GEOGRAPHIC DATA ACQUISITION BY USER MOTIVATION

• US 20120315992A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ofek, Eyal, Lahiani, Limor, Beckman, Brian, Omer, Ido, Gerson, Elad
• Granted Patent: US 8,550,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Architecture that motivates and utilizes users as the means for capturing geographical data of a desired location. The architecture incentivizes users (e.g., large numbers of mobile-phone and mobile-computer users) to provide the data in the form of geolocation information trails and images captured by user devices. Thus, users take multiple pictures, for example, and can validate existing coverage of specific points of interest based on variable needs of the requestor. One motivational technique is by using augmented reality (AR) games, which include shooting targets associated with the point of interest (e.g., a street). Thus, the game can be designed for the data accumulation, which includes visual data. Additionally, the architecture can determine the areas or points of interest for validation and/or additional coverage by comparing live video data to an image database to decide of the need for update.

Claims

1. A data collection system, comprising:

a game component of a mobile device that executes an interactive game for gameplay by a user of the mobile device;

a gameplay component that provides play information to the game component, the play information includes an incentive to motivate the user to participate in the gameplay relative to virtual territories imposed onto a geographical location;

a data collection component that collects data related to the geographical location during the gameplay; and

a microprocessor that executes computer-executable instructions associated with at least one of the game component, the gameplay component, or the data collection component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collection component includes sensors of the mobile device, the sensors include a camera that captures images of the geographic location during the gameplay.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the gameplay component receives previously captured data associated with a stale geographic location and updates the previously captured data via the mobile device during gameplay.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the gameplay component receives previously captured location data associated with a geographic location that is stale and dynamically influences the gameplay via the play information to occur at the geographic location to update the location data of the geographic location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the gameplay component receives previously captured location data associated with a geographic location that is stale and dynamically influences the gameplay via the play information to occur at the geographic location to validate current state of the location data for the geographic location.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data is uploaded from the mobile device to an online data source to update vector and topological information of a geographical mapping system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the game component communicates with an online mapping service that provides a map of an area of interest in which the gameplay occurs, the gameplay component imposes the virtual territories on the area of interest and incentivizes users of mobile devices with rewards in response to navigation of the area of interest as part of the gameplay, the navigation results in a geolocation information trail which is utilized to map the area of interest.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the incentive is to compete and win against a team of competing users and the reward includes graphically and virtually presenting captured territory on the map of the area of interest in accordance with a winning team identifier.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the gameplay component incentivizes the gameplay, which is according to an area-based game, in a geographical area of interest desired to be mapped or validated, an incentive is a group identifier virtually presented in association with captured or navigated territory of an online map of the area of interest.

10. A data collection system, comprising:

a game component of mobile devices that execute an interactive game for gameplay by users of the mobile devices;

a gameplay component that provides play information to the game component, the play information offers incentives to the users that participate in the gameplay relative to a geographical location, to interact with targets generated in realtime on the geographical features, the geographical location determined from a mapping service that requests geographical features of the geographical location to be updated or validated with latest data;

a data collection component that collects data relative to the geographical location via the mobile devices during the gameplay, and updates the mapping service according to the latest data; and

a microprocessor that executes computer-executable instructions associated with at least one of the game component, the gameplay component, or the data collection component.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the game is a multiplayer game via which multiple users participate in the gameplay to interact with the targets generated in realtime on the geographical features, the mobile devices of the users capture images of the geographical features and send the images to the mapping service, the targets removed and re-presented on new geographical features during the gameplay based on acquisition of corresponding features.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mapping service processes the updates based on some or all captured images of the mobile devices.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the gameplay component imposes virtual territories on the area of interest and offers rewards in response to navigation of the geographical location during the gameplay, the navigation results in a geolocation information trail and image capture of the geographic features related to the geographical location.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the incentives include an incentive to compete and win against a competing group of users and a reward includes virtual presentation of captured territory on a map that includes the geographical location using a winning team identifier.

15. A data collection method performed by a computer system executing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising acts of:

initiating execution of a game on a mobile device by a network service;

presenting an incentive to a user of the mobile device to engage in gameplay of the game at virtual territories imposed onto a geographic location;

presenting game goals relative to features of the geographic location, via the mobile device when the user is at the geographic location;

capturing feature information at the geographic location in response to achieving a game goal; and

sending the captured feature information to a network service.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising dynamically adding a new game goal in association with a feature during gameplay based on achievement of another goal.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising capturing the feature information as images via augmented reality in association with a camera of the mobile device, which feature information includes at least one of a street, intersection, or route.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising updating a map served by the network service, which is a mapping service, the map updated to include the captured feature information, and a generated virtual game enhancement viewable via the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising altering the gameplay in realtime based on varying spatial and temporal criteria of the network service relative to the geographical location.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

initiating the execution of the game, which is an area-based game, on multiple mobile devices;

setting the game goals to include domination by a group of users of a majority of territory of an area of a map;

capturing feature information associated with domination by the group; and

presenting graphical emphasis that correlates to the group in association with the territory, the graphical emphasis viewable by all mobile devices.