Interactive geospatial map

• US 8,799,799 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2013
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Cervelli, Dan, GoGwilt, Cai, Prochnow, Bobby
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US13/917,571
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

An interactive data object map system is disclosed in which large amounts of geographical, geospatial, and other types of data, geodata, objects, features, and/or metadata are efficiently presented to a user on a map interface. The interactive data object map system allows for rapid and deep analysis of various objects, features, and/or metadata by the user. A layer ontology may be displayed to the user. In various embodiments, when the user rolls a selection cursor over an object/feature an outline of the object/feature is displayed. Selection of an object/feature may cause display of metadata associated with that object/feature. The interactive data object map system may automatically generate feature/object lists and/or histograms based on selections made by the user. The user may perform geosearches, generate heatmaps, and/or perform keyword searches, among other actions.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

an electronic data structure configured to store a plurality of features or objects as vector data, wherein each of the features or objects is associated with metadata, and each of the features or objects represents at least one of a road, a terrain, a lake, a river, a vegetation, a utility, a street light, a railroad, a hotel, a motel, a school, a hospital, a building or other structure, a region, a transportation object, an entity, an event, or a document;

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing software modules including computer executable instructions; and

one or more hardware processors in communication with the electronic data structure and the non-transitory computer readable medium, and configured to execute a user interface module of the software modules in order to;

display an interactive map on an electronic display of the computer system;

include on the interactive map one or more features or objects, wherein the features or objects are selectable by a user of the computer system, and wherein the features or objects are accessed from the electronic data structure;

in response to a first input from the user selecting a plurality of the included features or objects;

access, from the electronic data structure, metadata associated with respective selected features or objects;

determine one or more metadata categories associated with at least one of the accessed metadata; and

for each of the determined metadata categories;

generate one or more histograms including metadata values or value ranges associated with respective selected features or objects, each of the histograms including a visual indicator indicating a quantity of the respective selected plurality of features or objects included on the interactive map having the respective metadata value or value range; and

display the one or more histograms on the electronic display;

in response to a second input from the user selecting a second one or more features or objects from the one or more histograms;

update the interactive map to display the second one or more features or objects on the display; and

highlight the second one or more features or objects on the interactive map; and

in response to a third input from the user selecting a drill-down group of features or objects from the one or more histograms, drill-down on the selected drill-down group of features or objects by;

accessing metadata associated with respective features or objects of the selected drill-down group;

determining one or more drill-down metadata categories associated with at least one of the accessed metadata associated with each of the features or objects of the selected drill-down group; and

for each of the determined drill-down metadata categories;

generating one or more drill-down histograms including drill-down metadata values or value ranges associated with respective features or objects of the selected drill-down group, each of the drill-down histograms including a visual indicator indicating a quantity of the respective features or objects of the selected drill-down group having the respective drill-down metadata value or value range; and

displaying on the interactive map the one or more drill-down histograms.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the metadata associated with the features or objects comprise at least one of a location, a city, a county, a state, a country, an address, a district, a grade level, a phone number, a speed, a width, or other related attributes.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the features or objects are selectable by the user using a mouse and/or a touch interface.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein each histogram of the one or more histograms is specific to a particular metadata category.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein each histogram of the one or more histograms comprises a list of items of metadata specific to the particular metadata category of the histogram, wherein the list of items is organized in descending order from an item having the largest number of related objects or features to an item having the smallest number of related objects or features.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the one or more histograms displayed on the electronic display are displayed so as to partially overlay the displayed interactive map.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to execute the user interface module in order to:

receive a second input from the user selecting a second one or more features or objects from the one or more histograms; and

in response to the second input,

update the interactive map to display the second one or more features or objects on the display; and

highlight the second one or more features or objects on the interactive map.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein updating the interactive map comprises panning and/or zooming.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein highlighting the second one or more features comprises at least one of outlining, changing color, bolding, or changing contrast.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to execute the user interface module in order to enable the user to further drill down into the one or more drill-down histograms.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to execute the user interface module in order to:

receive a feature or object hover over input from the user; and

in response to receiving the hover over input, highlight, on the electronic display, metadata associated with the particular hovered over feature or object to the user.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein one or more hardware processors are further configured to execute the user interface module in order to:

receive a feature or object selection input from the user; and

in response to receiving the selection input, display, on the electronic display, metadata associated with the particular selected feature or object to the user.