SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION CARD MAP

• US 20170371883A1
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Published: 12/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailiang, Zhou, Zhang, Guangqiang
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/909 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location spatiotemporally dependent retrieval from the web G06F16/9537
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers

Abstract

To provide synergy between spatial and qualitative information in a single display, a client computing device displays a schematic representation of geographic entities that includes qualitative information about each geographic entity. The geographic entities may be portions of a geographic area which are organized spatially in the schematic. While each geographic entity may have a different size or geometry, the geographic entities are displayed within same sized geographic information cards. The geographic information cards are also traversable by a user through panning from one geographic information card to the next or zooming in and out of different views of the geographic information cards.

Claims

1. A method for presenting geographic data on a client computing device, the method comprising:

generating, by one or more processors, geographic information cards for respective geographic entities, wherein at least two of the geographic information cards of an equal size correspond to geographic areas of different sizes or geometries;

generating a representation of a geographic area using the geographic information cards, including placing each geographic information card relative to the rest of the geographic information cards in accordance with relative geographic positioning of the corresponding geographic entities; and

providing the representation of the geographic area via a user interface of the client computing device, wherein at least some of the geographic information cards are individually selectable to display additional information related to the corresponding geographic entities.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising dividing, by the one or more processors, the geographic area into a plurality of regions based on density of geographic information data available for the region, wherein generating the geographic information cards includes representing each of the plurality of regions by a different geographic information card.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein dividing the geographic area into a plurality of regions includes generating a first geographic information card to represent an urban area of a first size and a second geographic information card to represent a body of water of a second size, wherein the second size is larger than the first size.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a selection of one of the geographic information cards via the user interface, and

generating an overlay screen to display information related to the selected geographic information card.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a first geographic information card is selected and further including:

in response to receiving a request from a user to pan the geographic area, generating an overlay screen to display information related to a second geographic information card, wherein the second geographic information card is positioned relative to the first geographic information card in a direction that the user pans.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the geographic information cards includes:

including in each geographic information card, indications of one or more of;

(i) map data for the geographic location,

(ii) photographs of the geographic location,

(iii) reviews of the geographic location,

(iv) points of interest (POIs) at the geographic location, or

(v) a description of the geographic location, and

wherein each indication provides a link to a further display of a corresponding type of geographic information data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic information cards are displayed for a first level of detail and further including:

in response to receiving a request from a user to adjust a zoom level to a second level of detail on the user interface;

generating, by the one or more processors, geographic information cards for respective geographic entities at the second level of detail; and

generating a representation of the geographic area using the geographic information cards for the geographic area at the second level of detail.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein when a first geographic entity is located below a second geographic entity, a first geographic information card for the first geographic entity is displayed behind a second geographic information card for the second geographic entity on the user interface, wherein the first geographic information card is obscured by the first geographic information card.

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

in response to receiving a three-dimensional (3D) gesture at the second geographic information card indicating a request to view a geographic entity below the second geographic information card, displaying the first geographic information card in front of the second geographic information card on the user interface, wherein the second geographic information card is completely obscured by the first geographic information card.

10. A client computing device for presenting geographic data, the client computing device comprising:

a user interface;

one or more processors coupled to the user interface; and

a non-transitory computer-readable memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the client computing device to;

generate geographic information cards for respective geographic entities, wherein at least two of the geographic information cards of an equal size correspond to geographic areas of different sizes or geometries;

generate a representation of a geographic area using the geographic information cards, including placing each geographic information card relative to the rest of the geographic information cards in accordance with relative geographic positioning of the corresponding geographic entities; and

provide the representation of the geographic area via the user interface of the client computing device, wherein at least some of the geographic information cards are individually selectable to display additional information related to the corresponding geographic entities.

11. The client computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the client computing device to divide the geographic area into a plurality of regions based on density of geographic information data available for the region, wherein generating the geographic information cards includes representing each of the plurality of regions by a different geographic information card.

12. The client computing device of claim 11, wherein to divide the geographic area into a plurality of regions, the instructions cause the client computing device to generate a first geographic information card to represent an urban area of a first size and a second geographic information card to represent a body of water of a second size, wherein the second size is larger than the first size.

13. The client computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the client computing device to:

detect a selection of one of the geographic information cards via the user interface, and

generate an overlay screen to display information related to the selected geographic information card.

14. The client computing device of claim 13, wherein a first geographic information card is selected and the instructions further cause the client computing device to:

in response to receiving a request from a user to pan the geographic area, generate an overlay screen to display information related to a second geographic information card, wherein the second geographic information card is positioned relative to the first geographic information card in a direction that the user pans.

15. The client computing device of claim 10, wherein to generate the geographic information cards, the instructions cause the client computing device to:

include in each geographic information card, indications of one or more of;

(i) map data for the geographic location,

(ii) photographs of the geographic location,

(iii) reviews of the geographic location,

(iv) points of interest (POIs) at the geographic location, or

(v) a description of the geographic location, and

wherein each indication provides a link to a further display of a corresponding type of geographic information data.

16. The client computing device of claim 10, wherein the geographic information cards are displayed for a first level of detail and the instructions further cause the client computing device to:

in response to receiving a request from a user to adjust a zoom level to a second level of detail on the user interface;

generate geographic information cards for respective geographic entities at the second level of detail; and

generate a representation of the geographic area using the geographic information cards for the geographic area at the second level of detail.

17. The client computing device of claim 10, wherein when a first geographic entity is located below a second geographic entity, a first geographic information card for the first geographic entity is displayed behind a second geographic information card for the second geographic entity on the user interface, wherein the first geographic information card is obscured by the first geographic information card.

18. The client computing device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the client computing device to:

in response to receiving a three-dimensional (3D) gesture at the second geographic information card indicating a request to view a geographic entity below the second geographic information card, display the first geographic information card in front of the second geographic information card on the user interface, wherein the second geographic information card is completely obscured by the first geographic information card.

19. A server device for presenting geographic data, the server device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the server device to;

for each of a plurality of levels of detail, divide a geographic area into a plurality of regions each representing a different geographic entity, wherein at each higher level of detail the geographic area is divided into more regions, and wherein at least two regions at a same level of detail correspond to geographic entities having different sizes or geometries;

for each region, retrieve indications of geographic information data for the region;

and

in response to receiving a request from a client computing device for the geographic information data for a geographic area;

identify one or more regions corresponding to the geographic area; and

provide the indications of the geographic information data for the one or more identified regions to the client computing device for displaying geographic information cards for the geographic area.

20. The server device of claim 19, wherein at least some of the geographic information data for each region is retrieved from a knowledge repository in which data that describes attributes of the geographic entities is organized according to semantic relations between the geographic entities.