Portable globe creation for a geographical information system

• US 10,249,081 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2018
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jagadev, Manas Ranjan, Lorimer, Eli Dylan, Peterson, Bret, Raman, Vijay, Wheeler, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Phi
• Application Number:
  US16/024,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20180308284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/56 having vectorial format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/08 Bandwidth reduction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting

Abstract

Portable globes may be provided for viewing regions of interest in a Geographical Information System (GIS). A method for providing a portable globe for a GIS may include determining one or more selected regions corresponding to a geographical region of a master globe. The method may further include organizing geospatial data from the master globe based on the selected region and creating the portable globe based on the geospatial data. The portable globe may be smaller in data size than the master globe. The method may include transmitting the portable globe to a local device that may render the selected region at a higher resolution than the remainder of the portable globe in the GIS. A system for providing a portable globe may include a selection module, a fusion module and a transmitter. A system for updating a portable globe may include a packet bundler and a globe cutter.

Claims

1. A method for providing geospatial data to a local device from a remote device located remotely from the local device, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, one or more queries for one or more geographical coordinates associated with a region;

accessing, by the one or more processors, geospatial data from a database in response to the one or more queries, the geospatial data obtained from the database such that geospatial data associated with the region is associated with a higher resolution than geospatial data associated with a geographic area located outside the region; and

transmitting, by the one or more processors, the geospatial data including the geospatial data associated with the region and the geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region to the local device;

wherein the geospatial data associated with the region is capable of being rendered at a higher resolution at the local device than the geospatial data associated with the geographic area outside the region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the geospatial data including the geospatial data associated with the region and the geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region are capable of being rendered at the local device during a period of reduced network connectivity between the local device and the remote device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing geospatial data from the database comprises retrieving geospatial data including vector data associated with the region at a higher resolution than geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing geospatial data from the database comprises retrieving geospatial data including imagery and terrain associated with the region at a higher resolution than geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing geospatial data from the database comprises retrieving data files that include geospatial data having a higher resolution for the region than for the geographic area located outside the region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the region corresponds to a geographical region covering a portion of a master globe; and

the geospatial data associated with the region and the geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region comprise a portable globe.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the portable globe includes master globe tiles and data for the region having a higher resolution than master globe tiles and data for the geographic area located outside the region in order for the portable globe to be rendered at a higher resolution for the region.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

organizing the geospatial data by setting a first resolution for the region and a second resolution for other portions of the master globe.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the geospatial data for the region includes different asset types relative to geospatial data for the geographic area located outside the region.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the geospatial data for the region includes one or more asset types that are not included in geospatial data for the geographic area located outside the region.

11. A computing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices, the one or more processors configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the one or more memory devices that cause the one or more memory devices to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving one or more queries associated with a database, the one or more queries including one or more geographical coordinates associated with a region;

accessing geospatial data from the database in response to the one or more queries, the geospatial data obtained from the database such that geospatial data associated with the region is associated with a higher resolution than geospatial data associated with a geographic area located outside the region; and

transmitting the geospatial data including the geospatial data associated with the region and the geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region to a local device;

wherein the geospatial data associated with the region is capable of being rendered at a higher resolution at the local device than the geospatial data associated with the geographic area outside the region.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the geospatial data including the geospatial data associated with the region and the geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region are capable of being rendered at the local device during a period of reduced network connectivity between the local device and the remote device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein accessing geospatial data from the database comprises retrieving geospatial data including vector data associated with the region at a higher resolution than geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein accessing geospatial data from the database comprises retrieving geospatial data including imagery and terrain associated with the region at a higher resolution than geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein accessing geospatial data from the database comprises retrieving data files that include geospatial data having a higher resolution for the region than for the geographic area located outside the region.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the region corresponds to a geographical region covering a portion of a master globe; and

the geospatial data associated with the region and the geospatial data associated with the geographic area located outside the region comprise a portable globe.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the portable globe includes master globe tiles and data for the region having a higher resolution than master globe tiles and data for the geographic area located outside the region in order for the portable globe to be rendered at a higher resolution for the region.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

organizing the geospatial data by setting a first resolution for the region and a second resolution for other portions of the master globe.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the geospatial data for the region includes different asset types relative to geospatial data for the geographic area located outside the region.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the geospatial data for the region includes one or more asset types that are not included in geospatial data for the geographic area located outside the region.