METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING AND COMMUNICATING LOCATIONS

• US 20160073225A1
• Filed: 04/14/2014
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: What3Words Limited
• Original Assignee: What3Words Limited
• Inventors: GANESALINGAM, Mohan, SHELDRICK, Christopher, WALEY-COHEN, Jack
• Granted Patent: US 9,883,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• 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

Abstract

A method of producing a location identifier comprising: obtaining the geographical coordinates of a location; converting the geographical coordinates into single unique value n; converting the single unique value n into a unique group of a plurality of values; converting the plurality of values into an equal plurality of respective words; and providing the plurality of words as a location identifier, and a method of identifying a location comprising: obtaining a location identifier for a location, the location identifier comprising a plurality of words; converting the plurality of words into a unique group of an equal plurality of respective values; converting the unique group of a plurality of values into a single unique value n; converting the single unique value n into geographical coordinates; and outputting the geographical coordinates.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of producing a location identifier comprising:

receiving at a processor geographical coordinates of a location;

at said processor performing the steps of;

converting the geographical coordinates into a single unique value n;

converting the single unique value n into a unique group of a plurality of values; and

converting the plurality of values into an equal plurality of respective words; and

making the plurality of words available as a location identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises defining an array of cells across a geographical area;

and at said processor performing the step of converting the geographical coordinates into a single unique value n comprises performing the steps of;

converting the geographical coordinates into a cell identity value identifying the cell containing the location, and a cell position value identifying the position of the location within the cell; and

converting the cell identity value and a cell position value into a single unique value n.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the geographical coordinates are latitude and longitude coordinates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of words is in a defined sequence.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the cell identity value is a pair of integers X, Y and the cell position value is a pair of integers x, y.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the value n, and the plurality of values are integers.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the latitude and longitude coordinates are converted into the cell identity value and the cell position value using the equations:

X=floor((Longitude+180)*24)

Y=floor((Latitude+90)*24)

x=floor(W(Y)*frac((Longitude+180)*24))

y=floor(1546*frac((Latitude+90)*24))

where W(Y)=max(1,floor(1546*cos((Y+0.5)/24−

90))).

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the cell identity value and cell position values X, Y, x and y are converted into a single unique value n by assigning each cell identified by a cell identity value X, Y a unique range of values of n having a lowest value q, and then obtaining n using the equation:

n=q+1546*x+y.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the single unique value n is converted into a unique group of three values i, j, k,

the three values i, j and k are converted into three respective words;

and

the three words are provided as a location identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the single unique value n into the unique group of three values i, j, k comprises:

converting the single unique value n into a single unique integer value m by dividing the possible values of n into blocks of values, and

shuffling the values of n in a block of values to obtain m.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein converting the single unique value n into a unique group of three values i, j, k further comprises converting the single unique value m into a unique group of three values i, j, k by:

defining l=floor(cuberoot(m));

then

in the case where l³ m≦

l³+l²+2l+1, then

i=l, j=r div(l+1), and k=r mod(l+1), where r=m−

l³;

or

in the case where l³+l²+2l+1≦

m<

l³+2l²+3l+1, then

i=r div(l+1), j=l, and k=r mod(l+1), where r=m−

(l³+l²+2l+1);

or

in the case where l³+2l²+3l+1≦

m<

l³+3l²+3l+1, then

i=r div l, j=r mod l, k=l, where r=m−

(l³+2l²+3l+1).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the unique group of three values i, j, k are converted into three respective words by comparing each value to an ordered list of words and converting each value to the word at the position of the value in the ordered list.

13. An apparatus adapted to produce a location identifier, said apparatus having a processor configured to:

receive geographical coordinates of a location; and

;

to perform the steps of;

converting the geographical coordinates into a single unique value n;

converting the single unique value n into a unique group of a plurality of values; and

converting the plurality of values into an equal plurality of respective words; and

making the plurality of words available as a location identifier.

14. A location identifier producing computer program comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

receive geographical coordinates of a location; and

;

to perform the steps of;

converting the geographical coordinates into a single unique value n;

converting the single unique value n into a unique group of a plurality of values; and

converting the plurality of values into an equal plurality of respective words; and

making the plurality of words available as a location identifier.

15. A computer implemented method of identifying a location comprising:

receiving at a processor a location identifier for a location, the location identifier comprising a plurality of words;

at said processor performing the steps of;

converting the plurality of words into a unique group of an equal plurality of respective values;

converting the unique group of a plurality of values into a single unique value n;

converting the single unique value n into geographical coordinates; and

outputting the geographical coordinates.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises defining an array of cells across a geographical area;

and at said processor performing the step of converting the single unique value n into geographical coordinates comprises performing the steps of;

converting the single unique value n into a cell identity value identifying the cell containing the location and a cell position value identifying the position of the location within the cell; and

converting the cell identity value and the cell position value into geographical coordinates.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the geographical coordinates are latitude and longitude coordinates.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of words is in a defined sequence.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the cell identity value is a pair of integers X, Y and the cell position value is a pair of integers x, y.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the value n and the plurality of values are integers.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the cell identity value and the cell position value are converted into geographical coordinates using the equations:

Latitude=(Y+((y+0.5)/1546))/24*90

Longitude=(X+((x+0.5)/(W(Y)))/24−

180

where W(Y)=max(1,floor(1546*cos((Y+0.5)/24−

90))).

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the single unique value n is converted into the cell identity value and cell position values X, Y, x and y by associating each cell identified by a cell identity value X, Y with a unique range of values of n, each unique range having a lowest value q, and identifying the assigned range of values of n in which the value n lies;

then taking the cell identity value X, Y associated with the identified assigned range, and determining x and y using the equations;

x=(n−

q)div 1546

y=(n−

q)mod 1546.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of words comprises three words;

the three words are converted into a unique group of three respective values i, j and k; and

the unique group of three values i, j, k are converted into a single unique value n;

24. The method of claim 23, wherein converting the unique set of three values i, j, k into the single unique value n comprises:

converting a single unique integer value m into the single unique value n by dividing the possible values of m into blocks of values of equal size, and shuffling the values of m in a block of values to obtain n.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein converting the unique group of three values i, j, k into the single unique value n further comprises converting the single unique value m into a unique group of three values i, j, k by:

defining l=max(i;

j;

k);

then

in the case where i=l, then

m=l³+(l+1)j+k;

or

in the case where j=l, then

m=l³+l²+2l+1+(l+1)i+k;

or

in the case where k=l, then

m=l³+2l²+3l+1+li+j.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the three words are converted into the unique group of three respective values i, j, k by storing the words and integer values in an associative array, and looking up the word corresponding to each integer.

27. An apparatus adapted to identify a location, said apparatus having a processor configured to:

receive a location identifier for a location, the location identifier comprising a plurality of words; and

to perform the steps of;

converting the plurality of words into a unique group of an equal plurality of respective values;

converting the unique group of a plurality of values into a single unique value n;

converting the single unique value n into geographical coordinates; and

outputting the geographical coordinates.

28. A location identifying computer program comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

receive a location identifier for a location, the location identifier comprising a plurality of words; and

to perform the steps of;

converting the plurality of words into a unique group of an equal plurality of respective values;

converting the unique group of a plurality of values into a single unique value n;

converting the single unique value n into geographical coordinates; and

outputting the geographical coordinates.