System and method for abstracting and visualizing a route map
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method of preparing a route map that describes a path between a start and an end, said method comprising:
- obtaining said path from said start to said end, said path comprising an initial set of elements wherein each said element comprises a portion of said path, each said element including information to determine a direction and each said element intersecting at least one other element in said initial set of elements;
a first element in said initial set of elements including said start and a second element in said initial set of elements including said end;
independently applying a different scale factor to each of at least two elements in said initial set of elements;
wherein application of said different scale factor to each of said at least two elements produces a scaled set of elements;
estimating a ratio of a total width to a total height of the route map that includes a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements;
selecting, based on a function of said ratio of said total width to said total height, an image template from a plurality of image templates, wherein the plurality of image templates comprise different image template sizes to accommodate route maps of different sizes; and
outputting a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements to said image template.
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Abstract
A system and method for making computer-generated maps includes a different scale factor for each road in a route. The scale factors are used to optimize the route map against a target function that considers factors such as the number of false intersections in the route and the number of roads falling below a minimum length threshold. A refinement technique such as simulated annealing is used to find a solution to the target function. Each road in the scaled map is rendered to provide a finished product having the appearance of a hand-drawn map. The finished product includes context roads that intersect the main route but are not part of the main route. Furthermore, the hand-drawn map is optimized to the characteristics of the viewport used to visualize the map.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method of preparing a route map that describes a path between a start and an end, said method comprising:
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obtaining said path from said start to said end, said path comprising an initial set of elements wherein each said element comprises a portion of said path, each said element including information to determine a direction and each said element intersecting at least one other element in said initial set of elements;
a first element in said initial set of elements including said start and a second element in said initial set of elements including said end;independently applying a different scale factor to each of at least two elements in said initial set of elements;
wherein application of said different scale factor to each of said at least two elements produces a scaled set of elements;estimating a ratio of a total width to a total height of the route map that includes a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements; selecting, based on a function of said ratio of said total width to said total height, an image template from a plurality of image templates, wherein the plurality of image templates comprise different image template sizes to accommodate route maps of different sizes; and outputting a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements to said image template. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A computer readable storage medium encoding computer readable instructions executable by a processor for preparing a route map that describes a path between a start and an end, the computer-readable instructions comprising:
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instructions for obtaining said path from said start to said end, the path comprising an initial set of elements wherein each said element comprises a portion of said path, each said element including information to determine a direction and each said element intersecting at least one other element in said initial set of elements;
a first element in said initial set of elements including said start and a second element in said initial set of elements including said end;instructions for independently applying a different scale factor to each of at least two elements in said initial set of elements;
wherein application of said different scale factor to each of said at least two elements produces a scaled set of elements;instructions for estimating a ratio of a total width to a total height of the route map that includes a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements; instructions for selecting, based on a function of said ratio of said total width and said total height, an image template from a plurality of image templates, wherein the plurality of image templates comprise different image template sizes to accommodate route maps of different sizes; and instructions for outputting a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements to said image template. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. A computer system for preparing a route map, the computer system comprising:
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a central processing unit; a memory, coupled to said central processing unit; a viewport for displaying said route map; a map module stored in the memory comprising instructions, executable by said central processing unit, for preparing said route map, the route map describing a path between a start and an end, the map module further comprising; instructions for obtaining said path from said start to said end, the path comprising an initial set of elements wherein each said element comprises a portion of said path, each said element including information to determine a direction and each said element intersecting at least one other element in said initial set of elements;
a first element in said initial set of elements including said start and a second element in said initial set of elements including said end;instructions for independently applying a different scale factor to each of at least two elements in said initial set of elements;
wherein application of said different scale factor to each of said at least two elements produces a scaled set of elements;instructions for estimating a ratio of a total width to a total height of the route map that includes a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements; instructions for selecting an image template from a plurality of image templates, the plurality of image templates comprise different image template sizes to accommodate route maps of different sizes, wherein the image template is selected based on a function of said ratio of said total width to said total height; and instructions for outputting a rendering of each element in said scaled set of elements to said image template. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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Specification