Method for extracting attribute data from a media file

• US 8,898,179 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Kistler, Peter Cornelius
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, BAI DUC
• Application Number:
  US12/053,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,440 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.003, 707/102, 707/758
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention recite a method for extracting attribute data from a media file. In one embodiment, an attribute of a geographic feature, which is described in at least one media file, is automatically identified. A configuration file is then accessed which defines how the attribute is to be displayed by an office application. The attribute is then displayed in a manner consistent with the configuration file.

Claims

1. A method for extracting attribute data from a media file, said method comprising:

capturing a media file via a geographic data collector device wherein said media file comprises a portion of a geographic data file, said media file captured a field in a form of at least one image portion and at least one audio portion;

utilizing a position determining component to automatically provide a location of a geographic feature at a time that the media file is captured a field;

automatically identifying an attribute of the geographic feature which is described in the media file;

accessing a configuration file which defines how said attribute is to be displayed by an office application, such that said attribute displayed by said office application is not the image file or the audio file of the geographic feature captured by said geographic data collector but is instead a symbol representative of the attribute of the geographic feature; and

displaying said symbol representative of said attribute, and not the image file or the audio file of the geographic feature, in a manner consistent with said configuration file and in a displayed location consistent with collected geographic data of said geographic feature.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

accessing a digital image of said geographic feature; and

automatically determining at least one attribute of said geographic feature based upon an analysis of said digital image.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising:

receiving an indication of a feature type of said geographic feature; and

accessing a library in response to said indication, said library comprising at least one geographic feature file and comprising an identification of at least one attribute of said geographic feature which is to be evaluated.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein said accessing said library further comprises:

accessing an optical characteristic of said geographic feature which is stored in said geographic feature file; and

using an optical recognition component configured to automatically determine said at least one attribute based upon a comparison of said digital image with said optical characteristic.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 further comprising:

configuring said at least one geographic feature file to be compliant with the Feature XML-based Languages (FXL) format.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said media file comprises said audio file and said audio file is selected from the group consisting of a verbal description of a geographic feature and a verbal description of an attribute of the geographic feature, said method further comprising:

using a voice recognition component configured to automatically access said verbal description and extract a description from said audio file comprising at least one of a description of said geographic feature and a description of said attribute.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

identifying said configuration file based upon said description.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a first attribute of said geographic feature from a first media file; and

identifying a second attribute of said geographic feature from a second media file.

9. A system for extracting attribute data from a media file, said system comprising:

a bus;

a memory communicatively coupled with said bus; and

a processor communicatively coupled with said bus, said processor configured for executing a method for extracting attribute data from a media file, said method comprising;

capturing a media file via a geographic data collector device wherein said media file comprises a portion of a geographic data file, said media file captured afield in a form of at least one image portion and at least one audio portion;

utilizing a position determining component to automatically provide a location and an elevation of a geographic feature at a time that the media file is captured afield;

automatically identifying an attribute of the geographic feature which is described in said media file;

accessing a configuration file which defines how said attribute is to be displayed by an office application, such that said attribute displayed by said office application is not the image file or the audio file of the geographic feature captured by said geographic data collector but is instead a symbol representative of the attribute of the geographic feature; and

displaying said symbol representative of said attribute, and not the image file or the audio file of the geographic feature, in a manner consistent with said configuration file and in a displayed location consistent with collected geographic data of said geographic feature.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a digital image of said geographic feature; and

automatically determining at least one attribute of said geographic feature based upon an analysis of said digital image.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said method further comprises:

receiving an indication of a feature type of said geographic feature; and

accessing a library in response to said indication, said library comprising at least one geographic feature file and comprising an identification of at least one attribute of said geographic feature which is to be evaluated.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein said accessing said library further comprises:

accessing an optical characteristic of said geographic feature which is stored in said geographic feature file; and

using an optical recognition component configured to automatically determine said at least one attribute based upon a comparison of said digital image with said optical characteristic.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein said method further comprises:

configuring said at least one geographic feature file to be compliant with the Feature XML-based Languages (FXL) format.

14. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein said media file comprises said audio file and said audio file is selected from the group consisting of a verbal description of a geographic feature and a verbal description of an attribute of the geographic feature, and wherein said method further comprises:

using a voice recognition component configured to automatically access said verbal description and extract a description from said audio file comprising at least one of a description of said geographic feature and a description of said attribute.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:

identifying said configuration file based upon said description.

16. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein said method further comprises:

identifying a first attribute of said geographic feature from a first media file; and

identifying a second attribute of said geographic feature from a second media file.

17. A computer-usable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions when executed cause a computer system to perform a method extracting attribute data from a media file, said method comprising:

capturing a media file via a geographic data collector device wherein said media file comprises a portion of a geographic data file, said media file captured afield in a form of at least one image portion and at least one audio portion;

utilizing a global navigation satellite system position determining component to provide a location of a geographic feature at a time that the media file is captured afield;

automatically identifying an attribute of the geographic feature which is described in said media file;

accessing a configuration file which defines how said attribute is to be displayed by an office application, such that said attribute displayed by said office application is not the image file or the audio file of the geographic feature captured by said geographic data collector but is instead a symbol representative of the attribute of the geographic feature; and

displaying said symbol representative of said attribute, and not the image file or the audio file of the geographic feature, in a manner consistent with said configuration file and in a displayed location consistent with collected geographic data of said geographic feature.

18. The computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 17 wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a digital image of said geographic feature; and

automatically determining at least one attribute of said geographic feature based upon an analysis of said digital image.

19. The computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 18 wherein said method further comprises:

receiving an indication of a feature type of said geographic feature; and

accessing a library in response to said indication, said library comprising at least one geographic feature file and comprising an identification of at least one attribute of said geographic feature which is to be evaluated.

20. The computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 19 wherein said accessing said library further comprises:

accessing an optical characteristic of said geographic feature which is stored in said geographic feature file; and

using an optical recognition component configured to automatically determine said at least one attribute based upon a comparison of said digital image with said optical characteristic.

21. The computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 20 wherein said method further comprises:

configuring said at least one geographic feature file to be compliant with the Feature XML-based Languages (FXL) format.

22. The computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 17 wherein said media file comprises said audio file and said audio file is selected from the group consisting of a verbal description of a geographic feature and a verbal description of an attribute of the geographic feature, and wherein said method further comprises:

using a voice recognition component configured to automatically access said verbal description and extract a description from said audio file comprising at least one of a description of said geographic feature and a description of said attribute.

23. The computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 22 wherein said method further comprises:

identifying said configuration file based upon said description.

24. The computer-usable storage medium as recited in claim 17 wherein said method further comprises:

identifying a first attribute of said geographic feature from a first media file; and

identifying a second attribute of said geographic feature from a second media file.