Address Distribution Clustering for Privacy Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for displaying information about the distribution of individuals' addresses on a map risk revealing individual addresses, either by making it difficult to identify addresses in high concentration areas or by exposing addresses in low concentration areas.
Innovation Solution
An information providing method and server that prestore information about individuals, including their addresses and attributes, extract individuals with specific attributes that meet certain conditions, and create information indicative of address distribution in a way that prevents address identification, such as by clustering and adjusting image positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single symbol image is displayed at a location where there is a high concentration of individuals, then the address of each individual is not easily identified, but the address distribution information cannot be provided effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous address space into discrete clusters based on spatial proximity and concentration thresholds. Each cluster represents a group of addresses that are close to each other, and the system segments the display into multiple zoom levels where different clustering granularities are applied. This segmentation allows the system to prevent individual address identification while preserving overall distribution patterns through hierarchical cluster representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a zoom level dimension to transform the 2D map display into a multi-scale visualization system. At different zoom levels, the same address data is represented differently: coarse clusters at low zoom levels and finer clusters at high zoom levels. This dimensional transformation allows the system to maintain both address protection (through clustering) and information provision (through multi-scale detail).
2Ease of operation
If a single symbol image is displayed at a location where there is not a high concentration of individuals, then the addresses of these individuals may be known to others, but the display simplicity is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different display qualities to different spatial regions based on local address concentration. In areas with high concentration, individual addresses are clustered and protected. In areas with low concentration, the system determines whether to display aggregated cluster information or individual addresses based on the concentration threshold. This local quality differentiation ensures that address protection is applied where needed while maintaining display simplicity where appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the clustering parameter (cluster radius or concentration threshold) dynamically based on zoom level and spatial location. By adjusting these parameters, the system transforms the display from individual address markers to clustered representations, thereby controlling the identification risk through parameter modification rather than fundamentally changing the display approach.
3Reliability
If address information is clustered to prevent identification, then address security is improved, but the precision of location information may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the cluster representation dynamic by allowing users to zoom in and out, which dynamically changes the cluster granularity. At higher zoom levels, clusters become more granular and approach individual address precision. At lower zoom levels, clusters are more aggregated for better protection. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to balance security and precision based on user needs without permanently sacrificing either.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested cluster structure where clusters are organized hierarchically: small clusters of addresses are contained within larger clusters, which are in turn contained within even larger regional clusters. This nesting allows the system to provide progressively more precise location information as users drill down through zoom levels, maintaining both security at overview levels and precision at detailed levels.
Data Source
AI summary
An information providing method provides information indicative of a distribution of addresses of individuals, and includes: prestoring, as a database for a plurality of individuals, information from which an address can be at least partially identified and a predetermined attribute in association with each other (step S112); extracting, from the database, individuals having the predetermined attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition (step S122); creating information indicative of a distribution of addresses of the extracted individuals (step S123 and step S124); and providing the created information indicative of the distribution to a user (step S125). In the creating the information indicative of the distribution, the information indicative of the distribution for each cluster of addresses is created in a manner that prevents identification of the addresses of the individuals. Accordingly, identification of the addresses of the individuals can be prevented.