Geocoding method using multidimensional vector spaces

• US 8,086,556 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Asher, Michael, Giddens, Charles, Eslambolchi, Hossein, Stewart, Harold J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivas, Omar Fernandez
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bharadwaj, Kalpana
• Application Number:
  US12/605,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 706/52
• US Class Current: 706/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A process for evaluating and geocoding of GIS data elements utilizes a plurality of “locate” tests and a weighting scheme to express the match results as a multidimensional vector. Multiple inputs and data sources, as well as ambiguous and partial input data, are used to generate an output with improved precision by applying a weighting function to each input element and generating a set of test vectors (i.e., in the input data element weighted by the known accuracy of the element/source). A sum of a plurality of tests is then generated as the “characteristic vector” of the test set. By using two (or more) different sets of tests, two (or more) characteristic vectors are formed. Various well-known algebraic techniques can then be used to evaluate the results of each set of tests and select the “best match” result.

Claims

1. A computerized method of evaluating a reliability of using ambiguous input geographic data to generate a geocoded bounding object, the method comprising:

selecting a first plurality of n different types of locate test to be used to convert the ambiguous input geographic data into a bounded object output having latitude and longitude information;

retrieving a known certainty value (l−

u) associated with each test in the selected first plurality of n different types of locate tests, wherein each test comprises a unique uncertainty value u;

defining a weighting constant (w) for each test in said selected first plurality of n different types of locate tests, the weighting constant within a range of 0.0 to 1.0; and

generating an apposite bounding surface defining the reliability of the bounded object output with respect to the ambiguous input geographic data, the apposite bounding surface defined as the combination of all matches from the plurality of n different types of locate tests.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the apposite bounding surface is calculated as a minimum bounding rectangle.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the minimum bounding rectangle is defined as the smallest rectangle which fully encloses all of the matches, the corners of which are calculated by taking the min and max of latitude and longitude values associated with each test.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the apposite bounding surface is defined as a convex hull.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the apposite bounding surface is defined as a poly-polygon.