Contextual View Portal for Map Interface Resource Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current map interfaces face challenges in providing high-resolution and photorealistic imagery due to limitations in processing power, storage, and bandwidth on computing devices, making it difficult to generate and display detailed map canvases efficiently.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a contextual view portal within a map interface, which populates specific areas with imagery and contextual actions, allowing for reduced processor utilization and bandwidth usage by displaying higher resolution imagery only within a user-defined area, either locally or remotely hosted.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If high-resolution imagery is displayed across the entire map canvas, then image quality is improved, but processor utilization and bandwidth usage increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage resolutionVSAvoidprocessor utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by displaying high-resolution imagery only within the contextual view portal (a specific localized area) rather than across the entire map canvas. The portal acts as a focused window that renders detailed imagery and contextual information only where the user is currently viewing, while the rest of the map canvas maintains lower resolution. This resolves the contradiction by providing high image quality precisely where needed while avoiding the excessive processor utilization that would result from rendering high-resolution imagery across the entire map area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If high-resolution imagery is displayed across the entire map canvas, then image quality is improved, but bandwidth usage increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage resolutionVSAvoidbandwidth usage
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system loads and transmits high-resolution imagery data only for the specific area contained within the contextual view portal, rather than transmitting high-resolution data for the entire map canvas. The portal coordinates define a bounded region, and only imagery within this region is fetched at high resolution from remote servers. This significantly reduces bandwidth usage while maintaining high image quality in the visible portal area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of information

If detailed map canvases are generated and displayed, then information detail is improved, but storage requirements on computing devices increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation detailVSAvoidstorage space
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary high-resolution imagery data for the specific portal area from the complete map dataset. Instead of storing high-resolution imagery for the entire map canvas on the computing device, the system retrieves only the subset of imagery data that corresponds to the portal's geographic boundaries. This extraction approach provides detailed information within the portal while minimizing storage requirements on the user's device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Illumination intensity

If photorealistic imagery is displayed at high resolution, then visual quality is improved, but processing power requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual qualityVSAvoidprocessing power
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by rendering photorealistic high-resolution imagery exclusively within the contextual view portal boundaries rather than across the entire map interface. The portal serves as a focused display region where visual quality is maximized, while the surrounding map area uses lower-resolution representations. This concentrates processing power requirements to a small, localized region, making high visual quality achievable without requiring excessive overall processing power.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3169979A1Contextual view portals
Publication Date: 2017.05.24 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for populating a map interface with a contextual view portal and/or for tracking contextual information. In an example, a map interface may be populated with a map canvas depicting a first location according to a first view setting (e.g., a city level view providing relatively lower level of detail of a city). A contextual view portal, corresponding to an area within the first location, may be populated within the map interface such as overlaying the map canvas. The contextual view portal may depict imagery of the area according to a second view setting (e.g., a photorealistic view setting, an aerial view setting, a street-side view setting, etc.). A user may relocate the contextual view portal to view imagery of various areas. A task tracking interface may be populated with contextual information associated with an area depicted by the contextual view portal.