System and method for establishing a local page and grid numbering system in a geographic referencing system

• US 20050107948A1
• Filed: 11/08/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bernard Catalinotto
• Original Assignee: Bernard Catalinotto
• Inventors: Catalinotto, Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/003 Maps
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A system and method for establishing a local page and grid numbering system (LPGNS) in a geographic referencing system. A universal page number array is defined for the geographic referencing system. Each element of the universal page number array represents a “universal” page and is assigned a universal page number. A local defining area is selected and an alignment point defined using a deterministic method. A local page block array comprising local pages for a local defining area is defined. A keystone page within the local page block array is defined and aligned with the universal page number containing the alignment point. Local page numbers are assigned to the universal page numbers relative to the keystone page

Claims

1. A method for assigning local page numbers to a geographic region within a geographic referencing system comprising:

defining a universal page number array comprising universal array elements;

overlaying the universal page number array on the geographic region;

assigning a universal page number to each universal array element;

selecting a local defining area;

determining an alignment point of the local defining area;

defining a local page block array of universal elements, wherein the local page block array comprises local page block array elements;

assigning a local keystone page number to the universal array element in which the alignment point is located,;

locating the keystone page within the local page block array;

aligning the keystone page within the local page block array on the universal array element in which the alignment point is located;

assigning a local page number to each local page block array element relative to the local keystone page; and

creating a map publication of the local defining area comprising local page numbers associated with the geographic referencing system.

2. The method for assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein the geographic referencing system is selected from the group consisting of Universal Transverse Mercator, state plane, and Township-and-Range.

3. The method for assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein defining a universal page number array comprises:

defining a universal page dimension in terms of a width and height;

determining the number of universal page number array columns by dividing a vertical extent of the geographic region by the universal page width; and

determining the number of universal page number array rows by dividing the horizontal extent of the geographic region by the universal page height.

4. The method for assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein assigning the universal page number to each universal array element comprises numbering the universal array elements consecutively beginning with array element [1,1].

5. The method of assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein a local defining area is selected from the group consisting of a county, a city, a region, a civil division, and a governing district.

6. The method of assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein determining the alignment point of the local defining area comprises:

defining a bounding box comprising a rectangle situated horizontally and containing the local defining area, wherein the bounding box is of a size sufficient to circumscribe the local defining area; and

determining the center of the bounding box.

7. The method of assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein determining the alignment point of the local defining area comprises determining the center of gravity of a polygon defined by the local defining area.

8. The method of assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein the local keystone page is approximately at the center of the local page block array.

9. The method of assigning local page numbers to a geographic region of claim 1, wherein overlaying the universal page number array on the geographic region comprises:

determining a meridian of the geographic region; and

aligning a column boundary between universal array elements with the meridian.

14. A map of a local defining area produced by the method of claim 1.

15. A map of a local defining area produced by the method of claim 6.

16. A map of a local defining area produced by the method of claim 7.

17. A map of a local defining area produced by the method of claim 9.

10. A method for obtaining a local page number of a point of interest (POI) within a geographic referencing system relative to a local page and grid numbering system (LPGNS) comprising:

acquiring location data of a point of interest (POI) located within a local identifying area, wherein the location data comprise an “

xp”

coordinate and a “

yp”

coordinate relative to the geographic referencing system;

determining a universal page number within the LPGNS of the POI from the xp and yp coordinates of the POI;

obtaining a keystone page number of a keystone page within the LPGNS of the local defining area;

determining the local page number of the POI relative to the keystone page number, thereby facilitating selecting a map page containing the POI.

11. The method for obtaining a local page number of a POI of claim 10, wherein determining the universal page number of the POI from the xp and yp coordinates of the POI comprises:

obtaining parameters defining the LPGNS, wherein the LPGNS comprises a universal page number array comprising universal array elements, and wherein parameters defining the UPGS comprise a universal page number array having “

X”

rows and “

Y”

columns, a universal page height, and a universal page width;

determining a column “

C”

of the universal page number array containing the POI, wherein C=xp/(universal page width) the remainder ignored and the quotient increased by one;

determining a row “

R(b)”

of the universal page number array containing the POI relative to a last row of the universal page number array, wherein R(b)=yp/(universal page height), the remainder ignored;

determining a row “

R(t)”

of the universal page number array containing the POI relative to a first row of the universal page number array, wherein R(t)=X−

R(b); and

determining the universal page number “

P”

of the POI, wherein P=(R(t)−

1)*250+C.

12. The method for obtaining local page number of a POI of claim 10, wherein determining the local page number of the POI relative to the keystone page number comprises:

obtaining parameters defining the LPGNS, wherein the LPGNS comprises a universal page number array comprising universal array elements, and wherein parameters defining the LPGS comprise a universal page height, and a universal page width, and wherein the LPGS further comprises a local page block array having “

Yl”

columns;

determining the parameters of the center of the keystone page, xk and yk, relative to the geographic referencing system;

determining a column page “

Ck”

within the LPGNS containing the keystone page, wherein Ck=xk/(page width), the remainder ignored and the quotient increased by one;

determining a row page “

Rk”

within the LPGNS containing the keystone page, wherein Rk=yk/(page height), the remainder ignored and the quotient increased by one;

determining a column page “

Cp”

within the LPGNS containing the POI, wherein Cp=xp/(page width), the remainder ignored and the quotient increased by one;

determining a row page “

Rp”

within the LPGNS containing POI, wherein Rp=yp/(page height), the remainder ignored and the quotient increased by one;

determining a column offset “

ColOffset”

of the POI relative to the keystone page, wherein ColOffset=Cp−

Ck;

determining a row offset “

RowOffset”

of the POI relative to the keystone page, wherein RowOffset=Rp−

Rk; and

determining a local page number “

Lp”

of the POI, wherein

Lp=keystone page number+ColOffset−

(Yl*RowOffset).

13. The method for obtaining local page number of a POI of claim 10, wherein the map page comprises an electronic file within a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and wherein the process of selecting the map page comprising the POI is performed by the GPS receiver.