Method and system for determining geographic data to display

• US 9,619,484 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hohs, Cory James
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ganger, Arthur
• Application Number:
  US13/769,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20140236937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 707918-921
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

When a first map application initiates a search of a first geographic database associated with the first map application, for geographic data or when the first geographic database does not return at least a portion of the geographic data in response to the search, the first map application initiates a search of a second geographic database for at least the portion of the geographic data. The second geographic database is associated with a second map application. If the second geographic database includes the portion of the requested data, the first map application displays the geographic data, which is received from the first database, the second database, or a combination thereof. The first map application also requests that a user input the portion of the geographic data not included in the first geographic database, which may then be added to the first geographic database.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data representing a request for geographic data;

initiating a first search for the geographic data, the first search being of a first geographic database associated with a first application;

determining that at least a portion of the requested geographic data is omitted from the first geographic database;

generating a first user message stating that the requested geographic data was not found in the first geographic database;

initiating a second search for the geographic data based on the initiated first search, the second search being of the second geographic database associated with a second application;

determining, with a processor, data to be displayed at a computing device, the data to be displayed at the computing device comprising a first data and a second data, the first data being receivable in response to the initiated first search, the second data being receivable in response to the initiated second search; and

generating a second user message stating that the second data from the second geographic database is included in response to the request for geographic data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic data comprises data representing a point of interest (POI), a location, a geographic area, a route between the POI and another POI, the location and another location, or the POI and the location, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the second search for the geographic data based on the initiated first search comprises initiating the second search for the geographic data when the first geographic database does not include at least a portion of the geographic data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the geographic data comprises data representing a location and data representing a point of interest (POI) corresponding to the location, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the first data from the first geographic database, the first data including one of the data representing the location and the data representing the POI corresponding to the location, the first database not including the other of the data representing the location and the data representing the POI corresponding to the location;

determining when the second geographic database includes the other of the data representing the location and the data representing the POI corresponding to the location, the second data comprising the other of the data representing the location and the data representing the POI corresponding to the location when the second geographic database includes the other of the data representing the location and the data representing the POI corresponding to the location; and

initiating an exchange of the first data for the second data between the first geographic database and the second geographic database when the second geographic database includes the second data and does not include the first data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the geographic data comprises data representing a geographic area including a point of interest (POI), a location, or the POI and the location, the portion of the geographic data comprising data representing the POI, the location, or the POI and the location,

wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the first data from the first geographic database, the first data comprising data representing at least a portion of the geographic area, the first database not including data representing the POI, the location, or the POI and the location; and

receiving the second data from the second geographic database, the second data comprising the data representing the POI, the location, or the POI and the location, and wherein determining the data to be displayed at the computing device comprises supplementing the received first data with the received second data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the second search for the geographic data based on the initiated first search comprises initiating the second search for the geographic data when the first search for the geographic data is initiated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographic database is maintained by a first entity and the second geographic database is maintained by a second entity, wherein the first entity and the second entity are partner companies or competing companies.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third user message requesting that the user provide the second data so that the second data may be added to the first geographic database.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating first geographic database with the second data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third user message requesting the user submit a report regarding a correction to the first geographic database including the second data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third user message indicating to the user that the first geographic database will be updated with the geographic data omitted from the first geographic database.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a processor operable to identify data representing a request for geographic data; and

memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

initiate a first search for the geographic data, the first search being of a first geographic database associated with a first map application;

determine that at least a portion of the geographic data is omitted from the first geographic database;

generate a message to a user indicating that at least the portion of the first geographic data is omitted from the geographic database;

initiate a second search for the geographic data based on the initiated first search, the second search being of a second geographic database associated with a second map application;

direct the user to the second map application in response to the request for the geographic data; and

receive data from the second map application indicating that the geographic data was useful to the user and that the geographic data should be added to the first geographic database.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is a mobile device, a personal computer, or a navigation device.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is a server, the server comprising the first geographic database.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is operatively connected to a computing device, the computing device comprising the second geographic database, and wherein the computing device is geographically remote from the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is operable to automatically initiate the second search for the geographic data when the first search for the geographic data is initiated, the second search being initiated in parallel with the first search.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising an input device and a communications interface operatively connected to the processor,

wherein the processor is operable to receive the first data and the second data, and the memory is operable to store the received first data and the received second data, and

wherein the processor is operable to:

identify a first input and a second input, the first input being at the input device, the second input being at the communications interface; and

delete the stored second data based on the first input, the second input, or a combination thereof.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the identified first input comprises a user input at the input device, and the identified second input comprises a global positioning system (GPS) signal received by the communications interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is further operable to:

identify a display mode associated with the request;

determine additional geographic data based on the identified display mode, the initiated first search being for the geographic data and the additional geographic data, the initiated second search being for the geographic data and the additional geographic data;

receive the first data in response to the initiated first search;

receive the second data in response to the initiated second search;

compare the received first data to the received second data;

supplement the received first data with the received second data based on the comparison; and

display the supplemented first data.

20. In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to store instructions executable by one or more processors, the instructions configured to:

receive a request for geographic data from a user;

initiate a first search for the geographic data, the first search being of a first geographic database associated with a first map application;

generate a first message for the user stating that the requested geographic data was not found in the first geographic database and another database will be searched for the geographic data;

initiate a second search for the geographic data when the first search is initiated, the second search being of a second geographic database associated with a second map application;

receive and storing, with a memory, first data in response to the initiated first search;

receive and storing, with the memory, second data in response to the initiated second search;

determine data to be displayed at a computing device, the data to be displayed at the computing device comprising the stored first data, the stored second data, or a combination thereof, the data to be displayed at the computing device comprising at least a portion of the stored second data when the first geographic database includes less than all of the geographic data; and

generate a second message for the user stating that the portion of the second data from the second geographic database is included in response to the request for geographic data.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further configured to determine a characteristic relating to the geographic data, and

wherein the instructions are configured to initiate the second search such that a search for data representing a geographic area based on the determined characteristic relating to the geographic data is initiated, the data representing the geographic area comprising the geographic data.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the characteristic is a population of a city that the geographic data at least partially represents, one or more points of interest (POIs) represented by the geographic data or other data within the first geographic database or the geographic database, a geographic area the geographic data represents, or a combination thereof.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

determine, when the first database does not include at least a portion of the geographic data, when the stored second data includes the portion of the geographic data;

supplement the first data with a part of the stored second data representing the portion of the geographic data; and

display the supplemented first data at the computing device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

identify an input at the computing device; and

initiate a display of data representing a request to a user of the computing device to input the portion of the geographic data based on the identified input at the computing device.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

identify an input at the computing device; and

delete the stored second data based on identified input at the computing device.