SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING UPDATED LOCATION-RELATED INFORMATION TO MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES
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Abstract
A system and method for providing a virtual map database, referred to herein as the “Virtual Database System” (VDB). The VDB allows integration of map data, often from various sources, in a consistent manner for supply to an end user, while simultaneously ensuring that the entity best able to support a particular data source retains control over the data. In accordance with an embodiment, the VDB environment enables third-party data providers to associate their third-party-files with a base map or file-of-reference, thereby allowing for the creation of dynamic relationships between digital map features and other third-party data providers. The integration may be performed in a dynamic or real-time fashion, receiving up-to-date information from the various sources, creating links, and composing virtual maps, as needed or on-demand. Since the information is linked between the map providers and the various third parties, whenever an item of information or a link between items is updated in either the file-of-reference or in one of the third-party files, that updated information can be propagated back to all of the third-parties for further use in their software applications.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. A system for providing to a user geographically relevant data in response to a user'"'"'s request, comprising:
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a file of reference comprising data related to a geographic area, wherein the data is related to a geographic area associated with location codes for features within the geographic area; a third-party interface that allows data from a third party data provider to be received into the system, wherein the third party'"'"'s data comprises information that corresponds to at least one of the features within the geographic area; and an integration database that links the location codes for the features within the geographic area with corresponding information in the third party data, to provide an integrated data, and wherein the third-party interface is configured to then provide to the third-party at least one of updated data related to a geographic area and integrated data comprising information associated with at least one of the features from another third party. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method for providing to a user geographically relevant data in response to a user'"'"'s request, comprising the steps of:
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accessing a file of reference that comprises data related to a geographic area, wherein the data is related to a geographic area associated with location codes for features within the geographic area; using a third-party interface to allow data from a third party data provider to be received into the system, wherein the third party'"'"'s data comprises information that corresponds to at least one of the features within the geographic area; and generating an integration database that links the location codes for the features within the geographic area with corresponding information in the third party data, to provide an integrated data, and wherein the third-party interface is configured to then provide to the third-party at least one of updated data related to a geographic area and integrated data comprising information associated with at least one of the features from another third party.
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Specification