System and method for providing accurate local maps for a central service

• US 7,127,352 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Weksel, David, Stevens, Douglas W., Pulford, Gary Douglas, Hoskins, Daniel H. Jr., Barinek, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Toan M.
• Application Number:
  US10/261,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 702/5, 379/45, 455/457, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 702/5
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A system and method that provides economical and accurate data for a selected area (jurisdiction) from a centralized location by generating a base-line map from commercially available information and distributing portions of this map to local jurisdictions. Inaccuracies and other information only available locally are stored in a local database. Periodically these databases are uploaded to a central location and reconciled with the base line map. Advantageously, such reconciliation may include a rules based reconciliation wherein the geo-coordinates from the commercial vendors are used and applied to the local data. A new base line map is then generated and distributed back to the local user. In this manner, the local user has an accurate yet economical map.

Claims

1. A method for updating map data comprising the steps of:

receiving first data from a storage component in response to a first request that comprises first location information associated with a geographic location, wherein the first data comprises first geo-coordinates;

generating a first map, that comprises a representation of the geographic location, based on the first data;

determining local geographical data that is distinct from the first data and associated with the geographic location for the first map;

determining second geo-coordinates of the local geographical data for inclusion on said first map;

storing the local geographical data in the storage component;

performing a rules-based comparison of the first geo-coordinates with the second geo-coordinates;

receiving second data, that comprises the local geographic data, from the storage component in response to a second request that comprises second location information that is associated with the geographic location; and

generating a second map, that comprises the local geographic data and the representation of the geographic location, based on the second data.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of determining comprises collecting local geographical data that is inconsistent with said first map.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of determining comprises collecting geographical data not included on said first map.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said storing further comprises presuming that the first geo-coordinates of the first data take precedence over the second geo-coordinates of said local geographical data.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said storing further comprises presuming that the local geographical data takes precedence over the first data.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of determining local geographical data comprises collecting said local geographical data in a local data base.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of generating the first map comprises generating the first map from commercial data at a central location.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said step of determining local geographical data comprises collecting said local geographical data in a local data base.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein said step of storing comprises sending said collected local geographic data in said local data base to said central location.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 further comprising the step of downloading the second map that comprises the local geographical data to a local user near the geographic location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location information comprises geo-coordinates of a first user located near the geographic location, wherein the second location information comprises geo-coordinates of a second user located near the geographic location, wherein the step of receiving the first data from the storage component in response to the first request that comprises the first location information associated with the geographic location comprises the step of:

receiving first data from a storage component in response to a first request that comprises the geo-coordinates of the first user located near the geographic location;

wherein the step of receiving the second data, that comprises the local geographic data, from the storage component in response to the second request that comprises the second location information that is associated with the geographic location comprises the step of;

receiving second data, that comprises the local geographic data, from the storage component in response to a second request that comprises the geo-coordinates of the second user located near the geographic location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first user and/or the second user comprise one or more of police, fire, and/or emergency workers, wherein the step of receiving the first data from the storage component in response to the first request that comprises the geo-coordinates of the first user located near the geographic location comprises the step of:

receiving first data from the storage component in response to a first request that comprises the geo-coordinates of a one or more of police, fire, and/or emergency workers located near the geographic location;

wherein the step of receiving the second data, that comprises the local geographic data, from the storage component in response to the second request that comprises the geo-coordinates of the second user located near the geographic location comprises the step of;

receiving second data from the storage component in response to a second request that comprises the geo-coordinates of one or more of police, fire, and/or emergency workers located near the geographic location.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an upload package that comprises the local geographical data for one or more maps from a regional server;

storing the local geographical data in the storage component;

updating a national map for the one or more maps with the local geographical data of the upload package to create an updated national map; and

downloading the updated national map to one or more regional servers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the upload package of data comprises local geographical data for the one or more maps, wherein the step of updating the national map for the one or more maps with the data of the upload package to create the updated national map comprises the step of:

performing a rules-based comparison of the local geographical data with commercial data for the one or more maps; and

updating the national map with the local geographical data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the local geographical data comprises one or more of a local name, land mark, road, road sign, and/or map feature.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the local geographical data comprises geo-coordinates for the one or more of the local name, land mark, road, road sign, and/or map feature.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for receiving an upload package, of local geographical data for one or more maps, from a regional server;

means for storing said local geographical data with the one or more maps;

means for updating a national map for the one or more maps with the local geographical data of the upload package to create an updated national map; and

means for downloading the updated national map to one or more regional servers.

17. An apparatus for generating maps comprising:

means for receiving first data from a storage component in response to a first request that comprises first location information associated with a geographic location, wherein the first data comprises first geo-coordinates;

means for generating a first map, that comprises a representation of the geographic location, based on the first data;

means for receiving local geographical data that is distinct from the first data and associated with the geographic location for the first map;

means for determining second geo-coordinates of the local geographical data for inclusion on said first map;

means for storing the local geographical data in the storage component;

means for performing a rules-based comparison of the first geo-coordinates with the second geo-coordinates;

means for receiving second data, that comprises the local geographic data, from the storage component in response to a second request that comprises second location information that is associated with the geographic location; and

means for generating a second map, that comprises the local geographic data and the representation of the geographic location, based on the second data received.

18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 17 further comprising means for transmitting the first map and the second map to one or more local users.

19. An apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said means for transmitting transmits a portion of the first map to each of said local users.

20. An apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said means for transmitting transmits a portion of said first map to each of said local users responsive to a selection by said local users.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first location information comprises geo-coordinates of a first user located near the geographic location, wherein the second location information comprises geo-coordinates of a second user located near the geographic location.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first user and/or the second user comprise one or more of police, fire, and/or emergency workers.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the geo-coordinates of the first user and the geo-coordinates of the second user comprise substantially same geo-coordinates.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the local geographical data comprises one or more of a local name, land mark, road, road sign, and/or map feature.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the local geographical data comprises geo-coordinates forte one or more of the local name, land mark, road, road sign, and/or map feature.

27. A method for updating map data comprising the steps of:

receiving an upload package, of local geographical data for one or more maps, from a regional server, wherein the upload package of data comprises local geographical data for the one or more maps;

storing said local geographical data with the one or more maps;

performing a rules-based comparison of the local geographical data with commercial data for the one or more maps;

updating a national map for the one or more maps with the local geographical data of the upload package to create an updated national map; and

downloading the updated national map to one or more regional servers.