Adjacent Map Tile Consistency for Selective Data Updates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional management of map data, particularly map tiles of a digital map, is not always optimal, and there is a need for improved methods to update and remove map data efficiently.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for managing map data by determining the consistency of map tiles with adjacent tiles and triggering updates or removals based on this determination, ensuring consistency and optimizing data storage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If map tiles are updated individually without consistency checks, then update speed is improved, but map data consistency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveupdate speedVSAvoidmap data consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary consistency checks on adjacent map tiles before triggering updates. When a tile is updated, the system proactively checks neighboring tiles for consistency and triggers updates where needed, preventing inconsistency from propagating across the map data set.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where updating one map tile triggers automatic consistency checks on adjacent tiles. This feedback loop ensures that inconsistencies are detected and corrected through cascading updates, maintaining overall map data consistency while enabling efficient individual tile updates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If all map tiles are updated simultaneously, then map data consistency is improved, but data consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap data consistencyVSAvoiddata consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies updates locally rather than globally. When a map tile is updated, only adjacent tiles that exhibit inconsistency are triggered for update. This localized approach maintains consistency at the boundaries where it matters most while avoiding unnecessary updates to tiles that are already consistent, thereby reducing data consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs partial updates only where consistency issues exist rather than updating all tiles. By checking and updating only the necessary adjacent tiles that show inconsistency, the system avoids excessive data consumption while still maintaining adequate consistency across the map data set.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If consistency checks are performed on all adjacent tiles, then map data consistency is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap data consistencyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the consistency check process to focus only on adjacent tiles that are likely to be inconsistent. Rather than uniformly checking all adjacent tiles, the system identifies and checks only those tiles that share boundaries with updated tiles, reducing the overall processing time while maintaining consistency where it matters.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Quantity of substance

If map tiles are removed without consistency verification, then storage efficiency is improved, but navigation accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoidnavigation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary consistency verification before removing map tiles. By checking whether adjacent tiles are consistent with the tile slated for removal, the system ensures that navigation routes will not be disrupted by incomplete or inconsistent data, thereby maintaining navigation accuracy while still achieving storage efficiency through selective removal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4660581A1Method, apparatus and computer program to manage map data
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 TOMTOM NAVIGATION BV
  • EP4660581A1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP4660581A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP4660581A1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

Certain examples of the present disclosure relate to management of map data. Certain examples provide a computer-implemented method (100) of managing one or more portions (400) of map data stored on a data storage device (13) of an apparatus (10), wherein the one or more portions of map data provide map data for respective one or more areas (300) of a digital map (200), the method comprising: determining (101) whether a first portion of map data (400_1) for a first area (300_1) of the digital map is consistent with a second portion of map data (400_2), stored in the data storage device, for a second area (300_2) adjacent the first area; and triggering (102), based at least in part on the determination, an update or a removal of the second portion of map data.