Strategies for Annotating Digital Maps

• US 20140089771A1
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WSU Research Foundation
• Original Assignee: WSU Research Foundation
• Inventors: Pilskalns, Orest J.
• Application Number:
  US14/091,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089771A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A strategy is described for annotating a digital map. According to one exemplary aspect, the user can link a single uploaded object to multiple locations within a map (or maps) without requiring separate uploading and storing operations such that a single instance of the object is simultaneously linked to each of the multiple locations. Further aspects are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

linking an object to a first location within a map; and

linking the object to a second location within the map, the second location being different from the first location,

wherein a single instance of the object is simultaneously linked to both the first and second locations within the map.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first location comprises a representation of a first geographic location; and

the second location comprises a representation of a second geographic location, different from the first geographic location.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map depicts a spatial organization of features within a physical landscape.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map depicts a spatial organization of features within a physical setting.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the map depicts an organization of features in a conceptual framework that has no direct physical counterpart.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the object is linked to the first location within the map based on input received through a user interface.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the object is linked to the first location within the map automatically based on data received through an RSS (really simple syndication) feed.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the object is selected from a group of objects comprising:

a textual label;

a symbolic label;

a digital picture;

a video file;

an audio file;

a hypertext link;

a text document; and

additional map information.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

linking the object to the first location within the map includes;

associating the object with the first location; and

associating first time data with the object and the first location;

linking the object to the second location within the map includes;

associating the object with the second location; and

associating second time data with the object and the second location; and

the first time data represents a particular date/time and the second time data represents a different date/time.