Geospatial Entity Ranking Mechanism for Map Readability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) face challenges in prioritizing numerous placemarks and map entities for effective display, as existing techniques lack a systematic method to determine the relative importance of entities based on user interaction and meta-data attributes.
Innovation Solution
A GIS system is developed with a ranking mechanism that evaluates meta-attributes such as popularity, information quality, and user behavior to prioritize geospatial entities, allowing for the display of the most relevant entities based on their rank, which can be implemented in both server-side and client-side modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all geospatial entities are displayed on the map, then the completeness of information is improved, but the readability and user experience deteriorate due to information overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the display characteristics of geospatial entities based on their individual attributes. Entities with higher importance scores (derived from meta-attributes like user interactions, information quality, and popularity) are displayed with greater prominence, while less important entities are subdued or omitted. This creates a non-uniform display quality across the map that optimizes both information completeness and readability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of entity visibility and display prominence based on calculated importance scores. By dynamically adjusting which entities are displayed and how they are rendered (e.g., icon size, label visibility), the system transforms the static display into an adaptive presentation that balances information density with user comprehension.
2Loss of information
If a ranking mechanism based on multiple meta-attributes is implemented, then the relevance of displayed entities is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ranking mechanism is segmented into distinct evaluation components, each assessing specific meta-attributes of geospatial entities. The system divides the complexity by processing different attributes (user interactions, information quality, popularity metrics) separately and then aggregating them into an overall importance score. This modular approach manages system complexity while maintaining comprehensive relevance assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary ranking mechanism that mediates between raw entity data and final display presentation. This intermediary layer processes multiple meta-attributes through standardized evaluation functions, transforming diverse data sources into a unified importance metric that drives display decisions, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Loss of information
If geospatial entities are prioritized based on user interactions and meta-data, then the information delivery quality is improved, but the computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing importance scores for geospatial entities based on their meta-attributes and historical user interactions. This advance computation allows the display system to quickly retrieve and use pre-evaluated rankings without performing complex real-time analysis, significantly reducing computational energy requirements during actual map rendering operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The ranking mechanism leverages self-service by utilizing existing meta-data and user interaction logs that are already collected and stored in the system. Rather than requiring additional data collection infrastructure or real-time sensing, the system serves itself by processing available information to generate importance scores, minimizing additional computational overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for ranking geospatial entities is described. In one embodiment, the system comprises an interface for receiving ranking data about a plurality of geospatial entities and an entity ranking module. The module uses a ranking mechanism to generate place ranks for the geospatial entities based on the ranking data. Ranked entity data generated by the entity ranking module is stored in a database. The entity ranking module may be configured to evaluate a plurality of diverse attributes to determine a total score for a geospatial entity. The entity ranking module may be configured to organize ranked entity data into placemark layers.