Internet based geographic information system

• US 20090319573A1
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Timothy Tierney
• Original Assignee: Timothy Tierney
• Inventors: Tierney, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US12/454,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319573A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

The invention is an Internet based Geographic Information System (GIS), which resides totally on Internet servers, allowing users to access and use the system on the Internet from a browser or equivalent, thus requiring no user installed software. The system provides enough core GIS capability to allow creation of GIS data layers but is user friendly enough to provide access to users who are not GIS specialists. The system supports sharing of data among users, and supports data compatibility with platform based GIS installations. Use of the novel GIS permits communities of users sharing common interests associated with a geographical area to communicate using a map base medium.

Claims

1. A process for using a Geographic Information System (GIS), comprising a service provider providing user access to a GIS capable program residing on at least one Internet server, wherein;

the program accesses cartographic and other data bases from at least one of the resident servers and from other locations on the Internet,

the program provides a web-site based user interface to users who access the program from the Internet,

the users require no GIS specific software resident on the user platforms, only an Internet browser or equivalent; and

,

the program provides core GIS functionality, including map navigation, viewing of data as discrete layers, and creation of shapefile-equivalent data.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein user data may be stored and accessed from the server, 3^rd-party servers, as well as locally.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the service provider provides the access for a fee, the type of fees including an up-front fee, subscription fees, single-use fees, data storage fees, traffic fees, fees on user to user commerce, transaction fees, or premium data access fees.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the service provider includes advertising content on the website.

5. A process for using a Geographic Information System (GIS), comprising a GIS capable program residing on at least one Internet server, wherein;

the program accesses cartographic and other data bases from at least one of the resident servers and/or from other locations on the Internet,

the program provides a user interface to users who access the program from the internet,

the users require no GIS specific software resident on the user platforms, only an internet browser or equivalent,

the program enables the user to create GIS data layers composed of shapefile-equivalent data,

user created data layers may be stored on at least one server, such that the entire process is online; and

,

user created data may be made available to other users.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein at least one layer is a map of an area, and other layers contain information about attributes of that area.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the attributes include;

directions to a given location,

local guides to eating, hiking, surfing, etc., w/reviews,

crime-incident map,

vegetation &

wildlife zones'"'"'

human demographics,

real estate data,

geologic and other natural science data,

reviews of restaurants &

clubs, or

subway and driving/parking maps.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein a user creates the data and makes it available to other users for a fee.

9. The process of claim 6 wherein users with a common interest share the GIS data.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein users with a common interest form a community which shares and collaboratively creates the GIS data, whereby members have at least one of privileges to view, create or modify the GIS data.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein different levels of users exist within the community, such that not all members have the same privileges.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein differing levels of user privileges depend on a fee based system.