Image search for a location

• US 9,858,294 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Billy W., Rakshit, Sarbajit K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Chan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Mia M
• Application Number:
  US14/715,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20160140755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30181 Earth observation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/422 Technical drawings; Geographical maps

Abstract

Provided are techniques for image search for a location. Street view data is extracted to identify a path for a region. Points of interest for the path are identified. Images for the points of interest for a direction of the path are identified. The images are used to create a sequence of images representing a view of the points of interest along the direction of the path. The sequence of images are displayed adjacent to a map that includes the path.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, using a processor of a computer, selection of a location in a search request;

identifying a region around the location;

identifying multiple paths, each of the multiple paths having a different direction through the region;

for each of the multiple paths,

identifying points of interest for the path based on a direction of the path, wherein each of the points of interest is identified based on multiple images having been captured by different users at that point of interest and for that direction;

obtaining images from the multiple images for the points of interest for the direction of the path;

using the images to create a sequence of images representing a view of the points of interest along the direction of the path; and

displaying, in response to the search request, the sequence of images for each of the multiple paths adjacent to a map that displays each of the multiple paths.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is a point, and wherein the region is identified as an area surrounding the point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the images in the sequence of images represent a street view of the points of interest along a path of the multiple paths.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking each of the images to form the sequence of images.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the region is identified by receiving a name of the location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the region is identified by receiving a boundary of the region on an electronic map displayed on a computer screen.