FACILE AND PRECISE GEOREFERENCING AND OVERLAYING OF MAP TILES

• US 20170040004A1
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: He, Rui
• Granted Patent: US 10,482,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/14 Transformations for image registration, e.g. adjusting or mapping for alignment of images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/121 using a cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/18 Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

One or more processors receive a map image file. The map image file includes geographical data. One or more processors convert the map image file into a raster map image file. The raster map image file includes one or more first raster images. The one or more first raster images include a first plurality of pixels. One or more processors label one or more of the first plurality of pixels with a first set of geographical coordinates using at least a portion of the geographical data included in the map image file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a map image file, wherein the map image file includes geographical data;

converting, by one or more processors, the map image file into a raster map image file, wherein the raster map image file includes one or more first raster images, wherein the one or more first raster images include a first plurality of pixels;

labeling, by one or more processors, one or more of the first plurality of pixels with a first set of geographical coordinates using at least a portion of the geographical data included in the map image file; and

overlaying, by one or more processors, the one of the one or more first raster images and a second raster image, wherein the second raster image includes a second plurality of pixels that are labeled with a second set of geographical coordinates, wherein pixels from the first plurality of pixels are overlaid with pixels from the second plurality of pixels that have geographical coordinates that match within a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising;

making opaque, by one or more processors, one or both of;

one of the one or more first raster images and the second raster image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the map image file further comprises topography data, street map data, flood data, seismic activity data, census data, demographic data, and weather activity data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second set of geographical coordinates further comprise one or more of:

longitude and latitude coordinates, UTM coordinates, and SPS coordinates.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the raster map image file is further comprised to have one or more of the following formats:

JPEG/JFIF, JPEG 2000, Exif, TIFF, RIF, GIF, BMP, PPM, PGM, PBM, and PNM.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the map image file is further comprised to be a vector graphics file.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

identifying, by one or more processors, at least one meta-data that is associated with one or both of the one or more first raster images and the second raster image;

retrieving, by one or more processors, additional information based, at least in part, on the meta-data;

responsive to the additional data including data related to a natural event, predicting, by one or more processors, a severity of a future natural event based, at least in part, on historic data and forecasts;

generating, by one or more processors, one or more third raster images that show the severity of the future natural event geographically, wherein the one or more third raster images include a third plurality of pixels that are labeled with a third set of geographical coordinates, wherein at least a portion of the third set of geographical coordinates overlap geographically with at least a portion of the second set of geographical coordinates;

making opaque, by one or more processors, one or both of;

one of the one or more third raster images and the second raster image; and

overlaying, by one or more processors, the one of the one or more third raster images and the second raster image, wherein pixels from the third plurality of pixels are overlaid with pixels from the second plurality of pixels that have geographical coordinates that match within a threshold.

8. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a map image file, wherein the map image file includes geographical data;

program instructions to convert the map image file into a raster map image file, wherein the raster map image file includes one or more first raster images, wherein the one or more first raster images include a first plurality of pixels;

program instructions to label one or more of the first plurality of pixels with a first set of geographical coordinates using at least a portion of the geographical data included in the map image file; and

program instructions to overlay the one of the one or more first raster images and a second raster image, wherein the second raster image includes a second plurality of pixels that are labeled with a second set of geographical coordinates, wherein pixels from the first plurality of pixels are overlaid with pixels from the second plurality of pixels that have geographical coordinates that match within a threshold.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising;

program instructions to make opaque one or both of;

one of the one or more first raster images and the second raster image.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the map image file further comprises topography data, street map data, flood data, seismic activity data, census data, demographic data, and weather activity data.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first and second set of geographical coordinates further comprise one or more of:

longitude and latitude coordinates, UTM coordinates, and SPS coordinates.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the raster map image file is further comprised to have one or more of the following formats:

JPEG/JFIF, JPEG 2000, Exif, TIFF, RIF, GIF, BMP, PPM, PGM, PBM, and PNM.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the map image file is further comprised to be a vector graphics file.

14. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

program instructions to identify at least one meta-data that is associated with one or both of the one or more first raster images and the second raster image;

program instructions to retrieve additional information based, at least in part, on the meta-data;

responsive to the additional data including data related to a natural event, program instructions to predict a severity of a future natural event based, at least in part, on historic data and forecasts;

program instructions to generate one or more third raster images that show the severity of the future natural event geographically, wherein the one or more third raster images include a third plurality of pixels that are labeled with a third set of geographical coordinates, wherein at least a portion of the third set of geographical coordinates overlap geographically with at least a portion of the second set of geographical coordinates;

program instructions to make opaque one or both of;

one of the one or more third raster images and the second raster image; and

program instructions to overlay the one of the one or more third raster images and the second raster image, wherein pixels from the third plurality of pixels are overlaid with pixels from the second plurality of pixels that have geographical coordinates that match within a threshold.

15. A computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a map image file, wherein the map image file includes geographical data;

program instructions to convert the map image file into a raster map image file, wherein the raster map image file includes one or more first raster images, wherein the one or more first raster images include a first plurality of pixels;

program instructions to label one or more of the first plurality of pixels with a first set of geographical coordinates using at least a portion of the geographical data included in the map image file; and

program instructions to overlay the one of the one or more first raster images and a second raster image, wherein the second raster image includes a second plurality of pixels that are labeled with a second set of geographical coordinates, wherein pixels from the first plurality of pixels are overlaid with pixels from the second plurality of pixels that have geographical coordinates that match within a threshold.

16. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising;

program instructions to make opaque one or both of;

one of the one or more first raster images and the second raster image.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the map image file further comprises topography data, street map data, flood data, seismic activity data, census data, demographic data, and weather activity data.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first and second set of geographical coordinates further comprise one or more of:

longitude and latitude coordinates, UTM coordinates, and SPS coordinates.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the raster map image file is further comprised to have one or more of the following formats:

JPEG/JFIF, JPEG 2000, Exif, TIFF, RIF, GIF, BMP, PPM, PGM, PBM, and PNM.

20. The computer system of claim 16 further comprising:

program instructions to identify at least one meta-data that is associated with one or both of the one or more first raster images and the second raster image;

program instructions to retrieve additional information based, at least in part, on the meta-data;

responsive to the additional data including data related to a natural event, program instructions to predict a severity of a future natural event based, at least in part, on historic data and forecasts;

program instructions to generate one or more third raster images that show the severity of the future natural event geographically, wherein the one or more third raster images include a third plurality of pixels that are labeled with a third set of geographical coordinates, wherein at least a portion of the third set of geographical coordinates overlap geographically with at least a portion of the second set of geographical coordinates;

program instructions to make opaque one or both of;

one of the one or more third raster images and the second raster image; and

program instructions to overlay the one of the one or more third raster images and the second raster image, wherein pixels from the third plurality of pixels are overlaid with pixels from the second plurality of pixels that have geographical coordinates that match within a threshold.