Location point determination apparatus, map generation system, navigation apparatus and method of determining a location point

• US 9,086,289 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Tomtom North America Incorporated (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Johnson, Terry William
• Primary Examiner(s): GEBRESENBET, DINKU W
• Application Number:
  US13/318,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3867 Geometry of map features, e.g. shape points, polygons or for simplified maps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means

Abstract

A location point determination apparatus comprises a geographic feature harvesting module (202) arranged to access and collect, when in use, geographic feature information associated with a predetermined named area datum. The apparatus also comprises a data assessment module (208) arranged to receive the geographic feature information collected by the geographic feature harvesting module and to evaluate from the geographic feature information collected in respect of at least one attribute of each geographic feature associated with the geographic feature information. The apparatus further comprises a selection module (210) arranged to select a geographic feature from the geographic features evaluated in accordance with a predetermined criterion associated with the evaluation of the geographic feature information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for associating a location point with a named area on a digital map, the apparatus comprising:

a geographic feature harvesting module arranged to access a digital map database and collect, geographic feature information associated with a predetermined named area datum;

a data assessment module arranged to receive the geographic feature information collected by the geographic feature harvesting module and to evaluate the geographic feature information collected in respect of at least one attribute of each geographic feature associated with the geographic feature information, wherein the data assessment module further calculates a geographic feature score; and

a selection module arranged to select a geographic feature from the geographic features evaluated, the selection being in accordance with a predetermined criterion associated with the evaluation of the geographic feature information and an associated geographic feature score, wherein the selection module is configured to, when the selected geographic feature having a highest score does not have a geographic feature score equal to another geographic feature;

obtain location point information from the geographic feature information of the selected geographic feature; and

associate the named area datum with the obtained location point information; and

when the selected geographic feature having a highest score has a geographic feature score equal to another geographic feature;

apply a tie-break criterion to the selected geographic feature and the another geographic feature;

obtain location point information from the geographic feature information of the selected geographic feature winner of the tie-break; and

associate the named area datum with the obtained location point information.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the geographic feature is selected from the group consisting of:

a node and a landmark.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the geographic feature is located at a point along a road segment.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the geographic feature harvesting module is arranged to access a map database comprising the geographic feature information, the geographic feature information comprising respective attributes associated with the geographic feature.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a reference centre calculator module arranged to determine a reference centre point with respect to the named area.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the reference centre calculator module is arranged to determine the reference centre point by calculating a centroid with respect to a boundary associated with the named area.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the boundary is determined by selecting geospatial objects associated with the named area that bound a maximum area.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the centroid is a weighted centroid.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the predetermined criterion used by the selection module is proximity of the geographic feature with respect to the reference centre point.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the proximity of the geographic feature with respect to the reference centre point is calculated using a mode of calculation based upon one of:

a straight-line distance, a driving distance, a driving time, or a walking time.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the data assessment module also evaluates proximity of the each geographic feature with respect to the reference centre point.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the proximity of the geographic feature with respect to the reference centre point is calculated using a mode of calculation based upon one of:

a straight-line distance, a driving distance, a driving time, or a walking time.

13. A map generation system comprising:

a location point determination apparatus as claimed in claim 1;

a digital map database; and

a repository of a number of named areas; and

a map export module arranged to generate a map product;

wherein the location point determining apparatus is arranged to access the repository of named areas and provide in respect of each of the number of named areas a geographic feature selected by the selection module; and

the map export module is arranged to generate the map product using the digital map database and location information associated with the geographic features selected in order to generate the map product having the number of named areas respectively identified as being at the locations of the geographic features selected.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the map product stores a named area of the respectively identified number of named areas for expression in an annotation form.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection module temporarily stores an association between a named area datum and location point based on the geographic feature score.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute evaluated by the data assessment module is selected from the group consisting of a valence and a feature class.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising constructing a hierarchy of nodes based on preference.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the preference indicates preferred destination points.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the hierarchy is based on a multi-modal navigation.

20. A method of associating a location point with a named area on a digital map, the method comprising:

accessing and collecting geographic feature information from a digital map database, the geographical feature information being associated with a predetermined named area datum;

receiving the geographic feature information collected;

evaluating from the geographic feature information collected in respect of at least one attribute of each geographic feature associated with the geographic feature information;

calculating a geographic feature score for each geographic feature;

selecting a geographic feature from the geographic features evaluated, the selection being in accordance with a predetermined criterion associated with the evaluation of the geographical feature information and an associated geographic feature score, wherein,

when the selected geographic feature having a highest score does not have a geographic feature score equal to another geographic feature, the method further comprises;

obtaining location point information from the geographic feature information of the selected geographic feature; and

associating the named area datum with the obtained location point information; and

when the selected geographic feature having a highest score has a geographic feature score equal to another geographic feature, the method further comprises;

apply a tie-break criterion to the selected geographic feature and the another geographic feature;

obtain location point information from the geographic feature information of the selected geographic feature winner of the tie-break; and

associate the named area datum with the obtained location point information.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program code means to make a computer execute the method as claimed in claim 20.