Dynamic Geographical Hierarchy Navigation with Spatial Point Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mapping technologies lack flexibility in navigating geographical hierarchies, as they often require predefined levels and struggle with efficiently transitioning between them, especially when dealing with spatial data and measure values.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to dynamically transition between levels in a geographical hierarchy by accessing geometry data, determining the availability of lower levels based on spatial points and measure values, and providing notifications for missing geometries, enabling users to choose between viewing geometries or spatial points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the system provides predefined levels in geographical hierarchy, then the structure is stable and easy to navigate, but the flexibility to adapt to different data scenarios is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic navigation through geographical hierarchies by allowing users to transition between levels based on selected geometries and spatial point distributions. The system automatically determines whether to display geometries at a given level or drill down to lower levels, creating a flexible, adaptive interface that responds to data characteristics rather than forcing a fixed predefined structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically evaluating spatial point coverage and measure values to determine the appropriate level of detail to display. The computer automatically queries spatial points, calculates coverage ratios, and decides whether to transition to lower hierarchy levels without requiring manual configuration or predefined navigation paths, thereby adapting to different data scenarios autonomously.
2Productivity
If the system queries for exact counts of spatial points, then the measurement precision is high, but the data retrieval time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by querying spatial points only when necessary and using sampling or estimation techniques to determine coverage ratios. Instead of querying every spatial point to get exact counts, the system uses representative samples or threshold-based filtering to make informed decisions about hierarchy level transitions, significantly reducing query time while maintaining sufficient measurement precision for effective navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing spatial point coverage information and measure values for geometries at different hierarchy levels. This allows the system to quickly determine whether to transition to lower levels without performing expensive real-time queries, thereby improving data retrieval efficiency while maintaining the ability to provide precise measurements when needed.
3Ease of operation
If the system displays all geometries at a given level, then the completeness of information is high, but the user interaction complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by providing different levels of detail in different regions of the interface. At higher hierarchy levels, the system displays aggregated geometry information with summary statistics about spatial point distribution. When users interact with specific geometries, the system locally drills down to show detailed spatial point data and measure values for that specific region, maintaining information completeness where needed while keeping the overall interface simple and easy to navigate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments information presentation into multiple levels of detail. The interface is divided into summary view (showing geometries at current level) and detailed view (showing spatial points within selected geometries). This segmentation allows users to navigate the hierarchy easily at high levels while accessing detailed information only when needed, reducing interaction complexity while preserving information completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a program that provides a view of a map that includes a geometry representing a geographical region belonging to a first level in a plurality of levels of a geographical hierarchy. The program further receives a request to focus on a geometry representing a geographical region belonging to a first level in the plurality of levels. The program further provides, in the view of the map, a subset of a set of geometries representing a set of geographical regions belonging to the second level in the plurality of levels of the geographical hierarchy. The program also provide, in the view of the map, a point for each record in the dataset having a spatial point in the location field that falls within the geometry representing the geographical region belonging to the first level in the plurality of levels.