Digital Map Incident Updates From Media Message Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing digital maps fail to promptly update transportation network information in response to dynamic incidents like wildfires, floods, or storms, leading to increased travel risks due to inadequate real-time data integration from official media sources.

Innovation Solution

An automated system that collects and processes media messages, particularly from social platforms like Twitter, using AI and fuzzy matching algorithms to identify and update digital maps with incident-related road closures and hazards, enabling dynamic route planning and alerting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If digital maps use traditional update mechanisms, then map structure stability is maintained, but timeliness of incident information updates deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap update timelinessVSAvoidinformation delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring media messages and automatically triggering map updates when incident information is detected. This closed-loop mechanism ensures that map data reflects current incident conditions without manual intervention delays.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The digital map system performs self-updating by automatically processing media messages, extracting incident information, and modifying map data structures without requiring external manual updates. This self-service capability resolves the contradiction by making the system both timely and reliable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If digital maps integrate real-time media data, then information accuracy improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveincident information accuracyVSAvoiddata processing system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary processing layer that mediates between raw media messages and the digital map structure. This intermediary layer handles message filtering, information extraction, and data validation, thereby improving accuracy while managing complexity through modular architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The data processing system is segmented into distinct functional modules: message collection, information extraction, incident detection, and map updating. This segmentation allows each module to specialize in specific tasks, improving overall information accuracy while making the complex system more manageable and maintainable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If digital maps update frequently with incident data, then navigation safety improves, but processing resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation safetyVSAvoidprocessing energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial updating by only modifying specific portions of the digital map that are affected by incidents rather than进行全面 updates. This selective approach maintains navigation safety in affected areas while reducing overall processing energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements periodic monitoring of media messages and updates the digital map at optimized intervals based on incident development stages. This periodic action ensures navigation safety is maintained while avoiding continuous processing that would excessive energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS20260079026A1Automated Digital Map Update Based on Media Messages
Publication Date: 2026.03.19 TOMTOM GLOBAL CONTENT
  • US20260079026A1 patent drawing
  • US20260079026A1 patent drawing
  • US20260079026A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Various embodiments of methods and systems for automated update of digital map data based on media messages are described herein. Communication messages are collected from one or more media services. Information relevant to an accident and comprising at least one road reference is extracted from the collected messages. Further, the extracted information is matched with a digital map to identify at least one road and/or road segment affected by the incident. At least one property associated with the at least one road and/or road segment is adjusted in the digital map based on the extracted information as matched. Based on the adjusting, information about an intensity of the incident associated with the at least one road and/or road segment is presented to clients.