PICTORIAL NAVIGATION METHOD, SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20090055093A1
• Filed: 08/23/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Katz, Neil A., Walker, Keith R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Methods, systems and program products provide pictorial information relevant to a geographic location, through selecting characteristics relevant to geographic locations, searching pictorial image databases for images having an embedded tags associated with the characteristics, retrieving image files from databases having embedded tags correlated to characteristics and visually depicting a physical appearance or an attribute of a location, analyzing characteristics image files and responsively selecting preferred image data, formatting preferred image data for presentation to a user, associating formatted preferred data with geographic locations, and presenting associated formatted data to a user in association with geographic locations. Characteristic include global positioning satellite coordinates. Image data may be selected having preferred image resolutions or perspectives. Formatting pictorial information may comprise synthesizing photographs into a constructs. Associated image data may indicate a distance and direction from a geographic location. Routing system applications are enabled to present pictorial information with each navigation route points.

Claims

1. A method for providing pictorial information relevant to a geographic location, comprising:

selecting a characteristic relevant to a geographic location;

searching a pictorial image database for images having an embedded tag associated with the characteristic;

in response to searching, retrieving at least one image file from the database having an embedded tag correlated to the geographic location characteristic and visually depicting a physical appearance or an attribute of the location;

analyzing characteristics of the at least one image file and responsively selecting preferred image data from the at least one image file;

formatting the preferred image data for presentation to a user;

associating the formatted preferred image data with the geographic location; and

presenting the associated formatted preferred image data to a user in association with the geographic location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristic comprises global positioning satellite coordinates, further comprising selecting the characteristic by determining global positioning satellite coordinates of the geographic location;

wherein searching the database comprises comparing the determined geographic global positioning satellite coordinates to global positioning satellite coordinate tags embedded in image files; and

wherein retrieving at least one image file comprises retrieving image files having embedded global positioning satellite coordinates tags correlated to the determined global positioning satellite coordinates.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein analyzing characteristics and responsively selecting preferred image data comprises selecting photographs each having a preferred image resolution or selecting image files presenting a horizontal perspective representation of the location.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein formatting the preferred pictorial information comprises synthesizing a plurality of photographs into a construct representative of the geographic location.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein associating the formatted preferred image data with the geographic location comprises indicating a distance and direction of the formatted preferred image data from the geographic location.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the geographic location is a plurality of navigation route points generated by a routing system application, comprising a routing system application presenting the associated pictorial information to the user in association with each of the navigation route points.

7. A method for providing pictorial information relevant to a geographic location, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

select a characteristic relevant to a geographic location;

search a pictorial image database for images having an embedded tag associated with the characteristic;

in response to the search, retrieve at least one image file from the database having an embedded tag correlated to the geographic location characteristic and visually depicting a physical appearance or an attribute of the location;

analyze characteristics of the at least one retrieved image file and responsively select preferred image data from the at least one retrieved image file;

format the preferred image data for presentation to a user;

associate the formatted preferred image data with the geographic location; and

present the associated formatted preferred image data to a user in association with the geographic location.

8. The method of claim 7, the computer infrastructure being further operable to identify the characteristic by determining global positioning satellite coordinates of the geographic location;

search the database by comparing the determined global positioning satellite coordinates to digital image location tags embedded in image files; and

retrieve the at least one image file by retrieving image files having embedded global positioning satellite coordinates tags correlated to the determined global positioning satellite coordinates.

9. The method of claim 8, the computer infrastructure being further operable to analyze characteristics and responsively select preferred image data by selecting photographs each having a preferred image resolution or selecting image files presenting a horizontal perspective representation of the location.

10. The method of claim 9, the computer infrastructure being further operable to format the preferred pictorial information by synthesizing a plurality of photographs into a construct representative of the geographic location.

11. The method of claim 10, the computer infrastructure being further operable to associate the formatted preferred image data with the geographic location by indicating a distance and direction of the formatted preferred image data from the geographic location.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the geographic location is a plurality of navigation route points generated by a routing system application, the computer infrastructure being further operable to enable a routing system application to present the associated pictorial information to the user in association with each of the navigation route points.

13. A method, comprising:

producing computer executable program code;

storing the code on a computer readable medium; and

providing the program code to be deployed and executed on a computer system;

the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, cause the computer system to;

select a characteristic relevant to a geographic location;

search a pictorial image database for images having an embedded tag associated with the selected characteristic;

in response to the search, retrieve at least one image file from the database having an embedded tag correlated to the selected characteristic and visually depicting a physical appearance or an attribute of the location;

analyze characteristics of the at least one image file and responsively select preferred image data from the at least one image file;

format the preferred image data for presentation to a user;

associate the formatted preferred image data with the geographic location; and

present the associated formatted preferred image data to a user in association with the geographic location.

14. The method of claim 13, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to identify the relevant characteristic by determining global positioning satellite coordinates of the geographic location;

characteristic by determining global positioning satellite coordinates of the geographic location;

search the database by comparing the determined global positioning satellite coordinates to digital image location tags embedded in image files; and

retrieve the at least one image file by retrieving image files having embedded global positioning satellite coordinates tags correlated to the determined global positioning satellite coordinates.

15. The method of claim 14, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to analyze characteristics and responsively select preferred image data by selecting photographs each having a preferred image resolution or selecting image files presenting a horizontal perspective representation of the location.

16. The method of claim 15, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to format the preferred pictorial information by synthesizing a plurality of photographs into a construct representative of the geographic location.

17. The method of claim 16, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to associate the formatted preferred image data with the geographic location by indicating a distance and direction of the formatted preferred image data from the geographic location.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the geographic location is a plurality of navigation route points generated by a routing system application, the program code instructions, when executed on the computer system, further causing the computer system to enable a routing system application to present the associated pictorial information to the user in association with each of the navigation route points.

19. A system, comprising:

an identifier configured to identify a characteristic of a geographic location;

a retriever configured to search a pictorial image database for images having an embedded tag associated with the identified characteristic and retrieve at least one image file from the database having an embedded tag correlated to the identified characteristic and visually depicting a physical appearance or an attribute of the location;

an analyzer configured to analyze characteristics of the at least one image file and responsively select preferred image data from the at least one image file;

a formatter configured to format the preferred image data for presentation to a user; and

a presenter configured to associate the formatted preferred image data with the geographic location and present the associated formatted preferred image data to a user in association with the geographic location.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the identifier is configured to determine the identified characteristic by determining global positioning satellite coordinates of the geographic location;

and

wherein the retriever is configured to compare the determined global positioning satellite coordinates to digital image location tags embedded in image files and retrieve image files having embedded global positioning satellite coordinates tags correlated to the determined global positioning satellite coordinates.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the analyzer is configured to select photographs each having a preferred image resolution or image files presenting a horizontal perspective representation of the location.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the formatter is configured to synthesize a plurality of photographs a construct representative of the geographic location.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the presenter is configured to indicate a distance and direction of the formatted preferred image data from the geographic location.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the geographic location is a plurality of navigation route points generated by a routing system application, and wherein the presenter is configured to enable a routing system application to present the associated pictorial information to a user in association with each of the navigation route points.