Analytical Map Models

• US 20090326872A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rubin, Darryl E., Mital, Vijay
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

Visual map items may each be constructed and placed in position using logic defined by a map view component corresponding to each visual item, where that logic may depend on one or more values populated into parameter(s) of the map view component. Some of those parameter values may correspond to known map model parameter values. Others, however, may have been solved for using a model that defines analytical relationships between the map model parameters. In one embodiment, which of the map model parameters are input variable, and which are output model variables, may not be predetermined. Accordingly, a solver might be prepared for multiple solve operation paths even using a single model. The map view composition process may be entirely data-driven, and may include a mechanism for canonicalizing input data, and binding canonicalized input data to the model parameters.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a map view comprising a plurality of visual map items, the method comprising

an act of accessing input data that at least collectively affects what visual map items are displayed or how a given one or more of the visual map items are displayed;

an act of binding the input data to the plurality of map model parameters by binding at least some of the input data to at least some of a plurality of map model parameters, wherein the model defines analytical relationships between the plurality of map model parameters;

an act of solving for one or more output map model variables after the act of binding;

an act of binding the map model parameters, including at least one of the one or more map output model variables whose value solved for in the act of solving as input parameters to one or more parameterized view components; and

an act of generating a view of visual map items corresponding to the map view components using the parameter value(s) bound to at least some of the map view components in the act of binding the map model parameters.

2. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 1, wherein the identity of the plurality of map model parameters, and the analytical relationships between the plurality of map model parameters may be declaratively defined.

3. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 2, wherein the analytical relationships between the plurality of map model parameters includes at least one equation.

4. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 2, wherein the analytical relationships between the plurality of map model parameters includes at least one rule.

5. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 2, wherein the analytical relationships between the plurality of map model parameters includes at least one constraint.

6. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of rendering the map view on a display.

7. A method for constructing a view in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an act of detecting that a user has interacted with a rendering of the map view on the display.

8. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

an act of determining that the type of the user interaction does not require regeneration of the map view.

9. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

an act of determining that the type of the user interaction does require regeneration of the map view; and

an act of regenerating the map view in response to the user interaction.

10. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 9, wherein the act of regenerating the map view comprises:

an act of identifying that one of the map model parameters that was previously an input model variable is now an output model variable as a result of the user interaction;

an act of solving for the new output model variable;

an act of binding the newly solved-for output model variable as an input parameter to the one or more parameterized map view components; and

an act of regenerating the map view of visual map items corresponding to the map view components using the newly-bound parameter value(s).

11. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 10, wherein the identity of input and output map model variables may change from one solve iteration to the next.

12. A method for constructing a map view in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of solving for one or more output map model variables comprises:

an act of coordinating the solving operations of multiple heterogenic solvers.

13. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer-readable media having thereon one or more computer-executable instruction(s) that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to generate a composite map view of visual map items using the following pipeline components:

a view components repository that is capable of containing a plurality of heterogenic view components, each corresponding to a visual map item that may be displayed, and at least some of which being parameterized;

a model-visual binding component configured to bind a plurality of map model parameter values to parameter(s) of at least one of the parameterized map view components; and

a view composition module configured to formulate instructions for rendering a map view that contains at least some of the visual map items corresponding to the plurality of heterogenic map view components, wherein for at least some of the visual map items that are to be rendered in the map view, map view component logic associated with the corresponding view component dictates the manner in which the rendering of the visual item occurs such that the rendering is dependent upon one or more parameters of the corresponding view component.

14. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the map view is a view of a city.

15. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the map view is a view of a geographical location.

16. A computer program product in accordance with claim 15, wherein at least one view component corresponds to a representation of a value of a parameter at a particular location, and has corresponding logic that causes the represented to be displayed corresponding to the particular location.

17. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the map view is of a three-dimensional volume.

18. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the may view has a coordinate system, including one selected from the group consisting of Cartesian coordinates, polar coordinates, logarithmic coordinates, and a coordinate system in which space may be stretched in way that is captured or represented via arbitrary mathematical equations.

19. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer-readable media having thereon one or more computer-executable instruction(s) that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to generate a composite map view of visual map items using the following plurality of pipeline components:

a data access component configured to access heterogenic data that drives construction of the composite view of visual items;

a data canonicalization component that is configured to present the heterogenic input data in a canonicalized format;

a data-model binding component configured to bind portions of the canonicalized data from the data canonicalization component to corresponding model parameters of a plurality of map model parameters;

a map modeling component that

     1) defines analytical relationships between the plurality of map model parameters,

     2) identifies which of the plurality of map model parameters are input map model variables and which are output map model variables, and

     3) solves for the output map model variable(s), and

     4) makes the input map model variables and the solved-for output map model variables available to a model-visual binding component such that the value(s) of the plurality of map model parameters may be bound to parameter(s) of the parameterized map view components;

a view components repository that is capable of containing a plurality of heterogenic map view components, each corresponding to a visual map item that may be displayed, and at least some of which being parameterized;

a model-visual binding component configured to bind the plurality of map model parameter values to parameter(s) of at least one of a parameterized map view components contained within the view components repository; and

a view composition module configured to formulate instructions for rendering a map view that contains at least some of the visual map items corresponding to the plurality of heterogenic map view components, wherein for at least some of the visual items that are to be rendered in the map view, map view component logic associated with the corresponding map view component dictates the manner in which the rendering of the visual map item occurs such that the rendering is dependent upon one or more parameters of the corresponding map view component.

20. A computer program product in accordance with claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instruction(s) are further structured such that, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing system, the computing system regenerates the composite map view of visual map items in response to user manipulation of the composite map view of visual map items:

a user input detection component configured to detect interaction of the user with the composite map view, determine which of the plurality of pipeline components should perform further work in order to regenerate the composite view, and provide data representing the user interaction to at least one of the determined plurality of pipeline components.