Community boundaries in a geo-spatial environment

• US 20090064144A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fatdoor Incorporated
• Inventors: Abhyanker, Raj Vasant
• Application Number:
  US11/897,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20090064144A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A method and system of community boundaries in a geo-spatial environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of organizing a community network includes obtaining a location on a geo-spatial map, determining a representative in the community network associated with the location, obtaining a community boundary selection associated with a community from the representative, determining a region corresponding to the community boundary selection on the geo-spatial map, and creating a community boundary associated with the community on the geo-spatial map from the community boundary selection. The method may further include determining a residence of a member of the community network in the region, and associating the member with the community based on the residence. The method may also include obtaining a privacy preference corresponding to the community, and hiding a profile associated with the member from a public view of the community network based on the privacy preference.

Claims

1. A method of organizing a community network, comprising:

obtaining a location on a geo-spatial map;

determining a representative in the community network associated with the location;

obtaining a community boundary selection associated with a community from the representative;

determining a region corresponding to the community boundary selection on the geo-spatial map; and

creating a community boundary associated with the community on the geo-spatial map from the community boundary selection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a residence of a member of the community network in the region; and

associating the member with the community based on the residence.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining a privacy preference corresponding to the community; and

hiding a profile associated with the member from a public view of the community network based on the privacy preference.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a vote corresponding to the community boundary selection; and

creating the community boundary based on the vote.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the community boundary selection comprises a polygon.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the representative comprises an elected official.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location comprises a latitude, a longitude and an altitude.

8. A community network, comprising:

a member repository comprising a plurality of members;

a geo-spatial repository comprising a plurality of locations on a geo-spatial map;

a member management module configured to obtain member data associated with each of the plurality of members, wherein the member data comprises one of the plurality of locations; and

a boundary management module configured to;

determine a representative from the plurality of members associated with the one of the plurality of locations;

obtain a community boundary selection associated with a community from the representative;

determine a region corresponding to the community boundary selection on the geo-spatial map; and

create a community boundary for the community on the geo-spatial map from the community boundary selection.

9. The community network of claim 8, wherein the member management module is further configured to:

determine an activity level of each of the plurality of members in the member repository, wherein the representative is determined based on the activity level.

10. The community network of claim 8, further comprising:

a representative interface accessible by the representative, comprising;

a neighborhood management module configured to provide a neighborhood management option to the representative;

a neighborhood cleanup module configured to provide a member profile regulation option to the representative;

a neighborhood selection module configured to obtain the community boundary selection from the representative; and

a forum configured to display a comment from at least one of the plurality of members.

11. The community network of claim 8, wherein the boundary management module is further configured to:

determine a residence of one of the plurality of members in the region; and

associate the one of the plurality of members with the community based on the residence.

12. The community network of claim 11, wherein the boundary management module is further configured to:

obtain a privacy preference corresponding to the community; and

hide a profile associated with the one of the plurality of members from a public view of the community network based on the privacy preference.

13. The community network of claim 8, wherein the boundary management module is further configured to:

obtain a vote corresponding to the community boundary selection; and

create the community boundary based on the vote.

14. The community network of claim 8, wherein the community boundary selection comprises a polygon.

15. The community network of claim 8, wherein the representative comprises an elected official.

16. The community network of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of locations comprises a latitude, a longitude and an altitude.

17. A method of organizing a community network, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of proposed community boundaries corresponding to a community from at least one member of the community network;

displaying each of the plurality of proposed community boundaries to a second member of the community network;

sending a ballot comprising the plurality of proposed community boundaries to the second member;

obtaining a vote corresponding to one of the plurality of proposed community boundaries from the second member;

determining a validity of the vote;

applying the vote to the one of the plurality of proposed community boundaries based on the validity; and

determining a community boundary corresponding to the community based on the vote.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining a privacy preference corresponding to the community from the second member; and

hiding a plurality of profiles associated with the community from a public view of the community network based on the privacy preference.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a residence of the at least one member in the community based on the community boundary; and

associating the at least one member with the community based on the residence.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the validity is determined based on a residence of the second member.