Object model and user interface for reusable map web part

• US 20090150795A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, David C., Karagiannis, Elia, Honien, Jad, Vargiya, Rachna
• Application Number:
  US11/953,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150795A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

Architecture that enables an end user interested in rendering a map in a web-based collaboration and document management platform the ability to do so without writing custom code. The architecture includes a map server control for insertion into a web page to display a map view. The end user can also employ a pushpin database to store different landmarks to be displayed on the map view. An administrator server control is provided for managing the content (e.g., landmark data) of the database, and a legend server control for providing a list of landmark data for selection and presentation in the map view. A data interface facilitates access to the pushpin database for administrator functions and pushpin information for presentation and selection.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented map rendering system, comprising:

a web part for presenting a map in a web page; and

a data interface for managing access to a datasource of map data, the map data used to populate the map to present a specific map view.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the datasource includes pushpin data related to landmarks that are rendered in the map view.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the web part is a map web part that retrieves the map data from a map datasource.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the map web part facilitates a data interface that is modified using a browser application.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an administrator web part for managing the data in the datasource by adding and editing the map data manually.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the map data includes real estate and landmark information specific to an enterprise in which the rendering system is employed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the web part and the data interface facilitate presentation of maps in a collaboration and document management platform.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a legend web part that provides a list of pushpin type data to the web part for selection.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the web part queries the data interface for pushpin data to render in the map view.

10. A computer-implemented map rendering system, comprising:

a map web part for presenting a map view in a web page;

a data interface for managing a datasource of pushpin data used to populate the map view; and

a legend web part for signaling the map web part of a plurality of landmarks to render as the pushpin data in the map view.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising an administrator web part for managing the data in the datasource and facilitating editing of the pushpin data manually.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the map rendering system is part of a web-based collaboration and document management environment.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the data interface facilitates access to a corporate database having a schema different than a schema of the datasource.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the data interface facilitates communications with the datasource and provide data to be rendered in the map view.

15. A computer-implemented method of providing a map in a web page, comprising:

receiving a map into a web page via a map server control;

accessing a database of landmark data; and

populating the map with the landmark data to create a map view.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising retrieving the map from a map application.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising issuing a query for processing against the database to obtain the landmark data.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising administering the database by adding and editing landmark data of the database using an administrator server control.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending a list of the landmark data to the map server control for selection and presenting of the selected landmark data as pushpins on the map view.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising routing data handling operations for the landmark data through a data interface.