relevant points of interest. The POI score can also consider the number of points of interest per cell. If there is no point of interest in a cell, the center can be used as a "point of interest" if necessary. Furthermore, the cells should provide convenient connectivity for a pleasant round trip.This can take into account the number or density of transport lines within a cell, and especially the transport lines that extend into neighboring cells. In this way, a closed ring of cells can be identified that, on the one hand, contains the most relevant POls and, on the other hand, provides suitable connections for determining route segments that, when combined, form a round trip.

[0052] In some embodiments, the cells are selected such that the closed ring of the selected cells has the highest score among the closed rings of cells surrounding the original cell, wherein the score of a closed ring of cells is the sum of all the scores of the cells in the closed ring.

[0053] In some embodiments, the route parameters include a thematic category of points of interest and a travel time. In particular, these two parameters (together with an origin) may be sufficient to generate a round trip.

[0054] This is advantageous because it allows user input to be minimized while simultaneously creating a pleasant tour.

[0055] In some related embodiments, each cell is assigned information about one or more of the following. One or more land cover classes can be provided for each cell, which affect the transportation network. For example, land cover classes that are highly likely to impact the network of routes, such as bodies of water, rivers, mountainous regions, or similar features. One or more land cover classes can also be provided that specify the environmental character of a cell. This can be relevant because it can influence the thematic category of the round trip, such as urban areas or forests. As mentioned previously, cell-to-cell connectivity can be provided, which specifies a connection between a cell and its neighboring cells with respect to the transportation network.Finally, each cell is assigned information about the points of interest it contains, which can be grouped according to thematic categories and ordered by their importance. The importance (relevance) and the respective ranking can depend on the requirements of the route.

[0056] In some embodiments, the multitude of geospace cells is formed by a multitude of adjacent hexagons. Although other cell grids, such as squares, can also be used, a hexagonal grid is particularly suitable for covering the Earth's surface without gaps. A ring of hexagons can also be suitable for describing a circular shape for a round trip.

[0057] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a data processing system configured to perform the method of the first aspect. The data processing system can, in particular, be configured by one or more computer programs to perform the method of the first aspect. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration can be implemented wholly or partially by appropriate hardware.

[0058] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a computer program or a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a data processing system according to the second aspect of the invention, cause the system to carry out the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0059] The computer program (product) can be implemented, in particular, in the form of a data carrier on which one or more programs for carrying out the method are stored. Preferably, this is a data carrier such as a CD, a DVD, or another optical medium, or a flash memory module. This can be advantageous if the computer program product is to be marketed as a standalone product, independent of the processor platform on which the one or more programs are to be executed. In another implementation, the computer program product is provided as a file on a data processing unit, in particular on a server, and can be downloaded via a data connection, e.g., the Internet or a dedicated data connection, such as a proprietary or local network.

[0060] The system of the second aspect can accordingly include a program memory in which the computer program is stored. Alternatively, the system can also be configured to access a computer program that is externally available, for example on one or more servers or other data processing units, via a communication link, in particular to exchange data that is used during the execution of the computer program or that represents outputs of the computer program.

[0061] The explanations, embodiments and advantages described above in connection with the method of the first aspect apply similarly to the other aspects of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] Further advantages, features and applications of the present invention are provided in the following detailed description and the accompanying figures, wherein: Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention; Fig. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary geo-region with a specific geo-location as the origin for a round trip; Fig. 3 schematically the geo-region Fig. 2 illustrated with a direction of travel; Fig. 4 schematic examples of basic route geometries are illustrated; Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a basic circular line segment geometry with auxiliary intermediate points; Fig. 6 to Fig. 8. schematically illustrate the construction of a restricted area; Fig. 9 schematically the geo-region Fig. 3 with the basic route geometry from Fig. 5 illustrates; Fig. 10 schematically the geo-region Fig. 9 with the restricted area of Fig. 8 illustrates. Fig. Figures 11 to 15 schematically illustrate the determination of route segments; Fig. 16 schematically illustrates the resulting round trip; Fig. 17 and Fig. 18 illustrate a first example of corrections to a round trip; Fig. 19 and Fig. 20 illustrate a second example of corrections to a round trip; Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 illustrate a third example of corrections to a round trip; Fig. 23 to 25 examples illustrate cell information; Fig. 26 schematically illustrates an evaluation of four adjacent cells; Fig. 27 schematically illustrates scoring for and selection of cells surrounding a source cell; Fig. 28 schematically illustrates the identification of invalid sections; Fig. 29 schematically illustrates an example of removing invalid sections from a round trip; and Fig. Figures 30 to 32 illustrate an example of generating a round trip using a hexagonal cell lattice.

[0063] Fig. Figure 1 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment 100 of a method of the first aspect of the present invention. The method 100 is also described in particular with reference to Fig. Sections 2 to 16 are described. The procedure is configured to calculate a round trip 10 for a given location on a network of transport lines using geospatial data.

[0064] To further improve the process, it is conceivable to augment the transport routes with additional information that serves as supplementary data for generating the round trip 10. The input data can be selected according to the respective context and used to optimize the result with regard to transport routes to be avoided or preferred. A non-exhaustive list of possible sources for augmentation input data is provided below. The data can be useful for further refining the determination of route segments, e.g., to better meet specific needs or to better fulfill the requirements of a particular routing request.

[0065] First, road sensor networks can be used to monitor road conditions. For example, data on temperature or wetness can influence the selection or avoidance of certain areas. Traffic monitoring systems that track vehicle flow and congestion can provide relevant data that can also be useful. Satellite data can also be considered, for example, to provide information on local or regional weather conditions, or to indicate changes in the terrain, such as potential landslides or other obstacles that could affect transport routes. It is also conceivable to consider public warnings, such as alerts about natural disasters like flooding or wildfires. Particularly if an electric vehicle is to be used, the utilization of charging stations can be relevant, for example.To prioritize transport routes closer to less congested charging stations, UAV-based sensors, such as optical RGB or infrared cameras or radar sensors, can provide inspection data on bridges, road surface conditions, or indications of potential activity in restricted areas. Based on this information, nearby transport routes can be prioritized to automatically enforce inspection rounds.

[0066] The procedure can consider a general direction (travel direction) from the given location (origin 2) and a travel time and / or a travel distance as basic adaptation parameters (route parameters). A round trip 10 can be constructed that not only has a circular shape but also includes areas intended to be interesting and efficient for travelers, maintenance workers, patrols, or other users; that is, it is possible to avoid repetitions and to traverse a section of the transport lines only once during the round trip.

[0067] Optionally, a user can define preferred attractions (viewpoints, beaches, archaeological sites, castles, ...) or road features (road classes, slipperiness, road types, ...) or preferred regions (regions with recent severe weather, not inspected for a long time), which can further modify the characteristics of the tour.

[0068] Fig. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary geospace region 1, i.e., a region on the Earth's surface in which a round trip 10 is carried out according to the procedure 100 of Fig. 1. In a first phase, the user-defined parameters and preferences are obtained. In particular, in step S1, a starting location (origin 2) is defined, which can be aligned with a geospatial network of transport lines 11. This is identical to the endpoint of the round trip 10. Origin 2 can be the user's current location, e.g., defined by a geolocation system such as GPS. Alternatively, origin 2 can be set manually by the user. Origin 2 can also be set to a POI, e.g., a hotel, to serve as a default location for multiple users.

[0069] Route parameters (or user parameters) can then be obtained (see database D1). In particular, as described in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, a preferred travel direction 3 can be defined in relation to the starting position (step S2). This can be a manual input from the user, for example, if a user wants to travel south. It is also conceivable to determine the travel direction 3 automatically by using a direction that best meets the user's vague specifications, for example, if a user indicates that they want a round trip "with the most forested areas" or something similar.

[0070] Furthermore, restrictions can be set for the round trip, such as the desired driving time, available time, and available fuel / battery charge. General route preferences can also be defined to tailor the generated route to a user's individual preferences. These can include route-internal parameters such as the number of curves, speed limits, or road surface conditions, and / or route-external parameters such as preferred surrounding areas (e.g., forests or mountains), proximity to points of interest (e.g., gas stations, restaurants, tourist attractions), or weather conditions (e.g., avoiding thunderstorms).

[0071] In step S3, the intermediate points 8 are then determined. This is done primarily with the help of auxiliary intermediate points 6. The auxiliary intermediate points 6 serve as the basic control point for the route of the round trip 10 on the transport lines 11 of the geospace network. Further route restrictions can be introduced to achieve the desired route result. Additional route parameters (database D2) can be taken into account. First, a basic route geometry 5 (5', 5") is defined as the round trip "control shape". The shape could be any geometric form of a fixed size, e.g., circle, rectangle, ellipse, as in Fig. Figure 4 shows that the basic route geometry 5 extends around a center 4 given by the origin 2 and the direction of travel 3, with the origin 2 located on the shape (outline) of the basic route geometry 5. It is understood that the number of auxiliary intermediate points 6 can be at least three in order to actually span a region and allow the creation of a proper round trip. The size of the geometric shape 5 can be static or derived from an average speed setting, e.g., 40 km / h. The average speed could be calculated in advance for a geographical region (e.g., a district, a state, a country) by selecting random points and calculating the average speed to connect these locations. For further optimization, the shape of the round trip could depend on the shape of the land and water masses (e.g.,(by calculating the overlap of landmass and desired round trip shape).

[0072] Referring to Fig. 5 now become auxiliary intermediate points 6 on the round trip form (the basic line segment geometry 5; here the circle from the examples of Fig. 4 selected). This can be done, for example, by selecting a sample of equidistant points (four points in the example from Fig. 5) or by searching for the most distinctive points within a buffer around the round trip shape, e.g. tourist attractions or POIs.

[0073] In step S4 (possibly using data from a geospatial network, see database D3), a restriction area 7 is constructed, which allows for finer control over the round-trip route and can help to avoid undesirable situations. A first section 7' ​​of the restriction area (“avoidance geometry”) is defined at the center 4 of the round-trip control shape 5 (see Fig. 6) This is intended to prevent the resulting round trip 10 from failing and to ensure that journeys to intermediate points 8 from the center 4 are served by the same transport lines 11. The shape of this avoidance geometry 7' can be based on the shape of the round trip control shape (i.e., the basic route geometry 5, which here is a circle). Additional avoidance geometries can be defined by vegetation zones, protected zones, military zones, non-routable geographic topologies, disaster areas, remote locations without service stations, etc., to improve the quality of the resulting round trip.

[0074] The restricted area can therefore be constructed as follows. As explained above and in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, a circular geometry is chosen as the basic avoidance geometry 7' and placed in the center 4 of the control shape 5 to prevent round-trip paths from colliding with the center 4 of the control shape 5. Then, as shown in Fig. Figure 7 illustrates how distance buffers 7" are constructed around the (auxiliary) intermediate points 6 to ensure sufficient space around these points for proper route finding. The final avoidance geometry 7 (i.e., the final constraint area) is then constructed by the difference between the basic avoidance geometry 7' and each of the distance buffer geometries 7" (the result is shown in Figure 7). Fig. 8 shown)

[0075] Based on the auxiliary intermediate points 6, the intermediate points 8 are determined, i.e., the locations that are actually to be traversed on the round trip 10. For this purpose, the auxiliary intermediate points 6 are projected onto significant locations based on the network of transport lines 11 that form the intermediate points 8. The projection can be carried out in various ways, e.g., onto the nearest road segment, as in Fig. 9 shown. Fig. Figure 10 shows a result through combined views of Fig. 8 and Fig. 3.

[0076] The auxiliary waypoints can also be projected onto the nearest POI selected from a group of static or user-defined POIs taken from a digital map or database, or onto a nearby point that the user has not visited in the past (so that the round trips are different each time), or onto the nearest point on land if the waypoint is on water, or onto a nearby road segment with a specific road profile, e.g., with a particular surface, curve, or otherwise classified as interesting, or onto a point representing a cluster of several nearby places of the same type, e.g., tourist attractions, or onto the most important POI nearby (e.g., a viewpoint).Importance can be derived from the amount of information provided about a point or any other ranking scheme, such as the number of photos taken by users at that location. It is understood that intermediate points (locations) may be restricted to a specific subset of road classes (e.g., primary, secondary, tertiary roads), exclude ferry routes, and exclude long road segments where no U-turn is possible, such as highways.

[0077] It can be useful to check the plausibility of the determined intermediate points (8), especially to avoid costly route calculations as early as possible. For example, intermediate points (8) can be discarded if a certain percentage lies on water (e.g., if coastal voyages towards the open sea are requested) or if there is another difficult route topology to navigate, such as narrow mountain passes, fjords, etc. If the round trip is discarded, a valid round trip can still be generated by adjusting the parameters, e.g., by changing the direction of travel (3) by + / -30 degrees to remain close to the original direction but allow for some flexibility, and then starting again with the construction of the (auxiliary) intermediate points.

[0078] Once the intermediate points 8 have been determined, the round trip 10 can be calculated (step S5). Fig. Figures 11 to 15 show how route segments 9 are determined between the intermediate points 8, including the origin 2 (i.e., the starting and ending points). The direction of travel between the intermediate points 8 (clockwise or counterclockwise) can be chosen arbitrarily. However, if there are problems in areas with one-way streets, the direction can be changed. The direction can also be chosen with regard to the weather, for example, to avoid driving through a rain area that will later move away, or to avoid driving into the low sun.

[0079] An optimal path from the starting point to the endpoint (which is identical to the starting point), including the 8 intermediate points, can be found as shown in Fig. Figures 11 to 15 are shown. It is understood that transport lines 11 within the restriction area 7 (avoidance geometries) are excluded. Depending on the user's preferences, certain road features can be included or excluded. If no route is found, a valid round trip can still be generated by adjusting the parameters, e.g., by changing the travel direction 3 by + / -30 degrees to remain close to the original direction but allow some flexibility, and then starting again with the construction of intermediate points 8.

[0080] The generated round trip 10 is then validated against specific validation parameters (see database D4) (step S6). A valid round trip should exhibit minimal roundness, meaning the ratio of perimeter to area should be within a valid range. Furthermore, it should be ensured that the "tentacle factor," i.e., the length of the twice-traveled road segments, is below a threshold. Additionally, it should be ensured that the deviation of certain parameters of the resulting round trip, such as distance or time, from the input parameters is below a threshold. A "disturbance rule" can be applied, which can be defined as a linear combination of all other rules with individual weighting and a normalization of the rules to a uniform domain. This normalization can be a user-specific setting and can be learned from past trips.

[0081] If it is determined that the round trip 10 is not valid, the procedure returns by adjusting the parameters (step S7) and starts again from step S3 constructing intermediate points 8. If a valid round trip 10 is obtained (possibly by iteratively repeating the process) or if iterative round trip generation is enabled and a timeout has occurred, the round trip 10 is output. An example result is shown in Fig. 16 shown.

[0082] The result can be cleaned up to achieve a more pleasing round trip 10. For example, the construction of round trip 10 may cause loops. Such loops can be discarded by identifying road segments traveled twice in the same direction. In addition to cutting loops, there may also be short sections where a road segment is traveled twice. These edges can be excluded from the final route, but only if no dead end is formed. It may be necessary to relocate places; that is, if many maneuvers are near an intermediate point, this indicates a complex topology that could distort the round trip. In this case, the intermediate point is simplified by placing it on the first (local) maneuver and omitting the set of complex maneuvers. Examples are in Fig. shown on pages 17 to 22 and described in more detail below.

[0083] Fig. Figure 17 shows a first example where round trip 10 has a loop 12 around an intermediate location. Loops 12 should generally be suppressed because they degrade the visual appearance of the round trip, increase the round trip time without increasing its appeal (since the loop occurs in a small area around the intermediate location), and they involve driving over the same road twice, which is boring for a tourist driver or unproductive for an inspection trip. The loops 12 can be removed by the following steps: The duplicated edges are identified. The route is then reconstructed, iterating over all edges. Crossing the first duplicated edge indicates that it is skipped. All subsequent edges are skipped and not written into the response (the new route) until the duplicated edge is crossed again.Then the skipping stops and the edges are written back into the answer. The result without loops is in . Fig. 18 shown.

[0084] Fig. Figure 19 shows another example where the round trip 10 displays a "tentacle" 13 around an intermediate location. Tentacles 13 should generally be suppressed, as they degrade the visual appearance of the round trip and increase the round trip time without increasing its attractiveness, since the same road is traveled twice, which is boring for the tourist driver or unproductive for an inspection trip. This is remedied by avoiding duplicate local roads using the following mechanism. Edges that already appear in the route can be included in an extra-cost edge vector and are then generally avoided when searching for the route. The result without tentacles is shown in Fig. 20 shown.

[0085] Fig. Figure 21 shows another example where the round trip includes 10 unnecessary U-turns (i.e., a “cluster” 14) around an intermediate location. Such behavior should generally be suppressed, as it increases fuel / battery consumption. It can also be tiring for the tourist driver or unproductive for an inspection trip, as many maneuvers take more time, and therefore fewer regions can be covered per unit of time. This can be remedied by shifting intermediate locations using the following steps: Clusters 14 are identified around an intermediate location, and the intermediate location is shifted to the first maneuver of a cluster. The round trip is then reconstructed with the shifted intermediate location. The result without clusters is shown in Figure 21. Fig. 22 shown.

[0086] Alternatively, the calculation of the round trips could be parallelized by varying the (individual) parameters within reasonable ranges; for example, reducing or increasing the size of the round trip control form results in a set of round trips with different distances and durations. From this set, the round trip that best suits the user's preferences can be selected.

[0087] One option is to pre-calculate a set of round trips for frequently requested locations or POIs, e.g. hotels, transport depots, main train stations.

[0088] One option is to present round trips with variations in parameters and external and internal route preferences to a user, who can then indicate whether they like the trip or not without knowing the underlying parameters and preferences. After a sufficient number of round trips have been presented, the system can derive a profile for the user in order to present the most suitable round trips in future requests.

[0089] One option is to adjust the round-trip control format, taking into account the average waiting / rest times at certain POIs, in order to better meet the user's specified preferred round-trip time.

[0090] For more precise control of the route, preference geometries, similar to avoidance geometries, can be incorporated into the generation process. Unlike avoidance geometries (restriction areas), they direct the route into specific regions.

[0091] The variant of the method described above for generating a round trip 10 is based on a basic route geometry, such as a circular shape, which is easy to achieve but does not necessarily take into account the shape of landmasses. For example, intermediate points could end on bodies of water or in inaccessible mountain regions. The variant described below (which can be an extension of the first variant) further considers information about land cover and POI locations. To make this work, additional pre-calculated geospatial datasets are used, specifically those based on a hexagonal grid.

[0092] Road networks can vary greatly in density and shape. In some regions, the road network density may be insufficient to provide round trips in all directions, or even impossible. Therefore, it is not possible to reliably create round trips that meet specific criteria without comprehensive knowledge of the network. However, gathering extensive information for every round trip request is costly and typically exceeds the self-imposed latency of a few seconds of processing time. Thus, a method is proposed to obtain an abstract and simple data structure of the factors influencing a round trip before attempting to calculate the actual route.

[0093] For this purpose, a hexagonal grid 20 containing information on the aforementioned factors is introduced. For example, the hexagonal hierarchical geospace indexing system uber / H3 can be used. However, it is understood that other grid or indexing systems may also be used where appropriate. The information assigned to each cell 21 of the hexagonal grid may include the following: Land cover classes that are highly likely to affect the network of routes, such as bodies of water, rivers, and mountainous areas, are provided; land cover classes that influence the thematic category of the round trip, such as urban areas or forests, may also be provided; and a cell-to-cell connectivity factor is provided, such as a cell's connection to its neighbors with respect to the network of transport lines 11.Cells 21 also contain information about the points of interest they contain, which represent the routing locations of the tour, grouped by thematic category and ordered by importance.

[0094] In general, a hexagonal lattice has certain mathematical advantages over any other lattice. Hexagons are optimally space-filling, meaning they are the most circle-like regular polygon known to densely cover a plane. The sphere (the Earth's globe) can be divided into a more regular mosaic pattern using hexagons than a rectangular grid. In a hexagonal lattice, the neighbors of a lattice cell are all equidistant (unlike in square or triangular grids).

[0095] To identify the cells to be selected for a section of tour 10, the cell content is evaluated, as explained below.

[0096] Fig. Figure 23 illustrates an evaluation of cell content in terms of land cover classes. The land cover is categorized into types, with each type representing 100% of the cell's area. A ranking of the land cover can then be created based on area and type. In particular, this procedure can also be used to assess whether a cell is urban, rural, mountainous, etc. An output could be as shown in Figure 23. Fig. 23 shown (dark = high density of urban areas; light = low density of urban areas).

[0097] Fig. Figure 24 illustrates an evaluation of the cell content in relation to the Points of Interest (POIs). The POIs are divided into categories. The number of occurrences, i.e., the number of POIs in a particular category, is variable and can be zero. It may be possible to evaluate popularity. For this purpose, the POIs are linked to additional category-dependent metadata, such as photos taken near tourist destinations or geographical variables like the height of a peak. A ranking in terms of the importance (relevance) of POIs depends on a thematic category of the tour. For example, high mountain peaks are more important for a tourist tour of the Alps, while popular architecture or historical buildings may be more important for a sightseeing tour of a city center.If there is no POI 23 in cell 21, the center of the cell can be considered the routing point (intermediate point). The single most important POI 23 for cell 21 is then chosen as the routing point (intermediate point). This ensures that the POI 23s are not too close together, which could lead to complicated round-trip geometries. An output could look like this: Fig. 24 shown (dark = high density of viewpoints; light = low density of viewpoints).

[0098] Fig. Figure 25 illustrates an evaluation of the cell contents with respect to cell-to-cell connectivity. The cells 21 can be ordered according to the number and type of transport line 11. This could be done as in Fig. 25 shown. Each triangle inside a hexagon indicates that a transport line 11 (e.g. a motorway) is connected to the adjacent hexagon.

[0099] The described evaluation options refer to a non-exhaustive list of geospatial parameters. Other data, such as population density, road quality metrics, weather information, security risks, travel or citizen alerts, can be provided in the same way. Such data can also be obtained through appropriate sensors as described above.

[0100] It can be advantageous to normalize the values ​​individually to obtain a comparable score, e.g., linearly between 0 and 1, or 0% and 100%, or exponentially (1 = 1; 10 = 2; 100 = 3; and so on), or any other normalization scheme. A total score can then be obtained from the weighted average of the scores. The weighting scheme can be fixed or user-defined. The scores are updated when the raw data changes.

[0101] Fig. Figure 26 shows an example with four cells. Points within the cells indicate POls, while arrows between the cells show the respective connectivity between the cells via transport lines. The right-hand side shows an example of composite scores for individual cells. Specifically, in cell A, the POl score is 100% because the most popular POI of the cell selection is contained in this cell. The connectivity score of cell A is also 100% because the cell meets the required connectivity requirements. Thus, cell A has a total score of (100 + 100) / 2 = 100%. In cell C, the POl score is 40%. The POl score is normalized to the best POI of the selection. However, the connectivity score of cell C is 0% because the cell does not meet the required connectivity requirements. Therefore, the total score for cell C is (0 + 40) / 2 = 20%.

[0102] Referring to Fig. Figure 27 illustrates how a round trip 10 can be generated according to this variant using the hexagonal lattice 20. The middle figure in Fig. Figure 27 has been enlarged to improve the readability of the numbers in cells 21. Generally, it is advantageous to minimize the effort required to create a tour. This is especially true when the user has no prior knowledge of the geographical area. Thus, it is possible to generate well-structured and thematically defined tours without any local knowledge. The required input can be limited to the following parameters: the origin (e.g., the starting point and end point of the tour), the desired category of points of interest to be visited (a category corresponds to a thematic collection of types that subjectively or objectively describe characteristics of points and areas of interest, e.g., in a tourist context: "historical," "scenic," "maritime"), and the desired duration of the tour.

[0103] First, the user enters a location that can be assigned to a cell, i.e., the origin cell 22 (left in Fig. 27). Next, the scores of the first and second rings of hexagons around the original cell 22 are evaluated (center of Fig. 27). In this way, a closed ring 24 of cells 21 with the best score for a given location category combination can be determined. After the optimal ring 24 has been identified, the most important POI 23 is selected from each cell 21. The POI collection is then ordered clockwise or counterclockwise and passed to the routing engine (right in Fig. 27).

[0104] Finally, a route is returned that connects all specified points of interest, attempting to maintain an approximately circular shape. However, this first step of the routing process did not consider detailed information about the road network. Thus, while the initial routing request is optimized for a circular arrangement of POls 23 and a reduction of the disruptive influences of the road network, geometric irregularities may still occur in the initial result. This is because the data in the network has been significantly reduced and abstracted to improve computational efficiency and reduce latency.

[0105] As with the first variant (method of Fig. 1) As explained, a validation process is applied to prevent the return of irregular round trips. Proportions of route segments deemed invalid reduce the overall quality. It is understood that the procedures below can also be added to the validation step S6 described above. In particular, invalid route segments include duplicate route sections (“tentacles”), enclosed loops connected to the main route, zigzag patterns (where avoidable), or self-intersections.

[0106] Fig. Figure 28 illustrates one way to identify invalid segments. In particular, sections that are too close together are potentially invalid, such as (small) loops, tentacles, or self-intersections. Thus, the patterns mentioned above (with the exception of large loops) can be detected by checking predefined segments of the route for free space. Fig. Figure 28 in a) to d) shows how invalid sections, which are the two vertical lines, are identified and removed. First, the line shape is simplified and divided into segments 26 of fixed size ( Fig. 28a). These segments 26 are then rotated by 90 degrees (dashed lines in Fig. 28b). Intersection points of rotated segments with parts of the simplified line shape are recognized ( Fig. 28c). The basic idea is to identify road segments that are close together relative to their segment length; that is, for longer segments, the roads must be further apart than for a small break. These identifications lead to the linked segment being classified as invalid, e.g., as an element of a geometric irregularity (dotted segments in Fig. 28d are invalid). If invalid segments 25 divide the overall geometry into several parts (see Fig. 28e), smaller geometries 27 are also marked as invalid ( Fig. 28f)

[0107] The length of the invalid segments 25 in relation to the valid segments represents the geometric quality. If the geometric quality falls below a certain threshold, attempts are made to improve it and correct the irregular shape, as in the simplified example route in Fig. 29 shown.

[0108] The shape of the track ( Fig. 29a) is divided into valid and invalid segments as described above (see Fig. 29b). All routing locations are then mapped to the valid segments ( Fig. 29c). In this way, POIs 23, previously reached via invalid segments, are mapped further away from their original location. POIs 23, reached via valid segments, are connected to the round trip in the same way. On a second routing request using the optimized locations, invalid segments 25 are highly likely to be excluded from the overall shape. At this point, the average distance to the original set of POIs 23 increased, while the geometric quality also improved. The result is presented in Fig. 29d shown. 5. These steps of “quality assessment” and “quality improvement” can be repeated iteratively until the geometric quality reaches the desired threshold or the locations can no longer be mapped to a better location.

[0109] An example of the procedure using the hexagonal lattice, including the appropriate corrections, is given in Fig. Shown from 30 to 32. As in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 30, an optimal ring of cells 21 near the center is obtained (in this case, the leftmost cell was selected as the origin of the journey; the cells are shown, and the highest-ranked points of interest within each cell are connected by a dashed line). The route segments connecting the highest-ranked POIs 23 are determined. A correspondingly obtained round trip 10 is then displayed in Fig. 31. Subsequently, the geometric quality is assessed, and invalid route segments are identified (shown as white areas in the bottom three grid cells in Fig. 31). The POIs 23 are assigned to the nearest valid sections of the route, and the generation of the round trip 10 is repeated (iteratively) to obtain a new route. This procedure is terminated as soon as a geometry quality threshold is reached (otherwise, the aforementioned steps are repeated until the threshold is reached). A result shows Fig. 32, i.e. a round trip of 10 without invalid sections causing the irregularities, and therefore a pleasant round trip.

[0110] While at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it should be noted that a large number of variations exist. Furthermore, it is understood that the described exemplary embodiments merely illustrate non-limiting examples of how the present invention can be implemented, and that it is not intended to limit the scope, application, or configuration of the device and method described herein. Rather, the preceding description provides the person skilled in the art with designs for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment of the invention, whereby it is understood that various modifications to the functionality and arrangement of the elements of the exemplary embodiment can be made without departing from the subject matter defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. REFERENCE MARK LIST 1 Geo-region 2 Origin 3. Travel direction 4 Center 5 Basic Path Geometry (Check Form) 6 Auxiliary intermediate point 7 Restricted area 8 intermediate points 9 route segments 10 Round trip 11 transport lines 12 loops 13 tentacles 14 clusters 20 Hexagonal Grid 21 Cell 22 Origin cell 23 Points of Interest (POI) 24 rings 25 Invalid segment 26 segments 27 Unconnected section

Claims

[1] Method for generating a round trip (10) in a network of transport lines (11) on geospatial data, wherein the geospatial data are divided using a grid (20) from a plurality of adjacent cells (21), each of the cells (21) being assigned information about at least points of interest (23) and transport lines (11) enclosed therein, the method comprising: - Obtaining an origin (2) for the round trip (10), wherein the origin (2) is a geospace location, and defining a starting point and an endpoint for the round trip (10) as a common point on the network of transport lines (11) based on the obtained origin (2); - Obtaining route parameters that define at least one of a requirement and a constraint for the round trip (10); - Determine one of the cells (21) in which the origin (2) is located as the origin cell (22); - Evaluating cells surrounding the origin cell (22) based on their respective assigned information with respect to the obtained path parameters; - Selecting some of the evaluated cells (21) based on the evaluation results, wherein the selected cells (21) together with the original cell (22) form a closed ring (24) of adjacent cells (21); - Determining one or more intermediate points (8) based on the associated information about the points of interest (23), wherein in each selected cell (21) one point of interest (23) is selected as one of the intermediate points (8); and - Determining route segments (9) between the starting point, the one or more intermediate points (8) and the endpoint and connecting the determined route segments (9) to obtain a round trip (10) from the starting point via the one or more intermediate points (8) to the endpoint. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation of the cells (21) comprises calculating a score as the evaluation result, which is represented by a normalized numerical value. [3] Method according to claim 2, wherein the score is a combination of a POI score and a connectivity score, wherein the POI score represents a relevance of the points of interest (23) in a cell (21) with respect to the route parameters and the connectivity score represents connectivity available between adjacent cells (21) via transport lines (11). [4] Method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the cells (21) are selected such that the closed ring (24) of the selected cells has the highest score among the closed rings (24) of cells surrounding the original cell (22), wherein the score of a closed ring (24) of cells (21) is the sum of all the scores of the cells (21) in the closed ring (24). [5] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the route parameters include a thematic category of points of interest (23) and a travel time. [6] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each cell (21) is assigned information about one or more of the following: - one or more land cover classes that affect the network of transport lines (11); - one or more land cover classes that specify the environmental character of a cell; - a cell-to-cell connectivity that specifies a connection of a cell (21) to its neighboring cells (21) with respect to the network of transport lines (11); - included points of interest (23), which are grouped by thematic category and ordered by importance. [7] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of cells (21) is formed by a plurality of adjacent hexagons. [8] Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising determining a validation value for the obtained round trip (10) using one or more validation parameters and - if the validation value is below the predetermined threshold, adjust the route parameters and repeat the determination steps, or, - if the validation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, output the obtained round trip (10). [9] Method according to claim 8, wherein the validation value is determined to include one or more of the following: - a form factor, wherein the form factor represents a ratio between a perimeter and an area defined by the obtained round trip (10) on the geospace data; and - a deviation factor, wherein the deviation factor represents a deviation of the actual characteristics of the obtained round trip (10) from each of the obtained route parameters. [10] Method according to claim 9, wherein the validation value is determined by calculating a weighted and normalized linear combination of at least the form factor and the deviation factor. [11] Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising reworking the obtained round trip (10) to identify and remove invalid sections (25) of the obtained round trip (10), wherein the invalid sections (25) comprise at least one of the following: - Loops (12), wherein the loops (12) are removed by deleting transport lines (11) that form the loop (12), so that each point in the network of transport lines (11) is traversed only once; - multiple journeys (13) of transport lines (11), wherein the multiple journeys (13) are removed by displaying transport lines (11) that are travelled more than once, and the round trip (10) is at least partially recalculated, avoiding the displayed transport lines (11) so that each transport line is travelled only once; and - Clusters (14) of transport lines (11) around an intermediate point, wherein the clusters (14) are removed by moving a corresponding intermediate point to a nearby location in the network of transport lines (11) and recalculating the round trip (10) at least partially. [12] Method according to claim 11, wherein the invalid sections (25) are identified by determining a lateral distance between the sections (26) of the round trip (10), wherein sections (26) are identified as invalid sections (25) if the determined lateral distance is below a predetermined threshold. [13] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein determining the route segments (9) includes determining a sequence of the intermediate points (8) in which they are traversed on the round trip (10), the sequence being based on a clockwise or counterclockwise sequence. [14] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein determining the route segments (9) comprises at least one of the following: - Selecting the order of intermediate points (8) based on the characteristics of the transport line, environmental criteria, or user preferences; and - Include or exclude transport lines (11) based on the properties of the transport lines, environmental criteria or user preferences. [15] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein determining one or more intermediate points (8) comprises at least one of the following: - Receiving user input that specifies at least one intermediate point (8); - Selecting at least one point of interest from a collection of points of interest (23). [16] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein obtaining the origin (2) comprises obtaining a current user location, receiving a user input specifying a desired geospace location as the origin, or setting a default location as the origin. [17] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the route parameters include at least a direction of travel, a travel time, a travel distance, a type of transport line, a type of intermediate point and the energy resources available for the round trip (10). [18] Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising obtaining route preferences, wherein the route segments (9) are determined such that route segments (9) are preferred which satisfy one or more of the obtained route preferences, wherein the route preferences comprise at least one of the following: - route-internal parameters, wherein the route-internal parameters specify features of the transport lines (11); and - route-external parameters, wherein the route-external parameters specify features of an environment along the transport lines (11). [19] A method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising obtaining transport line characteristics, wherein the route segments (9) are determined such that route segments (9) are preferred based on one or more of the obtained transport line characteristics, wherein the transport line characteristics comprise at least one of the following: - Road sensor data; - Traffic monitoring data; - public warning data; - Air inspection data; and - Data on the availability of charging stations. [20] Data processing system configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19. [21] Computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on one or more processors of a system according to claim 20, cause the system to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19. [22] Computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on one or more processors of a system according to claim 20, cause the system to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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