Overlaying transparency images including pixels corresponding to different heirarchical levels over a geographic map

• US 9,087,143 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hao, Ming C., Janetzko, Halldr, Dayal, Umeshwar, Hsu, Meichun, Keim, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Khoa
• Application Number:
  US13/435,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20130257903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957

Abstract

Data records contain corresponding values of an attribute and are associated with location information. Hierarchical levels of transparency images are generated, where each of the transparency images includes corresponding pixels that represent the respective data records, and where the transparency images at different ones of the hierarchical levels correspond to different zoom levels of a geographic map. At least one of the transparency images at a dynamically-selected one of the hierarchical levels is overlaid over the geographic map according to which of the zoom levels is selected by a user in zooming of the geographic map, where the at least one transparency image is automatically selected without user input.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, data records containing corresponding values of a sentiment attribute, where the data records are associated with location information, and the values of the sentiment attribute represent respective sentiments expressed by users and are based on user feedback with respect to a product or service provided by an enterprise;

generating, by the computer, hierarchical levels of transparency images, where each of the transparency images includes corresponding pixels that represent the respective data records, and where the transparency images at different ones of the hierarchical levels correspond to different zoom levels of a geographic map;

overlaying, over the geographic map, at least one of the transparency images at a dynamically selected one of the hierarchical levels according to which of the zoom levels is selected by a user in zooming of the geographic map, wherein the at least one transparency image is automatically selected without user input; and

assigning different visual indicators to the pixels in the at least one transparency image based on respective different values of the sentiment attribute in the data records represented by the pixels in the at least one transparency image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recursively dividing a data space representing a collection of the data records into progressively smaller partitions corresponding to different ones of the hierarchical levels, wherein a particular one of the transparency images contains pixels representing a respective one of the partitions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a first one of the transparency images corresponding to a first of the hierarchical levels has a larger number of pixels than a second one of the transparency images corresponding to a second of the hierarchical levels.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to user selection of a different zoom level for viewing the map, overlaying, over the geographic map, a different one of the transparency images at another one of the hierarchical levels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a first of the hierarchical levels is associated with a first transparency image, and a second of the hierarchical levels is associated with second transparency images that correspond to partitions of a space represented by the first transparency image.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing selected ones of the transparency images with a displayed portion of the geographic map using geographic coordinates assigned to the transparency images.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the different visual indicators comprises assigning different colors to the pixels in the at least one transparency image according to different values of the sentiment attribute.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing plural application programming interfaces (APIs) for different corresponding geographic maps; and

using one of the APIs to overlay the selected at least one transparency image over the geographic map.

9. An article comprising at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that upon execution cause a system to:

recursively divide a data space containing data records into progressively smaller partitions corresponding to different hierarchical levels, where the data records contain corresponding values of a sentiment attribute and are associated with location information, and the values of the sentiment attribute represent respective sentiments expressed by users and are based on user feedback with respect to a product or service provided by an enterprise;

generate transparency images containing respective groups of pixels representing data records in the data space and the smaller partitions, wherein the transparency images are at respective hierarchical levels of the hierarchical levels that correspond to different zoom levels of a geographic map;

overlay, over the geographic map, at least one of the transparency images at a dynamically-selected one of the hierarchical levels according to which of a plurality of zoom levels is selected by a user in zooming of the geographic map, wherein the at least one transparency image is automatically selected without user input; and

assign different visual indicators to the pixels in the at least one transparency image based on respective different values of the sentiment attribute in the data records represented by the pixels in the at least one transparency image.

10. The article of claim 9, wherein

assigning the different visual indicators comprises assigning different colors to the pixels in the at least one transparency image according to respective different values of the sentiment attribute.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein a first of the hierarchical levels is associated with a first transparency image, and a second of the hierarchical levels is associated with second transparency images that correspond to partitions of a space represented by the first transparency image.

12. The article of claim 9, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the system to further:

synchronize selected ones of the transparency images with a displayed portion of the geographic map using geographic coordinates assigned to the transparency images.

13. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that are executable on the at least one processor to;

receive data records containing corresponding values of a sentiment attribute and associated with location information, wherein the values of the sentiment attribute represent respective sentiments expressed by users and are based on user feedback with respect to a product or service provided by an enterprise;

generate hierarchical levels of transparency images, where each of the transparency images includes corresponding pixels that represent the respective data records, and where the transparency images at the hierarchical levels correspond to different zoom levels of a geographic map;

overlay, over the geographic map, at least one of the transparency images at a dynamically-selected one of the hierarchical levels according to which of the zoom levels is selected by a user in zooming of the geographic map, wherein the at least one transparency image is automatically selected without user input; and

assign different visual indicators to the pixels in the at least one transparency image based on respective different values of the sentiment attribute in the data records represented by the pixels in the at least one transparency image.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions are executable on the at least one processor to further:

recursively divide a data space representing a collection of the data records into progressively smaller partitions corresponding to different ones of the hierarchical levels, wherein a particular one of the transparency images contains pixels representing a respective one of the partitions.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the different visual indicators are different colors assigned to the pixels in the at least one transparency image according to different values of the sentiment attribute.