Map View Positioning for Optimal Route Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing online mapping services often center the start or end location of a route on the map, leading to important route details being missed and inefficient use of the display area, with route information typically appearing only at the top, bottom, left, or right portion of the map view.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves positioning a critical element of a route relative to the map view to maximize the visibility of route information within size and zoom constraints, using bounding boxes and iterative scoring to select the best map view that includes the most important data, such as maneuver points and landmarks, by centering the map on the bounding rectangle that contains the most relevant information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the start or end location is centered on the map view, then the critical point is clearly visible, but important route details are missed and the display area is not effectively used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the critical element (start or end location) at non-central locations within the map view, such as near the edges or corners, rather than always centering it. This asymmetric positioning allows the route to extend through the map view, utilizing the full display area effectively and ensuring that important route details are visible while maintaining clear visibility of the critical location.
2Loss of information
If the map view is centered on the critical element, then the critical point is prominently displayed, but route information appears only at the top, bottom, left or right portion of the map view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the full two-dimensional map view space by positioning the critical element strategically rather than centrally. This allows the route to extend across both horizontal and vertical dimensions of the map view, ensuring that route information is distributed throughout the entire display area rather than being confined to peripheral regions, thus maximizing the utilization of map view space.
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a technology by which a more optimal map view with respect to route information is returned in response to an online mapping request. A start or end location is positioned away from the map center as appropriate to show as much route information as possible within the map view, given view size and zoom constraints. In one example, various-sized bounding boxes that contain the start or end location and one or more routes may be evaluated to determine a largest bounding box that meets the mapping size constraint; the center of that bounding box is the center of the map view. In one alternative, map views at various zoom levels may be scored against one another to determine which map view contains the most important route information, such as the most maneuver points and/or landmarks within each map view; the map view with the best score is returned.