Creating and monitoring alerts for a geographical area

• US 8,310,361 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Stout, Bryce, Brewington, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/158,785
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911-53913, 340/539.2, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/905, 340/995.1, 340/995.24, 34099512-99516, 701208-210, 705/15, 709/221, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 340/539.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/006 with transmission via telephone network

Abstract

A geographical alert system creates an alert for a user-defined geographical area, detects a change to a feature stored in a map-related database, identifies whether the changed feature falls within the user-defined geographical area, and sends a notification to a user when the changed feature of the map-related database falls within the user-defined geographical area. To set up a geographical alert, an alert editor retrieves map data from a map-related database via an alert engine and displays the map data in a visual display to a user. The user then selects a geographical area that the system will automatically monitor for changes. The user may also specify a feature type, and an alert notification type for the alert. The alert engine then processes the user-specified geographical area into geographical area data and stores an alert and its corresponding geographical area data, feature type, and alert notification type in an alert database. When a change in the map-related database is detected, the alert engine obtains the geographic coordinate point data associated with the change and determines whether the geographical coordinate point data associated with the change falls within the geographical area of the stored alert in the alert database and if so, determines if the feature of the changed feature matches the feature of the stored alert. If the feature and geographical coordinate point data of the change corresponds to the feature and geographical area data of the stored alert, then the alert engine transmits an alert to the user using the alert notification type attributes of the stored alert.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert associated with a change of feature data in a map-related database that stores feature data associated with geographical regions, the method comprising:

receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert, the alert attribute data including geographical region data specifying a geographical region to be associated with the electronic alert;

using the alert attribute data to create the electronic alert and storing the electronic alert in an alert database, the stored electronic alert adapted to be used to notify a recipient of a change in feature data stored in the map-related database for the specified geographical region of the electronic alert;

detecting a change to feature data within the map-related database;

determining whether the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of the stored electronic alert; and

sending an electronic notification to the recipient if the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of the stored electronic alert.

2. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 1, wherein receiving alert attribute data includes receiving feature type data, the feature type data indicating a type of feature for the electronic alert, and wherein determining whether the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of the stored electronic alert includes determining if the feature associated with the changed feature data is of the same feature type as specified by the feature type data of the electronic alert.

3. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 2, wherein the feature type data specifies one or more of a map data entity, a business entity, a three dimensional model, a satellite image, or a photographic image.

4. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 1, wherein receiving alert attribute data includes receiving alert notification type data for the electronic alert, wherein the alert notification type data indicates how to notify the recipient of the changed feature data within the map-related database, and wherein sending an electronic notification to the recipient includes sending the electronic notification to the recipient based on the alert notification type data.

5. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 4, wherein the alert notification type data specifies a method of electronically sending the electronic notification.

6. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 5, wherein the method of electronically sending an electronic notification includes one or more of sending the electronic notification as an email or a text message or a phone call or an account notification.

7. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 4, wherein the alert notification type data specifies the recipient by one or more of a phone number or an email address or an account notification.

8. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 4, wherein the alert notification type data specifies a timing to be used to send the electronic notification to the recipient.

9. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 1, wherein receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert includes enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region for the electronic alert via a user interface.

10. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 9, wherein enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region includes presenting a map of a first geographical region to the user via the user interface and enabling the user to select the specified geographical region as a portion of the first geographical region presented on the map.

11. The computer-implemented method for generating an electronic alert of claim 10, wherein enabling the user to select the specified geographical region includes enabling the user to demarcate one or more boundaries of the specified geographical region by indicating the one or more boundaries of the specified geographical region on the presented map.

12. A geographical alert system for generating an electronic alert associated with a change of feature data stored in a map-related database that stores features associated with geographical regions, the geographic alert system comprising:

an alert generation routine stored on one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to receive alert attribute data from one or more users specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert, the alert attribute data including geographical region data specifying a geographical region to be associated with the electronic alert;

an alert creation routine stored on one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to create one or more electronic alerts based on the received alert attribute data and to store the one or more electronic alerts in an alert database, each stored electronic alert adapted to be used to notify a recipient of a change in feature data as stored in the map-related database for a specified geographical region associated with the electronic alert; and

an alert detection routine stored on one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to detect a change to feature data within the map-related database, to analyze whether the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of one of the one or more electronic alerts stored in the alert database, and to send an electronic notification to a recipient of the one of the one or more of the stored electronic alerts if the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of the one or more of the stored electronic alerts.

13. The geographical alert system of claim 12, wherein the alert generation routine receives alert attribute data including feature type data, the feature type data indicating a type of feature within the map-related database for an electronic alert, and wherein the alert detection routine determines whether the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts by determining if the feature associated with the changed feature data is of the same feature type as specified by the feature type data of the one of the one or more electronic alerts.

14. The geographical alert system of claim 12, wherein the alert generation routine receives alert attribute data including alert notification type data, wherein the alert notification type data indicates information regarding how to notify the recipient of the change in feature data within the map-related database, and wherein the alert detection routine sends an electronic notification to the recipient of a particular electronic alert by sending the electronic notification to the recipient based on the alert notification type data of the particular electronic alert.

15. The geographical alert system of claim 14, wherein the alert notification type data specifies a method of electronically sending the electronic notification.

16. The geographical alert system of claim 14, wherein the alert notification type data specifies one or more recipients associated with an alert.

17. The geographical alert system of claim 14, wherein the alert notification type data specifies a timing to be used to send the electronic notification.

18. The geographical alert system of claim 12, wherein the alert creation routine enables a user to indicate the specified geographical region for the electronic alert via a user interface.

19. The geographical alert system of claim 18, wherein the alert creation routine enables a user to indicate the specified geographical region by presenting a map of a first geographical region to the user via a user interface and enabling the user to select the specified geographical region as a portion of the first geographical region presented on the map.

20. A computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert associated with changes of feature data in a map-related database that stores feature data for features associated with geographical regions, the method comprising:

receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert, the alert attribute data including geographical region data specifying a geographical region to be associated with the electronic alert and alert notification type data indicating a manner of notifying a recipient of changed feature data within the map-related database;

using the alert attribute data to create the electronic alert; and

storing the electronic alert in an alert database, the stored electronic alert adapted to be used to notify the recipient, via an electronic notification, of changed feature data as stored in the map-related database for the specified geographical region of the electronic alert according to the alert notification type data of the electronic alert.

21. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 20, wherein receiving alert attribute data further includes receiving feature type data for the electronic alert, the feature type data indicating a type of feature within the map-related database for which to detect changed feature data within the map-related database.

22. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 21, wherein the feature type data specifies a feature including one or more of a map data entity, information data about a business entity, a three dimensional model, a satellite image, or a photographic image.

23. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 20, wherein receiving the alert notification type data includes receiving information on how to send the electronic notification electronically.

24. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 23, wherein receiving information on how to send the electronic notification electronically includes receiving information specifying to send the electronic notification via an email or a text message or a phone call or an account notification.

25. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 20, wherein receiving the alert notification type data includes receiving information defining a timing as to when to send the electronic notification electronically.

26. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 20, wherein receiving alert attribute data specifying one or more alert attributes for an electronic alert includes enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region for the electronic alert via a user interface.

27. The computer-implemented method for creating an electronic alert of claim 26, wherein enabling a user to indicate the specified geographical region includes presenting a map of a first geographical region to the user via the user interface and enabling the user to select the specified geographical region as a portion of the first geographical region presented on the map.

28. A computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert in response to a change of feature data in a map-related database that stores feature data for features associated with geographical regions, the method comprising:

detecting a change to feature data within the map-related database;

retrieving one or more stored electronic alerts from an alert database storing a set of electronic alerts, each of the retrieved electronic alerts including alert attribute data including a geographical region associated with the electronic alert and a recipient;

determining whether a feature associated with the changed feature data is located within a geographical region specified by one of the retrieved electronic alerts; and

sending an electronic notification to a recipient of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts if the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

29. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 28, wherein detecting a change to feature data within the map-related database includes detecting a modification to or a deletion to or an addition to feature data in the map-related database.

30. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 28, wherein detecting a change to feature data within the map-related database includes detecting a modification to or a deletion to or an addition to one or more of map data, satellite image data, three dimensional model data, location information data, or application generated data.

31. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 28, wherein sending an electronic notification to a recipient includes sending the electronic notification using an electronic transmission technique specified in the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

32. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 31, wherein sending an electronic notification to a recipient includes sending the electronic notification at a time specified in the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

33. The computer-implemented method for executing an electronic alert of claim 28, wherein determining whether the feature associated with the changed feature data is located within a geographical region specified by the one of the retrieved electronic alerts includes determining whether the changed feature data is associated with the feature that matches a feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts, and wherein sending an electronic notification to a recipient of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts includes sending the electronic notification only if the changed feature data matches a feature type of the one of the retrieved electronic alerts.

34. A geographical alert system for generating an electronic alert associated with a change of feature data stored in a map-related database that stores features associated with geographical regions, the geographic alert system comprising:

an alert detection routine stored in one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to detect a change to feature data within the map-related database;

an alert retrieval routine stored in one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to retrieve one or more electronic alerts stored in an alert database, each retrieved alert including alert attribute data including a geographical region associated with the electronic alert and a recipient;

an alert analysis routine stored in one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to analyze whether the feature associated with the changed feature data is associated with the specified geographical region of one of the one or more stored electronic alerts; and

an electronic notification routine stored in one or more computer memories and that executes on one or more computer processors to send an electronic notification to the recipient for the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts if the feature associated with the changed feature data is a feature within the specified geographical region of the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts.

35. The geographical alert system of claim 34, wherein the alert detection routine detects a change to feature data within the map-related database by detecting a modification to or a deletion to or an addition to one or more of map data, satellite image data, three dimensional model data, location information data, or application generated data.

36. The geographical alert system of claim 34, wherein the electronic notification routine sends an electronic notification to a recipient by sending the electronic notification using an electronic transmission technique specified in the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts.

37. The geographical alert system of claim 34, wherein the electronic notification routine sends an electronic notification to a recipient by sending the electronic notification at a time specified in the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts.

38. The geographical alert system of claim 34, wherein the alert analysis routine determines whether a feature associated with the changed feature data is located within a geographical region specified by the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts and further determines whether the changed feature data is for a feature that matches a feature type of the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts, and wherein sending an electronic notification to a recipient of the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts includes sending the electronic notification only if the changed feature data is for a feature that matches a feature type of the one of the one or more stored electronic alerts.