Geo-targeted data collection or other action
First Claim
1. One or more computer-readable storage memories that store executable instructions to provide information, the instructions, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform acts comprising:
- receiving a request for first information;
responding to said request by providing said first information, an item of said first information being associated with a geographic location;
determining whether second information associated with said geographic location is available in a database, said second information being distinct from said first information;
based on whether said second information is available in said database, either providing said second information with said first information or recording a fact that said second information is unavailable;
said database containing images, said database not containing an image of said geographic location, said acts further comprising;
identifying a region in which to collect imagery based on predicted effectiveness of preventing failures to provide imagery in response to future requests.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Information may be associated with geographic locations, and requests for this information may be used to determine future actions. In one example, a search engine returns results that refer to places having physical geographic locations. If imagery of the geographic locations is available, the imagery may be shown to the person who requests the information. If imagery is not available, this unavailability may be treated as a failure. If a number of failures occurs in a geographic area, then resources (e.g., a car with a camera) may be deployed to collect imagery of that area. In another example, knowledge about a geographic concentration of requests might be used to disambiguate a request relating to a larger area (e.g., requests relating to “Minneapolis” might be focused on the area near the I-35 bridge, if data show that many requests in Minneapolis are for the area around that bridge).
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. One or more computer-readable storage memories that store executable instructions to provide information, the instructions, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform acts comprising:
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receiving a request for first information; responding to said request by providing said first information, an item of said first information being associated with a geographic location; determining whether second information associated with said geographic location is available in a database, said second information being distinct from said first information; based on whether said second information is available in said database, either providing said second information with said first information or recording a fact that said second information is unavailable; said database containing images, said database not containing an image of said geographic location, said acts further comprising; identifying a region in which to collect imagery based on predicted effectiveness of preventing failures to provide imagery in response to future requests. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of performing an action based on geographic locations associated with requests for first information, the method comprising:
using a processor to perform acts comprising; receiving requests for said first information; determining geographic locations associated with items of said first information; recording said geographic locations in a history; identifying a region that contains one or more of said geographic locations; and taking an action with respect to said region, wherein said action comprises either collecting second information in said region or directing a future search result to a specific location in said region, said action being to direct a future search result to a specific location in said region, said requests comprising a query that identifies said region but that does not identify said specific location in said region, said acts further comprising; providing, to a user who issued said query, said specific location as a result based on how many past requests for said specific location have been received. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for providing information, the system comprising:
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a memory; a processor; and one or more components that are stored in said memory and that execute on said processor, the one or more components comprising; a search engine that receives a query, that provides a result based on said query, that determines a geographic location associated with said result, that consults a database to determine whether an image associated with said geographic location is available, that provides said image if said image is available, and that creates an unavailability record for said geographic location if said image is not available; and an unavailability analyzer that identifies a region in which collection of information is expected to be effective at reducing unavailability of images in response to future requests. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification