Management of geographic data layers in a geographic information system

• US 9,164,651 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kornmann, David, Mercay, Julien Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/860,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20140310641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 715763-765, 715/700, 715851-853, 715/855
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Systems and methods for management of geographic data layers in a geographic information system are provided. A layer control tool can be presented in conjunction with the geographic imagery. The layer control tool can provide a control interface to allow the user to manage the display of various geographic data layers in conjunction with the geographic imagery. The layer control tool can include a dynamic control list of geographic data layers. Geographic data layers can be identified for inclusion in the dynamic control list and/or ordered within the dynamic control list based on frequency of user interaction with the geographic data layers. In a particular implementation, the geographic data layers are identified for inclusion in the dynamic control list and/or ordered within the dynamic control list based on a layer score associated with each geographic data layer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing geographic data layers in a geographic information system for displaying geographic imagery, comprising:

initiating, by one or more computing devices, a current geographic information system session;

wherein the one or more computing devices comprise one or more processors;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of geographic data layers for inclusion in a dynamic control list of geographic data layers;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a presentation order for the plurality of geographic data layers in the dynamic control list based at least in part on a layer score associated with each of the plurality of geographic data layers, the presentation order ordering the geographic data layers in the dynamic control list, the layer score indicative of frequency of user interaction with the geographic data layer; and

presenting, by the one or more computing devices, a layer control tool in a user interface on a display device, the layer control tool providing a control interface for toggling the display of the plurality of geographic data layers in the dynamic control list, the layer control tool presenting the plurality of geographic data layers in the dynamic control list according to the presentation order.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the layer score for each geographic data layer is generated during a geographic information system session according to a ranking algorithm.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the ranking algorithm comprises:

initializing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each geographic data layer;

decreasing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each geographic data layer by a first point value when the geographic information system session is initiated;

increasing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each geographic data layer having a default displayed state by a second point value when the geographic information system session is initiated; and

increasing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score by a third point value for each geographic data layer toggled to a displayed state at least once during the geographic information system session.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the presentation order is determined based on the layer scores determined for the plurality of geographic data layers during a previous geographic information system session.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises updating, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each of the plurality of geographic data layers during the current geographic information system session.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of geographic data layers are identified for inclusion in the dynamic control list based at least in part on the layer scores determined for the plurality of geographic data layers during a previous geographic information system session.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of geographic data layers in the dynamic control list comprise a plurality of recently accessed geographic data layers.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of geographic data layers has a default displayed state.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein a geographic data layer has a default displayed state if the geographic data layer had a displayed state when a previous geographic information system session was terminated.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of geographic data layers for inclusion in the dynamic control list comprises automatically selecting the at least one geographic data layer having a default displayed state for inclusion in the dynamic control list.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises changing, by the one or more computing devices, a status of at least one of the plurality of geographic data layers between a displayed state and a non-displayed state in response to a user interaction with the layer control tool.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the layer control tool comprises a search tool configured to search a plurality of available geographic data layers for the geographic information system.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the layer control tool is presented in conjunction with the geographic imagery.

14. A computing system comprising a display and one or more processors, the computing system comprising:

a layer control tool module implemented by the one or more processors, the layer control tool module configured to present a layer control tool in a user interface on the display in conjunction with geographic imagery, the layer control tool comprising a dynamic control list of a plurality of geographic data layers, the layer control tool providing a control interface for toggling the display of the plurality of geographic data layers, the layer control tool configured to adjust a status of one or more of the plurality of geographic data layers in the dynamic control list between a displayed state and a non-displayed state in response to a user interaction with the layer control tool;

a layer score module implemented by the one or more processors, the layer score module configured to generate a layer score for each of the plurality of geographic data layers based at least in part on a frequency of user interaction with the geographic data layer; and

a layer sorting module implemented by the one or more processors, the layer sorting module configured to order the plurality of geographic data layers in the dynamic control list based at least in part on the layer scores determined for the plurality of geographic data layers.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the layer sorting module is configured to identify the plurality of geographic data layers for inclusion in the dynamic control list based at least in part on the layer scores determined for the plurality of geographic data layers.

16. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the layer score module is configured to generate the layer scores for the plurality of geographic data layers during a geographic information system session by performing operations, the operations comprising:

initializing the layer score for each geographic data layer;

decreasing the layer score for each geographic data layer by a first point value when the geographic information system session is initiated;

increasing the layer score for each geographic data layer having a default displayed state by a second point value when the geographic information system session is initiated; and

increasing the layer score by a third point value for each geographic data layer toggled to a displayed state at least once during the geographic information system session.

17. A computer-implemented method of managing a dynamic control list of geographic data layers in a layer control tool for controlling geographic data layers in a geographic information system, the method comprising:

initiating, by one or more computing devices, a current geographic information system session;

accessing, by the one or more computing devices, a layer score generated during a previous geographic information system session indicative of frequency of user interaction for each of a plurality of geographic data layers;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, one or more of the plurality of geographic data layers for inclusion in the dynamic control list based at least in part on the layer score generated during the previous geographic information system session for each of the plurality of geographic data layers;

ordering, by the one or more computing devices, the plurality of geographic data layers identified for inclusion in the dynamic control list based at least in part on the layer score generated during the previous geographic information system session for each of the plurality of geographic data layers; and

presenting, by the one or more computing devices, the layer control tool in a user interface on a display device, the layer control tool providing a control interface for toggling the display of the plurality of geographic data layers, the layer control tool being configured to adjust a status of the plurality of geographic data layers in the dynamic control list between a displayed state and a non-displayed state in response to a user interaction with the layer control tool.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises updating, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each of the plurality of geographic data layers during the current geographic information system session.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a user interaction directed to the layer control tool; and

adjusting, by the one or more computing devices, the status of one or more of the plurality of geographic data layers between a displayed state and a non-displayed state based at least in part on the user interaction.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the layer score for each of the plurality of geographic data layers is generated during the previous geographic information system session by performing operations, the operations comprising:

initializing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each geographic data layer;

decreasing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each geographic data layer by a first point value when the previous geographic information system session is initiated;

increasing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score for each geographic data layer having a default displayed state by a second point value when the previous geographic information system session is initiated; and

increasing, by the one or more computing devices, the layer score by a third point value for each geographic data layer toggled to a displayed state at least once during the previous geographic information system session.