METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR VISUALIZING SHARED ROUTE INFORMATION

• US 20110093188A1
• Filed: 10/18/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Roitman, Haggai, Har'EI, Nadav, Barkai, Gilad
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A method and system for visualizing shared route information are provided. The method includes receiving a route query from a user and retrieving multiple route results for the query for display as an overlay on a map. The method further includes processing the route results for display by dividing each route result into sub-routes, wherein a sub-route is a portion of a route between intersections with other routes and aggregating the sub-routes across the route results. Each sub-route in the route results is scored according to a defined scoring basis and represented in the display according to the relative score to other sub-routes. A user can select a displayed sub-route and the method filters the route results to remove any routes not including the selected sub-route and displays the narrowed results.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing shared route information, comprising:

receiving a query from a user;

retrieving multiple route results for the query for display as an overlay on a map;

dividing each route result into sub-routes, wherein a sub-route is a portion of a route between intersections with other routes;

aggregating the sub-routes across the route results;

scoring each sub-route in the route results according to a defined scoring basis; and

representing each sub-route in the display according to the relative score to other sub-routes;

wherein receiving, retrieving, dividing, aggregating, scoring and representing steps are implemented in either of;

a) computer hardware configured to perform said identifying, tracing, and providing steps; and

b) computer software embodied in a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage medium.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a displayed sub-route; and

filtering the route results based on the selected sub-route and displaying the narrowed results.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein filtering carries out a faceted search, wherein a route has facets of sub-routes within it.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, including additionally displaying each route result individually.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, including ranking the additionally displayed individual route results by a ranking function.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the ranking function for the route results is an aggregation of the scores of the sub-routes in a route result.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the multiple route results are provided by user collaboration to a data repository for searching.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, including:

inputting user preferences for the personalisation of the scoring bases and the representations of the sub-routes.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the defined scoring bases include one or more of the following;

sub-route popularity;

sub-route used in user'"'"'s own routes;

sub-route importance;

sub-route speed;

sub-route fits user'"'"'s preferences;

sub-route scenic-ness;

sub-routes not visited by the user.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

representing each sub-route relative to other sub-routes includes one or more of;

dashing of lines with different lengths of dashes;

colour of lines;

saturation or opacity of lines;

width of lines;

style of lines;

labels next to a sub-route.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, including mapping a query to stored routes in a data repository.

12. A computer program product for visualizing shared route information, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

computer program instructions operative to;

receive a query from a user;

retrieve multiple route results for the query for display as an overlay on a map;

divide each route result into sub-routes, wherein a sub-route is a portion of a route between intersections with other routes;

aggregate the sub-routes across the route results;

score each sub-route in the route results according to a defined scoring basis; and

represent each sub-route in the display according to the relative score to other sub-routes;

wherein said program instructions are stored on said computer readable medium.

13. A system for visualizing shared route information, comprising:

a processor;

a data repository storing map and route information;

a computer-based query input mechanism to retrieve route results from the repository;

a dividing mechanism for dividing each route into sub-routes, wherein a sub-route is a portion of a route between intersections with other routes;

a scoring mechanism for aggregating and scoring sub-routes in the route results according to a defined scoring basis; and

a display mechanism including representing each sub-route in the display according to the relative score to other sub-routes;

wherein any of said data repository, route query input mechanism, dividing mechanism, scoring mechanism and display mechanism are implemented in either of computer hardware or computer software and embodied in a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage medium.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a user selection mechanism for selecting a displayed sub-route;

a filtering mechanism to filter the route results based on the selected sub-route and displaying the narrowed results.

15. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the filtering mechanism carries out a faceted search, wherein a route has facets of sub-routes within it.

16. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the display mechanism includes additional individual route result displays.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15, including a route ranking mechanism to rank the individual route results.

18. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the data repository storing map and route information is a collaborative mapping service with multiple route results provided by user collaboration.

19. The system as claimed in claim 13, including:

a user profile input mechanism for the personalisation of the scoring bases and the representations of the sub-routes.

20. The system as claimed in claim 13, including:

the data repository includes the history of a user'"'"'s own routes.

21. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the defined scoring bases include one or more of the following;

sub-route popularity;

sub-route used in user'"'"'s own routes;

sub-route importance;

sub-route speed;

sub-route fits user'"'"'s preferences;

sub-route scenic-ness;

sub-routes not visited by the user.

22. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

representing each sub-route relative to other sub-routes includes one or more of;

dashing of lines with different lengths of dashes;

colour of lines;

saturation or opacity of lines;

width of lines;

style of lines;

label next to sub-route.

23. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the route query mechanism maps a query to stored routes in the data repository.

24. A user interface for visualizing shared route information, comprising:

a query input;

a map;

an overlay of route result information, wherein routes are divided into sub-routes, wherein a sub-route is a portion of a route between intersections with other routes; and

wherein each sub-route is represented according to its score relative to other sub-routes;

a user selection mechanism for selecting a sub-route to filter results based on the selected sub-route to limit the overlay of route information;

wherein the user interface is implemented in either of computer hardware or computer software and embodied in a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage medium.