Local POI Scoring via Click Behavior Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing search engines fail to effectively identify and promote local, 'interesting' points-of-interest (POIs) that are uniquely affiliated with a specific geographic area, often prioritizing national chains over local businesses, leading to a lack of discovery of neighborhood gems.
Innovation Solution
A method that assigns scores to POIs based on user click behavior and satisfaction, using search engine click data to identify 'interesting' POIs by creating databases for geographic areas, where POIs with higher scores are considered more affiliated with the locality and promoted accordingly, and utilizing directional icons for quick information retrieval on mobile devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If search engines prioritize national chains based on popularity metrics, then search result consistency and reliability are improved, but local unique businesses are suppressed and cannot be discovered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating geography-specific databases that capture local user behavior patterns and preferences. Instead of using a single global ranking system, the invention maintains separate databases for different geographic areas, allowing local businesses to be promoted based on local user interactions while national chains maintain their prominence in other regions. This resolves the contradiction by enabling local adaptability without sacrificing overall system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the search engine system into multiple independent databases organized by geographic area. Each database independently tracks and ranks businesses based on local user behavior, allowing local gems to be discovered in their respective regions while national chains maintain consistent rankings elsewhere. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing simultaneous optimization for both local discovery and global reliability through decentralized ranking systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If search engines promote local interesting POIs based on user click behavior, then local business visibility is improved, but information overload increases requiring more complex processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing and storing business rankings in geography-specific databases before search queries are executed. User click behavior is continuously monitored and used to update these pre-computed rankings in the background, so that when a search is performed, the system can quickly retrieve pre-ranked results without performing complex real-time analysis. This resolves the contradiction by enabling sophisticated local POI promotion while keeping query processing simple and fast.
3Loss of information
If detailed information about multiple POIs is provided to users, then user information needs are satisfied, but information overload occurs reducing user engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively providing information about POIs based on user needs and context rather than displaying all available information. The system prioritizes displaying details about the most relevant local interesting POIs identified through the geography-specific databases, providing sufficient information for user decision-making without overwhelming users with excessive details about every possible POI. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining information completeness for relevant items while avoiding overload through selective presentation.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying points-of-interest. In one aspect, a method includes determining a location of a mobile device, and automatically identifying a point-of-interest (POI) located within a predetermined distance of the location. The method also includes providing, on a user interface of the mobile device, a rating control for allowing the user to rate the identified POI, and receiving the rating for the identified POI from the user, using the rating control.