Offline Map Data Expansion via Predictive Boundary Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital map systems often face connectivity issues and insufficient bandwidth, leading to failures in generating digital maps or servicing geographic queries, especially in areas with poor network coverage.
Innovation Solution
A client device retrieves geographic data for offline use by determining an area of offline coverage based on predicted destinations and network quality, using a combination of non-personal and personal signals, and adjusts the data budget to ensure continuous map rendering and navigation capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If geographic data is retrieved from network servers in real-time, then map data availability is improved, but system reliability deteriorates due to connectivity issues and insufficient bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting user destinations before the user actually travels there, and pre-downloading geographic data for these predicted areas while network connectivity is available. This eliminates the need to retrieve data in real-time when the user arrives, thereby maintaining map availability while avoiding connectivity issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the geographic area into predicted destination zones and downloads data for each segment separately in advance. This allows the system to manage data retrieval in manageable portions rather than attempting to download all possible data at once, optimizing network usage while ensuring needed data is available offline.
2Reliability
If geographic data is pre-stored in device memory, then system reliability is improved for offline use, but device complexity increases due to data management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically predicting user destinations using various signals (location history, calendar events, transportation data) and autonomously determining what geographic data to download and when. This eliminates the need for manual user configuration or intervention, reducing the perceived complexity for users while maintaining reliable offline functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters dynamically by adjusting the prediction horizon, download timing, and geographic area coverage based on available network conditions, user behavior patterns, and device resources. This allows the system to optimize between data availability and resource usage without requiring complex manual configuration.
3Loss of information
If the area of offline coverage is expanded to include predicted destinations, then map data availability is improved, but data transmission requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By performing preliminary destination prediction and data download before the user travels, the system expands offline coverage to include areas the user is likely to visit without requiring large amounts of data to be transmitted at the moment of need. This spreads the data transmission energy cost over time when network conditions are favorable rather than concentrating it during offline periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system downloads data for predicted destinations that may extend beyond the user's immediate current location, effectively downloading slightly more data than strictly necessary at any given moment. This partial over-provisioning ensures comprehensive coverage for all predicted destinations while still being more efficient than downloading entire regions, as it focuses only on predicted visit locations.
Data Source
AI summary
Geographic data corresponding to a certain geographic area of offline coverage is stored in a memory of a computing device. An indication of a geographic boundary delimiting a region smaller than, and contained within, the geographic area is obtained. A current location of the computing device relative to the geographic boundary is determined and, in response to determining that the current location is outside the region, additional geographic data is retrieved via a wireless communication network to expand the geographic area of offline coverage. At least some of the geographic data corresponding to the expanded geographic area is provided via a user interface of the computing device when the computing device is offline.