195 results about "Geographic database" patented technology

A method for collecting data for a geographic database is disclosed. Speed and position data are collected using a plurality of mobile computing platforms moving in a geographic region. The speed and position data are analyzed to identify a location of a traffic sign corresponding to a change in the speed. The geographic database is updated to indicate the location of the traffic sign.

A system for updating, enhancing and/or refining a geographic database is disclosed. The system uses a plurality of data collecting sensors, each of which is installed in a separate one of a plurality of vehicles, each of which travels on roads in a geographic region. Each data-collecting sensor provides outputs indicative of the sensing of one or more features in the geographic region as the vehicle in which it is installed travels. A computer program process compares the outputs of the data collecting sensors to previously obtained data that represent the physical features, determines the significance of the comparisons, and updates, enhances, or refines the data in an existing geographic database accordingly. Data that have been updated, enhanced, or refined, are provided back to end users.

A geographic database of the subject invention interfaces with the Point-of-Sale system in a Quick Service Restaurant to optimize the sequence and pairing of delivery orders based on customer location, driver availability and prioritized real-time information.

The system optionally communicates with GPS-enabled cellular or Wi-Fi communication devices to provide turn-by-turn navigation information to the driver and enable supplementary location information and other communication exchanges between the driver and the dispatch location during the delivery process.

The system may be configured to aggregate a number of local delivery areas into a virtualized delivery system allowing further optimization of driver resources and to enhance capacity utilization across participating order-dispatch locations.

Systems and methods for generating and using geographic data are disclosed. For example, one method comprises generating and/or identifying an open area map. A route is generated using the open area map. A path segment record and/or a node record is created based on the generated route. The path segment record and/or the node record may be stored in a geographic database.

A method for operating a navigation system that executes a navigation application software program to provide a navigation-related feature is provided. The method comprises identifying that the navigation application software program uses both updated geographic data and un-updated geographic data from a geographic database associated with said navigation system. The un-updated geographic data has an associated date or version different from the updated geographic data. The method further comprises providing a report indicating that an inconsistency between the updated geographic data and the un-updated geographic data may exist. The method may further include identifying the inconsistency between the updated geographic data and the un-updated geographic data.

The present invention involves a Universal Geographic Database (“UGD”). The UGD is an automated, central or distributed, registry of real-world locations and location-related information for businesses and other entities, analogous to the registry of domain names for Internet and web sites. By this central registry, businesses and other entities are facilitated to post their location and location-related information in a single place, for all users who need or want it; and users can refer to this single place, via the Internet, Web, and other telecommunications devices, to obtain accurate, complete and timely location and location-based information about the registered businesses and other entities. Each record of the UGD is keyed by a proprietary location address (PLA) based on the World Geographic Referencing System (WGRS), and optionally may have one or more proprietary location addresses (PLAs), which also may serve as keys. Associated with the PLA keys, each UGD record generally includes the full name for the business or other entity, its street address, and miscellaneous contact information (e.g., telephone number, facsimile number, e-mail address, internet website address, wireless website address). Other more dynamic, customized information (e.g., store hours, credit cards accepted, inventory, prices, specials, hours, parking) also may be available in the UGD record or linked to the UGD record. Users of any device or service can access the UGD through one or more location name servers (LNS), which can provide access to the UGD or other location-based information linked to the UGD or LNS. Based on the WGRS, PLAs provide, in addition to unique keys for UGD records, a user-friendly notation for location naming in the real-world and on all types of location-sensitive electronic devices, from web phones to in-car navigation systems. Given the UGD, these ULA/PLAs are as important to real-world businesses as their domain names because these WGRS addresses drive real-world commerce to physical business locations just as domain names drive e-commerce Internet or web sites.

A method of collecting data for a geographic database for use with a navigation system is disclosed. An image of a geographic area is obtained. A plurality of geographic features visible in the image are identified. For each of the identified geographic features, locations on the image corresponding to the geographic feature in the image are identified. Data is stored in the geographic database that associates each of the identified geographic features with the identified location on the image.

A method for collecting data for a geographic database is disclosed. A plurality of vehicles moving on roads in a geographic region collects data indicating position of the vehicle. For a location on a selected road, the method obtains a cross sectional distribution of the position data. The method identifies a number of steps in the distribution indicating a number of lanes on the selected road and updates the geographic database with data indicating the number of lanes.

A database is populated with geographic locations for network devices by providing a node on a network and making a connection into a network service provider (NSP) point of presence (POP) to obtain a connection to the network via the NSP. A message is then transmitted to the node over the network connection obtained from the NSP. The message is received at the node and a source network identifier is extracted from the message. The source network identifier is then associated with a known geographic location for the POP in a database. The foregoing steps are then repeated for multiple different POPs. Also, a database is populated with geographic locations for network devices by providing a node on a network and making a connection into a network service provider (NSP) point of presence (POP) to obtain a connection to the network via the NSP. A message is then transmitted to the node over the network connection obtained from the NSP. The message is received at the node and a source network identifier is extracted from the message. The route over the network between the node and the POP is then probed to obtain network identifiers for routers along the route. The foregoing steps are then repeated for multiple different POPs.

A system for automating the gathering of field information that describes the condition of specific geographical locations at specific times via a field information recording device having a GPS receiver for the recording and assignment of the space-time coordinates as information is gathered. The information and space-time coordinates are transmitted to a management center for processing over a communication network. Upon receipt, the field information is integrated into a geographic database such that the information generates a template showing the current state or condition of the identified geographical location on an automated basis. The template and the associated geographical portion of the geographical database are distributed to users via the Internet, intranet or other communication means.

A reporting program and system for updating a master copy of a geographic database is disclosed. According to the method and system, reports are obtained that relate to data contained in a geographic database. Satellite images of the geographic locations represented by the data in the reports are obtained. The satellite images are analyzed to confirm a need to make changes to the master copy of the geographic database based on the reports. After confirming the need to make, the changes, the master copy of the geographic database is updated.

Locality indexes are presented for use with electronic maps and databases. Each geographic feature in a geographic database is associated with locality names from various locality name sources. Context-sensitive tokenizing, normalizing, optimizing and matching of locality names eliminate duplicate and variant locality names, while preserving meaningfully different names. A locality names table includes the parsed representation of each locality name and other associated information, and a primary token for indexing is identified. A main source mask is created by allocating a bit for each locality name source used in the method. A separate source mask is stored for each geographic feature associated with a locality, a bit set for each source in which the locality can be found. Locality names associated with each geographic feature are indexed in a table of geographic features in order of prevalence for use in a given application.

A method of obtaining data for a geographic database for use with a navigation system includes collecting data indicating parking availability at a parking facility at a plurality of times and analyzing the data indicating parking availability. Based on the analyzing, the method derives historic parking data for the parking facility. The historic parking data indicates past parking availability at the parking facility at predetermined times. The historic parking data is stored in the geographic database. The historic parking data may indicate past parking availability for predetermined time intervals, days of the week, weather conditions and events.

A system and method are disclosed that allow a navigation system that uses a geographic database to also use the data in traffic messages broadcast by a traffic broadcast system. One aspect of a present system and method includes the formation, storage, and use of location reference data records in a geographic database used by a navigation system. These location reference data records identify certain other kinds of data records that represent physical geographic features, such as data records that represent segments of roads, as being associated with certain location reference numbers. These location reference records may be included in a geographic database installed in the vehicle or may be provided to vehicles via a wireless communication link. Another aspect of a present system and method includes the formation, storage, and use of one or more indices that relate location reference numbers used by a traffic broadcast system to location reference records in a geographic database used by the navigation system. Another aspect of a present system and method is the formation, storage, and use of data that identify, for each location reference number, the immediately previous and the immediately next location reference number. Still another aspect of a present system and method includes the programming, and methods of use thereof, that query the geographic database and return the data entities associated with certain identified location reference numbers.

A method for collecting data for a geographic database is disclosed. Engine load value and position data are collected using a vehicle traveling in a geographic region. A location of a road grade change point is identified corresponding to a change in the engine load value data. The geographic database is updated to indicate the road grade.

A method of collecting market research information is disclosed. A geographic database contains data entities that represent geographic features, such as roads, located in a geographic region. Advertising zones are defined within the geographic region. Users of mobile computing platforms are provided with geographically-related services that use the geographic database. As users of the mobile computing platforms travel in the geographic region, the locations of the mobile computing platforms are determined. Demographic information of the mobile computing platform is associated with the position of the mobile computing platform. A market research record identifies which of the mobile computing platforms are located within or passing through one of the advertising zones.

A method is disclosed for representing locations in a geographic database in a manner that facilitates navigation and routing. A core map database includes data that represents public roads in a geographic region. Each of a plurality of location map databases includes data that represent facilities, such as businesses, stores, offices, or other places, that are physically located away from the public network and access to which requires travel on paths away from the public road network. Each of the facilities represented in the location map databases is assigned a location reference code that is associated with data from which a path connecting the facility and the public road network can be determined.

A method and system are disclosed for the merging of multiple map databases. These multiple map databases can be stored on separate media. Each map database is comprised of whole parcels and conforms to a baseline parcelization pattern. At run time in a navigation system, a single parcel index is constructed that contains references to parcels from the multiple map databases. References to parcels use a combined media directory covering all media objects. The combined media directory is created by merging tables of contents from each media object. This method can be used to incrementally update a geographic database.

The invention discloses a face identification and radio frequency identification based monitoring and tracking system which comprises a monitoring server, a person's moving information query terminal, video image acquiring devices and a RFID reader. The monitoring server is provided with a video image acquiring device and RFID reader geographical database, a person's characteristics information database, a person's moving information database and a face identification module. The video image acquiring device and RFID reader geographic database is used to store the geographical information of the video image acquiring devices and the RFID reader. The person's characteristics information database is used to record a person's face characteristics data and RFID label information. The person's moving information database is used to record the moving information of a person, and the person's moving information query terminal is designed for people to enquire the moving information of a targeted person. The system is capable of achieving whole course tracking to all people entering a monitoring zone and can rapidly tell the whereabouts of a targeted person in the monitoring zone.

A system and method are disclosed for collecting data that relate addresses to map-referenced locations. A fleet of delivery trucks delivers items to locations throughout a geographic region. Each item to be delivered includes a tracking code. An electronic code reader device is used to record the tracking code of an item when the item is being delivered. A position determining device, such as a GPS unit, is used to determine a geographic position associated with the delivery of each item. Data indicating the tracking code of an item and the corresponding geographic position associated with the delivery are stored. Then, using data that indicate an address associated with each tracking code, each address is associated with a geographic position. This information is used to revise a geographic database, e.g., to relate addresses to map-referenced locations.

A method for collecting data for a geographic database is disclosed. Speed and position data are collected using a plurality of mobile computing platforms moving in a geographic region. The speed and position data are analyzed to identify a location of a recurring delay point corresponding to a change in the speed. The geographic database is updated to indicate the location of the recurring delay point.

A method of obtaining data for a geographic database is disclosed. Data indicating a plurality of locations along roads including data indicating altitudes at the plurality of locations is provided. Road grade values for a plurality of subsections of the road are computed; each of the subsections is a portion of the road between two of the locations. A plurality of temporary change points are identified as joining two adjacent subsections having road grade values that differ by a value greater than a predetermined amount. Road grade values for each part of the road between adjacent temporary change points are computed. Consecutive parts of the road having road grade values that falls within a predetermined range are grouped into at least one constant road grade section. The geographic database stores data that define the constant road grade section.

A method for collecting data for a geographic database is disclosed. Altitude data are collected using a vehicle traveling in a geographic region. A barometer associated with the vehicle supplies the altitude data. Road grade data along the roads traveled by the vehicle is derived by analyzing the altitude data. The geographic database is updated to indicate the road grade.