Strategies for annotating digital maps

• US 7,945,852 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Washington State University
• Original Assignee: Washington State University
• Inventors: Pilskalns, Orest J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries; Laurie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mills; Frank D
• Application Number:
  US11/465,731
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 715/230, 715/231, 715/232, 715/233
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A strategy is described for annotating a digital map. According to one exemplary aspect, the user can link a single uploaded object to multiple locations within a map (or maps) without requiring separate uploading and storing operations. According to another exemplary aspect, the user can specify a range of zoom levels in which an object is made visible on the map. According to another exemplary aspect, the user can instruct map processing functionality (MPF) to automatically extract objects from a data source (such as an RSS data source) and annotate the map with the objects. Still further aspects are described.

Claims

1. A method for annotating digital maps, comprising:

providing an object-upload user interface;

receiving, via the object-upload user interface, an instruction to upload an object;

uploading a single instance of the object in response to the instruction to upload the object;

providing an object-annotation user interface;

receiving, via the object-annotation user interface, a first instruction to link the uploaded object to a first selected location within a selected map, the first selected location representing a first geographic location;

linking the uploaded object to the first selected location in response to the first instruction, to thereby provide an annotated map;

receiving, via the object-annotation user interface, a second instruction to simultaneously link the uploaded object to a second location within a selected map, the second location representing a second geographic location, different from the first geographic location; and

linking the uploaded object to the second selected location in response to the second instruction,

wherein the single instance of the object is simultaneously linked to both the first and second locations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a security-selection user interface that gives a user an option of storing the annotated map, wherein the security-selection user interface allows the user to select any one of the following security options;

publishing the annotated map without any access restrictions;

publishing the annotated map so that the map can be accessed by a permitted group of users; and

retaining the annotated map so that the map can be accessed only by the user;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of one of the security options; and

granting access to the annotated map based on the user'"'"'s selection of one of the security options.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein plural maps make reference to a single object, further comprising receiving different security option selections for at least two of the plural maps.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

access to the single object via a first map of the plural maps is based on a security option selected for the first map; and

access to the single object via a second map of the plural maps is based on a security option selected for the second map,

the security option selected for the first map being different from the security option selected for the second map.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in a community mode of operation, repeating the linking at the request of at least two users, to create a community annotated map that contains objects linked to the map by plural users.

6. One or more machine-readable storage media containing machine-executable instructions for implementing the method of claim 1.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second locations are locations within a single selected map.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location is within a first selected map and the second location is within a second selected map.

9. A method for annotating a digital map, comprising:

identifying an object that is linked to a location on the digital map, wherein the object does not have an associated minimum or maximum zoom level;

automatically assessing a popularity of the identified object;

selecting a zoom range over which the identified object is to be made presentable within the digital map based on the assessed popularity, the zoom range defined by a minimum zoom level and a maximum zoom level;

providing a rendition of the digital map that includes a presentation of the identified object if a selected zoom level is within the zoom range; and

providing a rendition of the digital map that does not include a presentation of the identified object if a selected zoom level is not within the zoom range.

10. One or more machine-readable storage media containing machine-executable instructions for implementing the method of claim 9.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the assessed popularity of the identified object is based on a number of times that the identified object has been activated by users.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the assessed popularity of the identified object is based on a number of times that the identified object has been accessed by users.

13. A method for annotating a digital map, comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s selection of at least one annotation selection criterion;

investigating a data source at a particular instance of time to identify an object that satisfies said at least one selection criterion, to provide an identified object, wherein the identified object does not have an associated minimum or maximum zoom level;

automatically identifying a location associated with the identified object, to provide an identified location;

assessing a level of relevance of the identified object, the level of relevance being based on a number of times that the identified object has been user-accessed or user-activated;

selecting a zoom range over which the identified object is made visible based on the assessed level of relevance; and

automatically annotating a map with the identified object at the identified location within the selected zoom range, wherein the map is separate from the data source.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data source is an RSS feed data source.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one selection criterion is at least one key term, and wherein the identified object contains said at least one key term.

16. One or more machine-readable storage media containing machine-executable instructions for implementing the method of claim 13.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one selection criterion is a portion of the map as indicated by a user-selected bounding box, such that the object that satisfies the at least one selection criterion is associated with a mapped location within the bounding box.