Social media based weighted route selection

• US 9,599,484 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bostick, James E., Ganci, John M. Jr., Rakshit, Sarbajit K., Trim, Craig M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heinle, Courtney
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHUDY, ANGELINA M
• Application Number:
  US14/536,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20160131493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 701/537
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for social media based weighted route selection are provided in the illustrative embodiments. It is detected that a first route and a second route are possible between two places. A first set of points of interest (POIs) is identified relative to the first route. By accessing a social media source, a set of social information is collected comprising information related to a POI. A subset of the social information is organized into a set of categories related to the POI. Each information in the subset is assigned a corresponding weight to compute a value for each information. A total value of each POI is determined using the computed values. From the first route and the second route, that route as presented as socially preferred route which has a higher total route value.

Claims

1. A method for social media based weighted route selection, the method comprising:

computing, in an application using a processor and a memory, by performing map data analysis, a first route and a second route each of the first route and the second route being possible between two places;

identifying, relative to the first route, a first set of points of interest (POIs);

searching a social media source associated with a user for social information related to a first point of interest (POI) and social information related to a second POI, the first set of POIs including the first POI and the second POI, and wherein the first POI and the second POI are both within a threshold distance from the first route;

removing the second POI from the set of POIs responsive to social information related to the second POI being unavailable in the social media source associated with the user;

collecting, responsive to the searching the social media source associated with a user, a set of social information, wherein the set of social information comprises information related to the first POI, wherein the information related to the first POI is shared with the user in a social group at the social media source, wherein the user is a member of the social group;

distributing a subset of the set of social information into a set of categories related to the first POI;

assigning each information in the subset of social information a corresponding weight;

computing, using the weight, a value corresponding to the each information;

determining, using the computed values, a total value of each POI in the first set of POIs; and

presenting, from the first route and the second route, that route as socially preferred route which has a higher total route value, a total route value of the first route comprising a sum of total values of each POI in the first set of POIs.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a first total value of the first POI in the first set of POIs by computing a sum of each total value of each category associated with the first POI; and

computing a total value of a first category associated with the first POI by computing a total value of all information in a first subset of the set of social information associated with the first category.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a source weight for the social group, wherein the source weight for the social group is different from a second source weight for a second social group in a second social media source, the user further being a member of the second social group; and

attributing, as a part of the assigning, the source weight to each information from the subset of social information that is received from another member of the social group.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a first category weight for a first category in the set of categories, the first category weight indicating a relative importance of the first category over a second category in the set of categories; and

attributing, as a part of the assigning, the first category weight to each information from the subset of social information that is categorized in the first category.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a user, a definition of a category in the set of categories.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the definition of the category is applicable to the first and the second routes only.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

parsing a metadata of a specific social information in the subset of social information, wherein the parsing provides a location information usable to associate the specific social information with the first POI, and wherein the parsing provides a subject information usable to categorize the specific social information in a category from the set of categories.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing, using Natural Language Processing (NLP), a content of a specific social information in the subset of social information, wherein the processing provides a location information usable to associate the specific social information with the first POI, and wherein the processing provides a subject information usable to categorize the specific social information in a category from the set of categories.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing, using image recognition, a content of a specific social information in the subset of social information, wherein the processing provides a location information usable to associate the specific social information with the first POI, and wherein the processing provides a subject information usable to categorize the specific social information in a category from the set of categories.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the subset of the set of social information as an album associated with the POI.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first POI in the first set of POIs is separated from the first route by a first distance.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting the first POI such that the distance of the first POI from the first route is proportional to a total weight associated with all social information related to the first POI.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and executed by one or more processors.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and executed by the one or more processors.

15. A computer program product for social media based weighted route selection, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute, in an application using a processor and a memory, by performing map data analysis, a first route and a second route each of the first route and the second route being possible between two places;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify, relative to the first route, a first set of points of interest (POIs);

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to search a social media source associated with a user for social information related to a first point of interest (POI) and social information related to a second POI, the first set of POIs including the first POI and the second POI, and wherein the first POI and the second POI are both within a threshold distance from the first route;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to remove the second POI from the set of POIs responsive to social information related to the second POI being unavailable in the social media source associated with the user;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to collect, responsive to the searching the social media source associated with a user, a set of social information, wherein the set of social information comprises information related to the first POI, wherein the information related to the first POI is shared with the user in a social group at the social media source, wherein the user is a member of the social group;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to distribute a subset of the set of social information into a set of categories related to the POI;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to assign each information in the subset of social information a corresponding weight;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute, using the weight, a value corresponding to the each information;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine, using the computed values, a total value of each POI in the first set of POIs; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present, from the first route and the second route, that route as socially preferred route which has a higher total route value, a total route value of the first route comprising a sum of total values of each POI in the first set of POIs.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a first total value of the first POI in the first set of POIs by computing a sum of each total value of each category associated with the first POI; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a total value of a first category associated with the first POI by computing a total value of all information in a first subset of the set of social information associated with the first category.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to receive, from the user, a source weight for the social group, wherein the source weight for the social group is different from a second source weight for a second social group in a second social media source, the user further being a member of the second social group; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to attribute, as a part of the assigning, the source weight to each information from the subset of social information that is received from another member of the social group.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to receive, from the user, a first category weight for a first category in the set of categories, the first category weight indicating a relative importance of the first category over a second category in the set of categories; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to attribute, as a part of the assigning, the first category weight to each information from the subset of social information that is categorized in the first category.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to receive, from a user, a definition of a category in the set of categories.

20. A computer system for social media based weighted route selection, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to compute, in an application, by performing map data analysis, a first route and a second route each of the first route and the second route being possible between two places;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to identify, relative to the first route, a first set of points of interest (POIs);

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to search a social media source associated with a user for social information related to a first point of interest (POI) and social information related to a second POI, the first set of POIs including the first POI and the second POI, and wherein the first POI and the second POI are both within a threshold distance from the first route;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to remove the second POI from the set of POIs responsive to social information related to the second POI being unavailable in the social media source associated with the user;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to collect, responsive to the searching the social media source associated with a user, a set of social information, wherein the set of social information comprises information related to the first POI, wherein the information related to the first POI is shared with the user in a social group at the social media source, wherein the user is a member of the social group;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to distribute a subset of the set of social information into a set of categories related to the POI;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to assign each information in the subset of social information a corresponding weight;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to compute, using the weight, a value corresponding to the each information;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine, using the computed values, a total value of each POI in the first set of POIs; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to present, from the first route and the second route, that route as socially preferred route which has a higher total route value, a total route value of the first route comprising a sum of total values of each POI in the first set of POIs.