Social Mapping Module for Location-Based Content Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current social media platforms struggle to effectively display location-based content on mobile devices due to limited screen space, leading to cluttered and incomprehensible maps, which makes it difficult for users to view and understand posts associated with specific geographic areas.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a social mapping module to rank and group social media posts based on customized scores, filtering out less relevant posts, and using visualizations such as bubbles and emojis to convey contextual information, allowing users to view important posts prominently while hiding less important ones, thereby optimizing display on mobile devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all social media posts are displayed on the map, then complete information is provided, but the map becomes cluttered and incomprehensible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the map display into multiple hierarchical levels: overview mode showing aggregated location indicators, and detailed mode showing individual posts. This segmentation allows the system to present complete information when needed while maintaining map readability through aggregation, directly resolving the contradiction between information completeness and map readability
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial action by selectively displaying only relevant posts based on user context, location, and preferences rather than showing all posts. The filtering mechanism applies partial action to exclude irrelevant information, maintaining both information quality and map readability simultaneously
2Loss of information
If detailed post information is added to map pins, then more context is conveyed, but screen space is quickly exhausted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional map pin displays to a three-dimensional hierarchical structure where location indicators serve as entry points to detailed post views. This dimensional change allows contextual information to be accessed without consuming map screen space, as details are presented in a separate interaction layer rather than overlaid on the map
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements nesting by placing multiple levels of information within hierarchical containers: location indicators contain aggregated post information, which in turn contain individual post details. This nested structure allows comprehensive information to be organized in a space-efficient manner, with each level accessible through the previous level without requiring simultaneous display of all information
3Quantity of substance
If multiple posts are shown in a limited area, then more content is visible, but the information becomes incomprehensible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple posts into aggregated location indicators that display consolidated information about posts at the same or nearby locations. This merging maintains the quantity of displayed content while improving comprehensibility by grouping related information and presenting it in a unified, digestible format rather than as separate overlapping elements
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for providing location information on a social network, including: receiving, from a client device, a request for one or more social media posts, where the request includes screen attribute information about a display of the client device, geographic location information, and an identification of a requesting account of the social network; identifying a set of temporally recent social media posts based on the screen attribute information and the geographic location information; applying, by a computer processor, grouping criteria to the set of social media posts to generate a suggested group, where: the suggested group is a subset of the set of social media posts, and applying the grouping criteria includes: ranking each social media post of the set of social media posts according to a customized score for each social media post, where the customized score is based on a set of preference factors, corresponding to the requesting account, applied to a general score of each social media post, and selecting, based the ranking, the subset of the set of social media posts for inclusion in the suggested group, where the selecting includes excluding at least one social media post of the set of social media posts from inclusion in the suggested group based on the ranking; providing, in response to the request, the suggested group for display by the client device.