System and method for populating a geo-coding database

• US 7,606,582 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Dev, Riise, Sorren
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US11/314,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method is disclosed of populating a geo-coded database. A polygon is received for defining a first geographic region. At least one group of at least two points is determined corresponding to the geographic region, the at least one group of at least two points defining a plane enclosing the geographic region. A first data record representative of the first geographic region is generated, the data record including an identifier of the geographic region and the determined at least one group of at least two points corresponding thereto. The first data record is stored in the geo-coded database.

Claims

1. A system implemented method of populating a geo-coded database comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a first polygon defining a first geographic region;

determining, by the processor, a first group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region, the first group of at least two points defining a first plane in which the first geographic region lies;

generating, by the processor, a first data record representative of the first geographic region, the first data record comprising an identifier of the first geographic region, the first group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region, and a text descriptor of the first geographic region, wherein the identifier identifies the first geographic region independent of a pair of latitude and longitude coordinates representative of the first geographic region;

storing, by the processor, the first data record in the geo-coded database;

identifying, by the processor, a second data record in the geo-coded database representative of a second geographic region which is adjacent to, proximate to, overlapping with, within or encompassing the first geographic region, the second data record comprising a second group of at least two points defining a second plane in which the second geographic region lies, wherein the identifying is based on the first group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region and the second group of at least two points corresponding to the second geographic region; and

storing, by the processor, an association between the first data record and the second data record in the geo-coded database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data record further comprises at least one of a geographic boundary defining the first geographic region, or a demographic attribute associated with the first geographic region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the processor, further comprises receiving, by the processor, a second polygon, the second polygon defining a second geographic region, the method further comprising:

performing, by the processor, the determining and generating for each of the first and second polygons; and

associating, by the processor, the first data record representative of the first geographic region with the second data record representative of the second geographic region.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

storing, by the processor, the first and second data records in the geo-coded data;

identifying, by the processor, a third data record in the geo-coded database representative of a third geographic region one of adjacent to, proximate to, overlapping with, within or encompassing the first and second geographic regions;

and associating, by the processor, the third data record with the first and second data records in the geo-coded database.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

augmenting, by the processor, the first polygon with the associated second data record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data record further comprises at least one of an administrative boundary, a demographic boundary, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first group of at least two points comprises a first minimum bounding polygon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first group of at least two points comprises a second minimum bounding polygon.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first minimum bounding polygon encloses a plurality of polygons.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data record further comprises a text descriptor and the identifier distinguishes the first geographic region from another geographic region which has the same text descriptor as the first geographic region.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier distinguishes the first geographic region from another geographic region which overlaps with or encompasses the first geographic region.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data record representative of the first geographic region further comprises a minimum bounding rectangle identifier.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data record further comprises the pair of latitude and longitude coordinates representative of the first geographic region.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data record further comprises at least one of a geographic attribute, a meteorological attribute, a geological attribute, or combinations thereof.

15. A system for populating a geo-coded database with a first received polygon, the first received polygon defining a first geographic region, the system comprising:

a determining processor operative to determine a first group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region, the first group of at least two points defining a plane in which the first geographic region lies;

an affiliating processor coupled with the determining processor and operative to generate a first data record representative of the first geographic region, the first data record comprising an identifier of the first geographic region and the first group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region; and

the affiliating processor is further operative to;

store the first data record in the geo-coded database;

identify a second data record in the geo-coded database representative of a second geographic region, the second data record comprising a second group of at least two points defining a second plane in which the second geographic region lies, wherein the identify is based on the first group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region; and

associate the second data record with the first data record in the geo-coded database.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the first group of at least two points comprises a first minimum bounding polygon, the first minimum bounding polygon enclosing a plurality of polygons.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising a second received polygon, the second received polygon defining a third geographic region, the determining processor being further operable to determine a third group of at least two points corresponding to the third geographic region, the third group of at least two points defining a third plane in which the third geographic region lies, the affiliating processor being further operative to generate a third data record representative of the third geographic region, the third data record comprising a third identifier of the third geographic region and the determined third group of at least two points corresponding thereto, and wherein the affiliating processor is further operative to associate the first, second, and third data records in the geo-coded database.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the affiliating processor is further operative to:

identify a fourth data record in the geo-coded database representative of a fourth geographic region, the fourth data record comprising of a fourth group of at least two points defining a plane in which the fourth geographic region lies, wherein the identify is based on the first, second, third, and fourth group of at least two points; and

associate the fourth data record with the first, second, and third data records in the geo-coded database.

19. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

an augmenting processor operative to augment the first polygon with the generated first data record representative of the first geographic region.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

an augmenting processor operative to augment the first polygon with the associated second data record.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the second geographic region is adjacent to, proximate to, overlapping with, within or encompassing the first geographic region.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the first data record further comprises a pair of latitude and longitude coordinates representative of the geographic region.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein the first data record further comprises at least one of a demographic attribute, a geographic attribute, a meteorological attribute, a geological attribute, or combinations thereof.

24. A system for populating a geo-coded database comprising:

means for receiving at least one polygon defining a first geographic region;

means, coupled with the means for receiving, for determining a first at least one group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region, the first at least one group of at least two points defining a plane in which the first geographic region lies;

means, coupled with the means for determining, for generating a first data record representative of the first geographic region, the first data record comprising an identifier of the first geographic region and the first at least one group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region;

means, coupled with the means for generating, for storing the first data record in the geo-coded database;

means, coupled with the means for storing, for identifying a second data record in the geo-coded database representative of a second geographic region the second data record comprising a second at least one group of at least two points defining a second plane in which the second geographic region lies, wherein the identifying is based on the first at least one group of at least two points and the second at least one group of at least two points; and

means, coupled with the means for identifying, for storing an association between the first data record and the second data record in the geo-coded database.

25. A system for populating a geo-coded database with at least one received polygon, the at least one received polygon defining a first geographic region, the system comprising computer programming logic stored in a memory and executable by a processor coupled with the memory, the computer programming logic comprising:

first logic operative to determine a first at least one group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region, the first at least one group of at least two points defining a plane in which the first geographic region lies;

second logic coupled with the first logic and operative to generate a first data record representative of the first geographic region, the first data record comprising an identifier of the first geographic region and the determined the first at least one group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region; and

the second logic further operative to store the first data record in the geo-coded database, identify a second data record in the geo-coded database representative of a second geographic region, the second data record comprising a second group of at least two points defining a second plane in which the second geographic region lies, wherein the identify is based on the first group of at least two points corresponding to the first geographic region, and associate the first data record in the geo-coded database with the second data record in the geo-coded database.