Method, program, and information processing system for providing information associated with geographical area

Abstract

To provide a method, a program, and an information processing system that can provide information related to specifications of a construction that are necessary when constructing a building at a site.SOLUTION: A method applied by an information processing system 1 includes: a first step (ST115) of inputting an information provision request that specifies a geographical position or a geographical range including a position, from a building plan generating system 3; a second step (ST120) of reading one or more pieces of area information that indicate a geographical area overlapping with a position or a range specified in the information provision request, and one or more pieces of specification related information associated with the one or more pieces of area information, from a storage device 2; and a third step (ST125) of providing the one or more pieces of area information and the one or more pieces of specification relation information read according to the information provision request, to the building plan generating system 3. The specification related information is information that is related to specifications of a construction. The area information is information that indicates a geographical area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, a program and an information processing system for providing information associated with a geographic region. [Background technology]

[0002] The following patent document describes an invention for a method for automatically generating plans for a building to be constructed on a site. In this invention, the building plan is determined so as to satisfy the building regulations (set line restrictions, height restrictions, building coverage ratio, etc.) of the site location and to maximize the number of dwelling units in order to increase profitability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7283829 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to manage information on building regulations at the location of a site, it is conceivable to use a simple database that stores information on building regulations in association with the address of the site. However, building regulations generally define a geographical area that is subject to the regulations. This area is defined regardless of the size of the site. Therefore, a single regulation may not necessarily apply to the entire site, and different regulations may apply to multiple parts of the site. In such cases, the information managed by the above-mentioned simple database does not accurately determine which regulations apply to which parts of the site, making it impossible to obtain the regulatory information necessary to determine the building plan.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a method, program, and information processing system that can provide information regarding building regulations necessary when constructing a building on a site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A method according to a first aspect of the present invention is a method in which an information processing system provides information associated with a geographical area, the information processing system being accessible to a storage device, the storage device storing multiple area information each associated with one piece of regulation-related information, the regulation-related information being information related to building regulations and the area information being information indicating a geographical area, the method comprising: a first step of inputting an information provision request specifying a geographical location or a geographical range; a second step of reading from the storage device one or more area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the location or range specified in the information provision request, and one or more pieces of regulation-related information associated with the one or more area information; and a third step of providing the one or more pieces of area information and the one or more pieces of regulation-related information read in response to the information provision request to the source of the information provision request.

[0007] A program according to a second aspect of the present invention is a program including instructions for causing an information processing system to perform a process of providing information associated with a geographical area, wherein the information processing system is capable of accessing a storage device, the storage device stores a plurality of area information each associated with one piece of regulation-related information, the regulation-related information being information related to building regulations and the area information being information indicating a geographical area, and the processing performed by the information processing system in accordance with the instructions includes a first step of inputting an information provision request specifying a geographical location or a geographical range, a second step of reading from the storage device one or more area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the location or range specified in the information provision request and one or more pieces of regulation-related information associated with the one or more area information, and a third step of providing the one or more pieces of area information and the one or more pieces of regulation-related information read in response to the information provision request to the source of the information provision request.

[0008] An information processing system according to a third aspect of the present invention is an information processing system that provides information associated with a geographical area, and has a processing unit and a memory unit that stores a program including instructions that the processing unit can execute, the processing unit being accessible to a storage device, the storage device storing multiple area information each associated with one piece of regulation-related information, the regulation-related information being information related to building regulations, and the area information being information indicating a geographical area, and the processing that the processing unit performs in accordance with the instructions includes a first step of inputting an information provision request specifying a geographical position or a geographical range, a second step of reading from the storage device one or more area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the position or range specified in the information provision request, and one or more pieces of regulation-related information associated with the one or more pieces of area information, and a third step of providing the one or more pieces of area information and the one or more pieces of regulation-related information read in response to the information provision request to the source of the information provision request.

[0009] An information processing system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is an information processing system that provides information associated with a geographical area, and is accessible to a storage device, the storage device stores multiple area information each associated with one piece of regulation-related information, the regulation-related information is information related to building regulations, and the area information is information indicating a geographical area, and the information processing system has: a first means for inputting an information provision request specifying a geographical position or a geographical range; a second means for reading from the storage device one or more area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the position or range specified in the information provision request, and one or more pieces of regulation-related information associated with the one or more area information; and a third means for providing the one or more area information and the one or more pieces of regulation-related information read in response to the information provision request to the source of the information provision request. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method, a program, and an information processing system that are capable of providing information on building regulations required when constructing a building on a site. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Fig. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system, and Fig. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 3] Fig. 3A is a diagram showing an example of a map including a site, and Fig. 3B is a diagram showing an example of types of regulation-related information. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which an information processing system provides area and regulation information in order to generate a building plan. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for updating area / regulation information in response to an update of a web page. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a process for updating area / regulation information on the condition of approval from an administrator. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device of the administrator. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device of the administrator. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device of the administrator. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for changing area / regulation information in response to an operation by an administrator. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device of the administrator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to the first embodiment. The system shown in the example of Fig. 1 includes an information processing system 1, a building plan generation system 3, a map providing system 4, and a terminal device 7, which are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network 9 such as the Internet. The information processing system 1 is an example of the information processing system of the present invention.

[0013] In the system shown in Figure 1, when a building plan is generated by the building plan generation system 3 for a site specified by the terminal device 7, information regarding the building regulations necessary to construct a building on that site is provided to the building plan generation system 3 by the information processing system 1.

[0014] [Information Processing System 1] The information processing system 1 performs processing to provide information about building regulations associated with a geographical area in response to a request from the building plan generation system 3 or another device. For example, the information processing system 1 includes one or more computers connected to a communication network 9. The information processing system 1 shown in the example of FIG. 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a processing unit 13.

[0015] The communication unit 11 communicates with other devices (such as the building plan generation system 3) via the communication network 9. The communication unit 11 includes a device (such as a network interface card) that communicates in accordance with a predetermined communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or wireless LAN.

[0016] The storage unit 12 stores one or more programs 121 including instructions executable by the processing unit 13, data temporarily saved during processing by the processing unit 13, data used in processing by the processing unit 13, data obtained as a result of processing by the processing unit 13, etc. The storage unit 12 may include, for example, a main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.) and an auxiliary storage device (flash memory, SSD, hard disk, memory card, optical disk, etc.). The storage unit 12 may be composed of one storage device or multiple storage devices. When the storage unit 12 is composed of multiple storage devices, each storage device is connected to the processing unit 13 via a computer bus or any other communication means.

[0017] The processing unit 13 controls the overall operation of the information processing system 1 and executes predetermined information processing. The processing unit 13 includes, for example, one or more processors (such as a central processing unit (CPU), a micro-processing unit (MPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a neural network processing unit (NPU)) that execute processing in accordance with instructions in one or more programs 121 stored in the storage unit 12. The processing unit 13 operates as one or more computers by the one or more processors executing instructions in one or more programs 121 stored in the storage unit 12. The information processing system 1 may include multiple computers, and at least a part of the processing according to this embodiment may be executed by the multiple computers in cooperation with each other.

[0018] The processing unit 13 may include one or more dedicated hardware (such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)) configured to realize a specific function. The processing unit 13 may execute all of the processes described in this embodiment in one or more computers, or may execute at least some of the processes in dedicated hardware.

[0019] The program 121 may be recorded, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium (such as an optical disc, a memory card, a USB memory, or other non-transitory tangible medium). The processing unit 13 may read at least a portion of the one or more programs 121 recorded on such a recording medium using a recording medium reading device (such as an optical disc device) or an interface device (such as a USB interface), not shown, and write the read at least a portion of the one or more programs 121 to the storage unit 12. Alternatively, the processing unit 13 may download at least a portion of the one or more programs 121 from another device connected to the communication network 9 via the communication unit 11 and write the downloaded program to the storage unit 12. The one or more programs 121 may include instructions that cause the processing unit 13 to execute at least a portion of the processing according to this embodiment, which will be described later.

[0020] The storage device 2 stores various information used in the processing of the information processing system 1. The information processing system 1 and the storage device 2 can communicate via any communication means (LAN, dedicated line network, Internet, etc.). For example, the storage device 2 may be included in a file server or database server that accepts access from multiple devices, or may be a dedicated storage device that can be accessed only by the information processing system 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage device 2 stores multiple pieces of area / regulation information 21. Each piece of area / regulation information 21 includes one piece of area information and one piece of regulation-related information.

[0021] The area information is information indicating a geographical area, and includes, for example, polygon data representing a polygonal area surrounded by a plurality of lines connecting a plurality of geographical positions (positions specified by latitude and longitude).

[0022] Regulatory information is information related to building regulations, and includes, for example, information indicating the type and content of regulations (zoning, shadow regulations, etc.) and information referenced to determine regulatory requirements (roads, rivers, etc.).

[0023] One piece of regulation-related information is associated with one piece of area information and indicates information related to building regulations applied to the geographical area indicated by the one piece of area information. One piece of area-regulation information 21 indicates a pair of one piece of area information and one piece of regulation-related information associated with the one piece of area information.

[0024] FIG. 3A shows an example of a map 30 including a site 31. FIG. 3B shows an example of types of regulation-related information. There are, for example, multiple types of regulation-related information. In the example of FIG. 3B, there are nine types of regulation-related information (use zone, fire prevention zone, height zone, shadow regulation, district plan, planned road, parking lot development zone, road, river, and railroad). Each piece of regulation-related information stored in the storage device 2 belongs to one of the multiple types.

[0025] One map is constructed for each type of regulation-related information. That is, a map for regulation-related information belonging to one type (e.g., a map for a zoning zone) is constructed by arranging the geographical areas of multiple pieces of area information associated with multiple pieces of regulation-related information belonging to one type (e.g., a zoning zone) on a map. A map for regulation-related information belonging to one type may be referred to as a "layer" below. Multiple layers as shown in FIG. 3B are constructed from multiple pieces of area / regulation information 21 stored in the storage device 2. Note that the type of regulation-related information in the area / regulation information 21 stored in the storage device 2 may be multiple or may be one.

[0026] [Building Plan Generation System 3] The building plan generation system 3 performs processing to generate a plan for a building that can be constructed on a site specified by the user in response to a request from the user's terminal device 7. The building plan generation system 3 acquires information related to building regulations that are necessary when constructing a building on a site specified by the user from the information processing system 1, and generates a building plan based on this acquired information. For example, the building plan generation system 3 determines the area within which a building can be constructed on the specified site, determines the number of floors and floor area of ​​each floor of a building that can be constructed within that area, and then determines the number of units on each floor and the area of ​​the exclusive and common areas on each floor based on the determined floor area of ​​each floor.

[0027] The building plan generation system 3 displays a map on the terminal device 7 based on the map information acquired from the map providing system 4. The user can specify the range of the site for which a building plan is to be generated on the map displayed on the terminal device 7.

[0028] For example, the map providing system 4 has a communication unit, a storage unit, and a processing unit similar to the communication unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the processing unit 13 of the information processing system 1 described above.

[0029] [Map provision system 4] The map providing system 4 provides general-purpose map information in response to requests from other devices (such as the building plan generation system 3 and the terminal device 7). The requesting device can use the map information acquired from the map providing system 4 to configure a user interface that displays a map image on a display.

[0030] [Terminal Device 7] The terminal device 7 is a device equipped with an information and communication function, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, and is operated by a user who views information related to the building plan. In the example of FIG. 1, there is one terminal device 7, but there may be multiple terminal devices 7. For example, the terminal device 7 includes a processing unit, a memory unit, and a communication unit similar to the communication unit 11, memory unit 12, and processing unit 13 of the information processing system 1. The terminal device 7 also includes an input unit (touch panel, mouse, keyboard, etc.) for inputting user instructions, and a display unit (liquid crystal display, organic EL display, projector, etc.) for displaying information.

[0031] Here, the processing performed in the system having the above-described configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Step ST115 is an example of the first step of the present invention. Step ST120 is an example of the second step of the present invention. Step ST125 is an example of the third step of the present invention.

[0032] The terminal device 7 displays a map based on the map information provided by the map providing system 4, and inputs information about a site designated by the user on this map. The terminal device 7 requests the building plan generation system 3 to generate a plan for a building that can be constructed on the input site (ST100).

[0033] When a request to generate a building plan is input from the terminal device 7 (ST105), the building plan generation system 3 requests information related to building regulations required for constructing a building on the site specified in the request from the information processing system 1 (ST110). In this case, the building plan generation system 3 specifies the geographical location of the site or a geographical area including the site, and inputs an information provision request to the information processing system 1, requesting the provision of information related to building regulations for this location or area. The geographical location specified in the information provision request may be, for example, the latitude and longitude of an arbitrary point on the site. Furthermore, the geographical area specified in the information provision request may be, for example, a circular area. In this case, the center position (latitude, longitude) of the circle and the radius of the circle may be specified in the information provision request.

[0034] When an information request specifying a geographical location or area is input (ST115), the information processing system 1 reads out from the storage device 2 one or more pieces of area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the location or area specified in the information request, and one or more pieces of regulation-related information associated with the one or more pieces of area information (ST120). That is, the information processing system 1 reads out from the storage device 2 one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 including area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the location or area specified in the information request.

[0035] For example, the information processing system 1 may read out one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 for each type of regulation-related information as shown in Fig. 3B. Furthermore, when a type of regulation-related information is specified in an information provision request, the information processing system 1 may read out one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 that include area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the location or range specified in the information provision request and that includes regulation-related information belonging to this specified type.

[0036] The information processing system 1 provides the one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 read in step ST120 to the information processing system 1 that has made the information provision request (ST125).

[0037] When the building plan generation system 3 receives one or more pieces of area and regulation information 21 provided by the information processing system 1 in response to an information request (ST130), it uses the one or more pieces of area and regulation information 21 to generate a plan of a building that can be constructed on the site (ST135). The building plan generation method can be, for example, the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 7283829. The building plan generation system 3 provides information on the generated building plan to the terminal device 7 (ST140). When the terminal device 7 receives information on the building plan generated by the building plan generation system 3 (ST145), it displays the information on the building plan on the display unit (ST150).

[0038] As described above, according to this embodiment, when an information provision request specifying a geographical location or range is input to the information processing system 1, one or more pieces of area information indicating the geographical area that overlaps with the specified location or range, and one or more pieces of regulation-related information associated with the one or more pieces of area information are provided from the information processing system 1. Because the area information indicates the geographical area and the regulation-related information is information related to building regulations in the geographical area, even if different regulations apply to multiple parts of a site, it is possible to correctly determine which regulations apply to which parts of the site based on the positional relationship between the geographical area indicated by the area information and the site. Therefore, information on building regulations necessary when constructing a building on a site can be provided to the building plan generation system 3.

[0039] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, a process of updating the area / regulation information 21 stored in the storage device 2 is performed based on information contained in a web page of a local government or the like.

[0040] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to the second embodiment. The system includes an information processing system 1, a map providing system 4, a web server 5, a generation AI system 6, and a terminal device 8, all of which are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network 9 such as the Internet. The configurations of the information processing system 1 and the map providing system 4 are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described further. The web server 5, the generation AI system 6, and the terminal device 8 will be described below.

[0041] [Web Server 5] Web server 5 is a server that provides web pages containing information related to building regulations, and is operated by, for example, an administrative agency (such as a local government or government office) that is involved in building regulations.

[0042] [Generative AI System 6] The generative AI system 6 is a system that provides one or more generative AI (generative artificial intelligence) functions capable of generating documents, images, etc. Generative AI is artificial intelligence configured to generate text, images, etc. in response to given prompts by training an artificial neural network with a large number of parameters (e.g., billions to hundreds of billions) on a large amount of data (text data, image data, etc.). Examples of generative AI include the GPT series (Chat GPT, etc.) operated by OpenAI, Inc. of the United States, the Gemini series (Gemini Pro, etc.) operated by Google, Inc. of the United States, and the Claude series (Claude3, etc.) operated by Anthropic, Inc. of the United States.

[0043] [Terminal Device 8] The terminal device 8 is a device equipped with an information communication function, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, and is operated by an administrator who has the authority to update the area / regulation information 21 provided by the information processing system 1. As shown in FIG. 2B , the terminal device 8 includes a communication unit 81, an input unit 82, a display unit 83, a storage unit 84, and a processing unit 85.

[0044] The communication unit 81 communicates with other devices (such as the information processing system 1) via the communication network 9. The communication unit 81 includes, for example, a communication device that communicates in accordance with a predetermined communication standard.

[0045] The input unit 82 inputs instructions and other information according to user operations to the processing unit 85. For example, the input unit 82 includes at least one device having an input function, such as a button, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch panel, a microphone, or a camera.

[0046] The display unit 83 is a device that displays an image corresponding to the image signal generated by the processing unit 85, and includes display devices such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a projector.

[0047] The storage unit 84 stores one or more programs 841 including instructions executable by the processing unit 85, data temporarily saved during processing by the processing unit 85, data used in processing by the processing unit 85, data obtained as a result of processing by the processing unit 85, etc. The storage unit 84 may include, for example, a main storage device (ROM, RAM, etc.) and an auxiliary storage device (flash memory, SSD, hard disk, optical disk, etc.). The storage unit 84 may be composed of one storage device or multiple storage devices. When the storage unit 84 is composed of multiple storage devices, each storage device is connected to the processing unit 85 via a computer bus or any other communication means.

[0048] The processing unit 85 controls the overall operation of the terminal device 8 and executes predetermined information processing. The processing unit 85 includes, for example, one or more processors (CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, NPU, etc.) that execute processing in accordance with instructions in a program 841 stored in the storage unit 84. The processing unit 85 operates as a computer by the one or more processors executing instructions in the one or more programs 841 stored in the storage unit 84. Note that the processing unit 85 may include one or more dedicated hardware (ASIC, FPGA, etc.) configured to realize a specific function, and at least a part of the processing described in this embodiment may be executed by the dedicated hardware.

[0049] The program 841 may be recorded, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium (such as an optical disk, a memory card, a USB memory, or other non-transitory tangible medium). The processing unit 85 may read at least a part of one or more programs 841 recorded on such a recording medium using a recording medium reading device (such as an optical disk device) or an interface device (such as a USB interface), not shown, and write the part to the storage unit 84.

[0050] Alternatively, the processing unit 85 may receive at least a part of one or more programs 841 via the communication unit 81 from another device connected to the communication network 9 and write the received programs to the storage unit 84. For example, if the information processing system 1 is a server that provides a web application and the screens (FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 12, etc.) described below are screens on a web browser provided by the information processing system 1, at least a part of the programs 841 may include code for the web browser provided by the information processing system 1 (code such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript (registered trademark), etc.).

[0051] Here, the processing performed in the system having the above-described configuration shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Step ST200 is an example of the fourth step of the present invention. Step ST210 is an example of the fifth step of the present invention. Step ST220 is an example of the sixth step of the present invention. Step ST225 is an example of the seventh step of the present invention. Step ST230 is an example of the eighth step of the present invention.

[0052] The information processing system 1 monitors updates to the web page of the web server 5 that includes information related to building regulations, and when the web page is updated, acquires the contents of the update (ST200). For example, the information processing system 1 periodically reads and saves a predetermined web page provided by the web server 5, and acquires the updated part of the web page by comparing the web page that was previously read and saved with the web page that was currently read.

[0053] When a link to another web page, file, etc. is changed or added in a monitored web page, the information processing system 1 may also read and save the linked web page, etc. This makes it possible to obtain information about building regulations published on the linked web page, etc. as updated content.

[0054] When the information processing system 1 detects an update to a web page in step ST200 and acquires the updated content (Yes in ST205), it determines whether the acquired updated content of the web page is related to an update to the area / regulation information 21 (ST210).

[0055] For example, the information processing system 1 determines the type of regulation-related information related to the update content of the web page acquired in step ST200, based on the update content of the web page. That is, the information processing system 1 determines which of the multiple types of regulation-related information the update content of the web page acquired in step ST200 relates to.

[0056] When determining the type of regulation-related information, the information processing system 1 may search for keywords defined for each type in the update content of the acquired web page. That is, the information processing system 1 may determine the type of regulation-related information based on the presence or absence of a predetermined keyword in the update content. Examples of keywords for each type are shown below. Zoning keywords: "Urban planning notice," "Urban planning changes," "Urban planning decisions," "Use zones," "Height districts," "Fire prevention zones," "Urban planning councils," "Explanatory meetings," and "Public inspection of drafts" District planning keywords: "Urban planning notice," "Plan changes," "Plan decision," "Urban planning council," "Explanatory meeting," "Public inspection," "Urban development"

[0057] In addition to the above-mentioned keywords for each type, the information processing system 1 may also search for keywords such as the following to narrow down web page updates related to amendments to ordinances and guidelines. "Amendment," "Change," "Forecast," "Establishment," "Establishment," "Promulgation," "New Establishment," "Abolition"

[0058] Alternatively, the information processing system 1 may use a generation AI to determine the updated content of the web page in step ST210. In this case, the information processing system 1 generates a prompt (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "first prompt") that includes the updated content (documents, images, etc.) of the web page acquired in step ST200 and instructs the generation AI to determine whether the updated content is related to an update of the area / restriction information 21. The information processing system 1 inputs the generated first prompt to the generation AI system 6 and determines whether the updated content of the web page is related to an update of the area / restriction information 21 based on the response from the generation AI system 6 to the first prompt.

[0059] When generating the first prompt, the information processing system 1 may generate the first prompt to include an instruction to determine which of multiple types of regulation-related information the update content of the web page acquired in step ST200 relates to. In this case, the information processing system 1 may generate the first prompt to include examples of web page update content for each type of regulation-related information. The examples of web page update content included in the first prompt may be update content previously acquired for the web page to be determined, or may be examples created individually to suit the content of the web page to be determined. In other words, the information processing system 1 may generate a first prompt that includes examples of predetermined update content (a combination of a type of regulation-related information and an example of web page update content) for each web page to be determined. This can improve the accuracy of the generation AI in determining the type of regulation-related information.

[0060] If the information processing system 1 determines that the update content of the web page is related to an update of the area / regulation information 21 (Yes in ST215), it generates area / regulation information 21 that matches this update content (ST220). If the type of regulation-related information is determined in step ST210, the information processing system 1 generates area / regulation information 21 that includes regulation-related information that belongs to this determined type. For example, the information processing system 1 extracts information (at least a part of the regulation-related information and area information) corresponding to the type of regulation-related information determined in step ST210 from the update content of the web page acquired in step ST200, and generates area / regulation information 21 based on the extracted information.

[0061] Alternatively, the information processing system 1 may use a generation AI to generate the area / restriction information 21 in step ST220. In this case, the information processing system 1 generates a prompt (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "second prompt") that includes the updated content (documents, images, etc.) of the web page determined in step ST210 to be related to the update of the area / restriction information 21 and instructs the generation AI to generate area / restriction information 21 that is compatible with this updated content. The information processing system 1 inputs the generated second prompt to the generation AI system 6 and obtains the area / restriction information 21 that is compatible with the updated content of the web page based on the response from the generation AI system 6 to this second prompt.

[0062] When generating the second prompt, the information processing system 1 may generate the second prompt to include an example of a combination of the update content of the web page and the area / regulation information 21 that matches the update content. Furthermore, if the information processing system 1 determines the type of regulation-related information in step ST210, the information processing system 1 may generate the second prompt to include an example of a combination of the update content of the web page that matches the determined type and the area / regulation information 21. The example of a combination (an example of a combination of the update content of the web page and the area / regulation information 21) included in the second prompt may be a combination of update content previously acquired for the web page to be determined and the area / regulation information 21, or may be created individually to suit the content of the web page to be determined. In other words, the information processing system 1 may generate the second prompt to include an example of a predetermined combination (an example of a combination of the update content of the web page and the area / regulation information 21) for each type of regulation-related information and for each web page to be determined. This improves the accuracy of the area / regulation information 21 generated by the generation AI.

[0063] The information processing system 1 may combine the first and second prompts into a single prompt to generate the same. In this case, the information processing system 1 may input the combined prompt to the AI ​​generation system 6, and obtain area and restriction information 21 that matches the updated content of the web page based on the response from the AI ​​generation system 6 to the prompt.

[0064] When the information processing system 1 determines that the update content of the web page involves updating the area / regulation information 21 (Yes in ST215), it identifies one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 in the storage device 2 that may be subject to the update indicated by the update content (ST225). In this case, for example, the information processing system 1 searches the storage device 2 for area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the area information of the area / regulation information 21 generated in step ST220, and identifies the area / regulation information 21 containing the area information found by the search as the area / regulation information 21 that may be subject to the update. More specifically, the information processing system 1 searches the storage device 2 for area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the area information of the area / regulation information 21 generated in step ST220 and that is associated with regulation-related information of the same type as the regulation-related information of the generated area / regulation information 21, and identifies the area / regulation information 21 containing the area information found by the search as the area / regulation information 21 that may be subject to the update.

[0065] After identifying the area / restriction information 21 in the storage device 2 in step ST225, the information processing system 1 replaces the identified area / restriction information 21 with the area / restriction information 21 generated in step ST220 (ST230). As a result, the area / restriction information 21 stored in the storage device 2 is updated to area / restriction information 21 that matches the updated content of the web page.

[0066] If the information processing system 1 is unable to identify the area / restriction information 21 in step ST225, it stores the area / restriction information 21 generated in step ST220 in the storage device 2 as new area / restriction information 21. As a result, new area / restriction information 21 that matches the updated content of the web page is stored in the storage device 2.

[0067] In the processing of step ST230, the information processing system 1 may update the area / restriction information 21 of the storage device 2, subject to approval by the administrator. Figure 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing in step ST230, showing an example of the processing for updating the area / restriction information 21 of the storage device 2, subject to approval by the administrator.

[0068] The information processing system 1 displays information regarding the updated contents of the web page obtained in step ST200 (hereinafter referred to as "web page information"), one or more pieces of area / restriction information 21 of the storage device 2 identified in step ST225, and the area / restriction information 21 generated in step ST220 on a terminal device 8 operated by an administrator (ST300).

[0069] When the administrator performs a predetermined operation (such as inputting a predetermined instruction) on the screen displaying the above information (Yes in ST305), the terminal device 8 updates the display on the screen in response to the operation (ST310).

[0070] If the operation by the administrator is an operation to input an update approval instruction for the area / restriction information 21 (Yes in ST315), the terminal device 8 inputs this update approval instruction to the information processing system 1. When the update approval instruction is input from the terminal device 8, the information processing system 1 replaces one or more pieces of area / restriction information 21 in the storage device 2 identified in step ST225 with the area / restriction information 21 generated in step ST220 (ST320).

[0071] The terminal device 8 repeats the above-described steps ST305 to ST320 until an instruction to end the process is input (ST325).

[0072] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (window) displayed on the administrator's terminal device 8 in step ST300 (Fig. 7). Screen A shown in Fig. 8 is a screen for inputting an update approval instruction from the administrator regarding updating the area and regulation information 21 of the land use zone when the updated content of the web page is related to the land use zone. Note that "land use zone" is just an example, and the type of regulation-related information in the area and regulation information 21 displayed on screen A may be other than land use zone.

[0073] Screen A in Figure 8 includes a map A1 showing the area / regulation information 21 of the storage device 2 identified in step ST225 (Figure 6), a field A3 displaying information about a specific location (a location marked with a + mark) on map A1, a map A2 showing the area / regulation information 21 generated in step ST220 (Figure 6), and a field A4 displaying information about a specific location (a location marked with a + mark) on map A2.

[0074] Maps A1 and A2 are constructed by overlaying a general-purpose map provided by the map providing system 4 with a zoning layer based on the area and regulation information 21. The zoning layer in map A1 includes geographical areas 51 and 52, and the zoning layer in map A2 includes geographical areas 51a and 52a. Zoning requirements represented by horizontal hatching are applied to geographical areas 51 and 51a, and zoning requirements represented by vertical hatching are applied to geographical areas 52 and 52a. Comparing maps A1 and A2, it can be seen that the geographical areas to which the two zoning requirements (horizontal hatching / vertical hatching) apply are different.

[0075] Columns A3 and A4 contain address information, latitude and longitude information, and information on zoning requirements for the location marked with a + on the map. Zoning requirements in the lower column A4 that differ from those in the upper column A3 are marked with an *.

[0076] Screen A includes a button A6, which is an operation element operated when inputting an update approval instruction, a button A7, which is operated when the update content has been confirmed but approval is withheld, a button A8, which is operated when returning to the previous screen, and a button A9, which is operated when moving to the next screen. When multiple updates to the web page related to the area / regulation information 21 are acquired by the monitoring process of step ST200 (FIG. 6), screen A is configured for inputting an update approval instruction for each update. Buttons A8 and A9 are operated when switching between the multiple screens A.

[0077] Screen A includes button A5, which is operated to display web page information that is the basis for area / restriction information 21 generated in step ST220 (FIG. 6). In the example of FIG. 8, button A5 is located in field A4. When button A5 is operated, terminal device 8 displays the web page information that is the basis for area / restriction information 21 generated for an area that includes a specific point (point with a + mark) on map A2.

[0078] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (window) displayed on the terminal device 8 when the button A5 on the screen A is operated. In this example, the web page information that is the basis for generating the area / regulation information 21 is displayed in a window B that is independent from the screen A.

[0079] 10 is a diagram showing another example of screen A displayed on terminal device 8 in step ST300 (FIG. 7), and shows an example of screen A displayed when area / regulation information 21 cannot be identified in step ST225 (FIG. 6). In screen A shown in FIG. 10, on map A1 showing area / regulation information 21 stored in storage device 2, there is no area to which zoning regulations apply at the position of the + mark, whereas on map A2 showing area / regulation information 21 generated in step ST220 (FIG. 6), there is an area 52 to which zoning regulations apply at the position of the same + mark. When button A6 is pressed on this screen A, terminal device 8 inputs an update approval instruction to the information processing system 1 to approve the addition of area / regulation information 21 corresponding to area 52 on map A2 to storage device 2.

[0080] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a web page containing information related to building regulations is updated and the update involves updating the area / regulation information 21, area / regulation information 21 that matches the update is generated, and one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 that may be subject to the update indicated by the update are identified from the area / regulation information 21 stored in the storage device 2. The identified one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 are then replaced with the generated area / regulation information 21. This makes it possible to automate the cumbersome work of keeping the area / regulation information 21 stored in the storage device 2 up to date, significantly reducing the workload associated with maintaining and managing the area / regulation information 21.

[0081] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a screen including web page information regarding the updated content of the web page, one or more pieces of area / restriction information 21 of the storage device 2 identified from the updated content, and area / restriction information 21 generated to match the updated content is displayed on the administrator's terminal device 8, and when an update approval instruction is input from this terminal device 8, the identified one or more pieces of area / restriction information 21 are replaced with the generated area / restriction information 21. This allows the administrator to check the generated area / restriction information 21, making it less likely that the area / restriction information 21 of the storage device 2 will be replaced with incorrect area / restriction information 21.

[0082] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the administrator can check the area / restriction information 21 while viewing the maps A1 and A2 showing the area / restriction information 21 on the terminal device 8, making it easier to discover errors in the generated area / restriction information 21.

[0083] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the administrator can check while viewing window B containing the web page information that was the basis for generating the area / restriction information 21, thereby efficiently discovering errors in the generated area / restriction information 21.

[0084] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment described above, the area / restriction information 21 in the storage device 2 is updated in response to updates to the web pages of local governments, etc., whereas in this embodiment, the area / restriction information 21 in the storage device 2 is changed in response to instructions from an administrator. The system configuration in this embodiment is the same as the system shown in FIG.

[0085] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for changing the area / regulation information 21 of the storage device 2 in response to an operation by an administrator. In response to a request from the administrator's terminal device 8, which has specified a geographical location or range, the information processing system 1 reads out one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 from the storage device 2 and provides the same to the terminal device 8. At this time, based on the one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 provided to the terminal device 8, the information processing system 1 causes the terminal device 8 to display a map including the geographical area indicated by the area information (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "target area") and regulation-related information associated with the target area (ST400).

[0086] When the administrator performs a predetermined operation (such as inputting a predetermined instruction) on the screen displaying the map (Yes in ST405), the terminal device 8 updates the display on the screen in response to the operation (ST410).

[0087] If the operation by the administrator is an operation to input an information update instruction to update the area / restriction information 21 in the storage device 2 (Yes in ST415), the terminal device 8 inputs this information update instruction to the information processing system 1. When the information update instruction is input from the terminal device 8, the information processing system 1 updates the area / restriction information 21 stored in the storage device 2 in accordance with this information update instruction (ST420). If the information update instruction is an instruction to newly register information, the information processing system 1 registers the instructed new area / restriction information 21 in the storage device 2. The information update instruction includes, for example, at least one of the following instructions: Instructions to change or delete the target area of ​​the map displayed on the terminal device 8 An instruction to change the regulation-related information associated with the target area of ​​the map displayed on the terminal device 8 An instruction to add a new target area to the map displayed on the terminal device 8 and set regulation-related information for the added target area

[0088] The terminal device 8 repeats the above-described steps ST405 to ST420 until an instruction to end the process is input (ST425).

[0089] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (window) displayed on the administrator's terminal device 8 in step ST400 (Fig. 11). Screen C shown in Fig. 12 is a screen for inputting an instruction to change the area and regulation information 21 of the use zone in response to a request from the terminal device 8. Note that "use zone" is just an example, and the type of regulation-related information in the area and regulation information 21 displayed on screen C may be other than use zone.

[0090] Screen A in Figure 8 includes a map C1 showing area / restriction information 21 provided by the information processing system 1, a field C3 displaying information about a specific location (a location marked with a + mark) on map C1, a map C2 showing area / restriction information 21 that has been changed in accordance with an information update instruction input by an administrator to terminal device 8, and a field C4 displaying information about the specific location (a location marked with a + mark) on map C2.

[0091] Maps C1 and C2 are constructed by overlaying a general-purpose map provided by the map providing system 4 with a land use zone layer based on the area and regulation information 21. The land use zone layer in map C1 includes a geographical area 53, and the land use zone layer in map C2 includes a geographical area 53a that has been modified from the geographical area 53. In maps C1 and C2, the geographical area to be modified, including the point marked with a +, is indicated by vertical hatching. In map C2, vertex C11 that defines the boundary line of the polygon of geographical area 53a can be moved by operating a pointer C10 using an input unit 82 (such as a mouse) of the terminal device 8.

[0092] Columns C3 and C4, like columns A3 and A4 on screen A (FIG. 8), contain address information, latitude and longitude information, and information on zoning requirements for the location of the + mark on the map. Zoning requirements written in the lower column C4 that differ from those written in the upper column C3 are marked with an asterisk (*). Zoning requirements in column C4 can be changed according to instructions entered by the administrator into terminal device 8.

[0093] Screen C in FIG. 12 includes a field C5 for inputting locations to be displayed on maps C1 and C2. When geographical location information (an address in the example of FIG. 12) is entered in field C5, maps C1 and C2 are configured so that the point marked with a + sign corresponds to this geographical location. For example, when the geographical location (address) information entered in field C5 is entered from terminal device 8, information processing system 1 reads one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 corresponding to a predetermined range including this geographical location from storage device 2 and obtains map information for the predetermined range including this geographical location from map providing system 4. Information processing system 1 configures maps C1 and C2 based on the land use zone layer indicating the one or more pieces of area / regulation information 21 read from storage device 2 and the map information obtained from map providing system 4, and displays them on terminal device 8.

[0094] 12 includes a button C6, which is an operation element operated when saving the changes to the area / restriction information 21 inputted into the map C2 and the field C4, and a button C7, which is operated when reverting the changes to the area / restriction information 21 inputted into the map C2 and the field C4 to the original state (returning the changes to the map C1 and the field C4). When button C6 is operated, the terminal device 8 inputs an information update instruction to the information processing system 1, which includes the details of the changes to the area / restriction information 21 inputted into the map C2 and the field C4.

[0095] As described above, according to this embodiment, an information update instruction for changing, deleting, adding, etc. the area / restriction information 21 can be input while checking the maps C1 and C2 showing the area / restriction information 21 on the terminal device 8, thereby efficiently changing the area / restriction information 21. Furthermore, since the original area / restriction information 21 and the changed area / restriction information 21 can be visually compared on the maps C1 and C2, the change of the area / restriction information 21 can be made more efficiently.

[0096] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various variations.

[0097] For example, the function of the generation AI provided by the generation AI system 6 may be realized by the processing unit 13 of the information processing system 1.

[0098] Some of the processes executed by the above-described information processing system 1 may be executed by other devices (such as the terminal device 8). In this case, it can be said that the processes of the information processing system according to this embodiment are executed by a plurality of computers including the processing unit 13 of the information processing system 1 and processing units of other devices (such as the processing unit 85 of the terminal device 8). [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1...information processing system, 11...communication unit, 12...memory unit, 121...program, 13...processing unit, 2...storage device, 21...area / regulation information, 3...building plan generation system, 4...map providing system, 5...web server, 6...generation AI system, 7...terminal device, 8...terminal device, 81...communication unit, 82...input unit, 83...display unit, 84...memory unit, 841...program, 85...processing unit

Claims

1. 1. A method for an information processing system providing information associated with a geographic region, comprising: the information processing system is capable of accessing a storage device; the storage device stores a plurality of pieces of area information each associated with one piece of regulation-related information; The regulation-related information is information related to building regulations, the region information is information indicating a geographical region, a first step of inputting a request for information specifying a geographic location or a geographic area; a second step of reading from the storage device one or more pieces of area information indicating a geographical area overlapping the location or the range specified in the information provision request, and one or more pieces of regulation-related information associated with the one or more pieces of area information; a third step of providing the one or more pieces of regional information and the one or more pieces of regulation-related information read in response to the information provision request to a source of the information provision request; A method having the following.

2. A pair of one piece of area information and one piece of regulation-related information associated with the one piece of area information is called area-regulation information, a fourth step of monitoring updates to a predetermined web page containing information related to building regulations, and acquiring the contents of the update when the web page is updated; a fifth step of determining whether the update content of the web page acquired in the fourth step is related to an update of the area / regulation information; a sixth step of generating the area / regulation information that matches the update content of the web page when it is determined that the update content of the web page is related to an update of the area / regulation information; a seventh step of identifying one or more pieces of area / regulation information in the storage device that may be subject to update indicated by the update content of the web page when it is determined that the update content of the web page is related to an update of the area / regulation information; an eighth step of replacing one or more pieces of area / regulation information identified in the seventh step with the area / regulation information generated in the sixth step; 10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

3. The fifth step is generating a first prompt including the update content of the web page acquired in the fourth step, the first prompt instructing a generation AI to determine whether the update content is related to an update of the area / regulation information, and inputting the generated first prompt to the generation AI; and determining whether the update content is related to an update of the area / regulation information based on a response from the generation AI to the first prompt. The method of claim 2.

4. The sixth step comprises: generating a second prompt including the updated content of the web page determined in the fifth step to be related to the update of the area / regulation information, the second prompt instructing a generation AI to generate the area / regulation information that matches the updated content, and inputting the generated second prompt into the generation AI; and obtaining the area and regulation information that matches the updated content based on a response from the generation AI to the second prompt. The method of claim 2.

5. The seventh step includes, when it is determined that the update content of the web page is related to an update of the area / regulation information, searching the storage device for area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the area information of the area / regulation information generated in the sixth step, and identifying the area / regulation information including the area information found by the search as the area / regulation information that may be subject to update. The method of claim 2.

6. Each of the regulatory information items belongs to one of a plurality of types, the fifth step includes determining the type of the regulation-related information related to the update content of the web page acquired in the fourth step; the sixth step includes generating the area / regulation information including the regulation-related information belonging to the type determined in the fifth step, The seventh step includes, when it is determined that the update content of the web page is related to an update of the area / regulation information, searching the storage device for area information indicating a geographical area that overlaps with the area information of the area / regulation information generated in the sixth step and that is associated with the regulation-related information that belongs to the same type as the regulation-related information of the generated area / regulation information, and identifying the area / regulation information including the area information found by the search as the area / regulation information that may be subject to updating. The method of claim 5.

7. The eighth step comprises: a ninth step of displaying web page information regarding the update content of the web page acquired in the fourth step, one or more pieces of area / restriction information identified in the seventh step, and the area / restriction information generated in the sixth step on a terminal device operated by an administrator who has authority to update the area / restriction information stored in the storage device; a tenth step of inputting an update approval instruction from the administrator to approve the update of the area / regulation information from a terminal device of the administrator; and an eleventh step of replacing one or more pieces of area / regulation information identified in the seventh step with the area / regulation information generated in the sixth step when the update approval instruction is input. The method of claim 2.

8. A pair of one piece of area information and one piece of regulation-related information associated with the one piece of area information is called area-regulation information, a twelfth step of displaying, on the terminal device that has made the information provision request in the third step, a map including a target area, which is a geographical area indicated by the area information, and the regulation-related information associated with the target area, based on the one or more pieces of area / regulation information provided to the terminal device that has made the information provision request in the third step; a thirteenth step of inputting, from the requesting terminal device, an information update instruction including at least one of an instruction to change or delete the target area of ​​the map, an instruction to change the regulation-related information associated with the target area of ​​the map, and an instruction to add a new target area to the map and set the regulation-related information for the added target area; and a fourteenth step of updating the area / regulation information stored in the storage device and / or registering new area / regulation information in the storage device in response to the input information update instruction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A pair of one piece of area information and one piece of regulation-related information associated with the one piece of area information is called area-regulation information, Each of the regulatory information items belongs to one of a plurality of types, the second step includes, when the type of the regulation-related information is specified in the information provision request, reading from the storage device one or more pieces of area / regulation information that include a geographical area that overlaps with the location or the range specified in the information provision request and that includes the regulation-related information that belongs to the type specified in the information provision request; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. 1. A program comprising instructions for causing an information processing system to perform a process for providing information associated with a geographic region, the program comprising: The processing performed by the information processing system in accordance with the instructions includes each step of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7. program.

11. 1. An information processing system that provides information associated with a geographic region, comprising: a processing unit; a storage unit that stores instructions to be executed by the processing unit; The processing performed by the processing unit in accordance with the instructions includes each step of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7. Information processing system.

12. 1. An information processing system that provides information associated with a geographic region, comprising: A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: a means for carrying out each step of the method; Information processing system.

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