Geographic Coordinate Generation for Package Tracking Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current package tracking systems often return shipping status locations that are too general, such as a state or region, which are not precise enough for accurate mapping and other applications like predicting delays or estimating carbon emissions.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses the general location from a carrier's API, combined with information about the package's shipping history and carrier specifics, to generate more precise geographic coordinates, such as the centroid of known locations like customs processing centers, for a more accurate representation of the package's location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the carrier's API returns the general location of the package, then the system can provide broad coverage and simplicity, but the location precision is insufficient for accurate mapping and analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the carrier's API and the end application. This intermediary system receives general location data from the carrier's API, enriches it with additional information (such as centroid calculations, route context, and package-specific data), and outputs refined location coordinates. This mediator approach improves location precision without requiring the carrier's API itself to become more complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing reference data such as centroid coordinates for geographic regions, carrier route patterns, and facility locations. When a package location query is made, the system retrieves and applies this pre-computed information to rapidly generate precise location estimates without performing complex calculations in real-time, thus improving precision while maintaining system efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If the system displays the package location as a large circle encompassing the entire region, then it maintains accuracy within the region, but it loses precision and informativeness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of location precision tailored to specific contexts and applications. Instead of uniformly displaying the entire region or using a single precision level, the system analyzes the package's specific journey stage, carrier routes, and destination information to determine the appropriate level of precision for each location point, thereby optimizing both accuracy and information content.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enriches the basic location data by adding temporal and contextual dimensions. It incorporates time stamps, route progression, and package-specific information to create a multi-dimensional location representation that goes beyond simple geographic coordinates, thereby recovering lost information while maintaining precision.
3Ease of operation
If the system uses a representative point like the state capital, then it provides a specific location for display, but it may be inaccurate if the package is actually elsewhere in the region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic location estimation that adapts to the specific circumstances of each package. Instead of statically using the region's capital or a fixed reference point, the system dynamically adjusts the location estimate based on real-time factors such as the package's origin, destination, carrier route patterns, and transit stage. This dynamic approach maintains ease of display while significantly improving location accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key parameters of the location estimate based on package-specific information. It adjusts the reference point from a fixed location (like the state capital) to a dynamic location that considers factors such as the centroid of the package's likely path, the carrier's facility locations, and the geographic distribution of the region. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction between ease of display and location accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A shipping status of a package, returned from a call made by a computer system to the package carrier's API, may not be precise enough to be used in an intended way. In some embodiments, systems and methods use an indication of a package's location, received from an API of a carrier, and information associated with shipping of the package to generate a more precise location that aims to more accurately represent the actual location of the package. In some embodiments, the more precise location may be a geographic coordinate generated using past shipping records and a geographic coordinate model. In some embodiments, the generated precise location may be used to: provide a visual display showing the package's location on a map, update a shipping tracking model, predict a shipping delay, update the package's estimated arrival time, and/or estimate carbon emissions associated with shipping the package.