METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING SIGNIFICANT PLACES

• US 20150005013A1
• Filed: 02/22/2012
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Cao, Huanhuan, Tian, Jilei
• Granted Patent: US 9,301,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02525 Gathering the radio frequency fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging

Abstract

An approach is provided for determining significant places with greatly improved accuracy using universally available identifier information. A significant place platform causes, at least in part, a mapping of one or more communication coverage areas associated with one or more identifiers onto at least one geo-grid, wherein the one or more identifiers are associated with at least one device operating within at least one communication network. The significant place platform further processes the one or more identifiers to determine one or more significance scores associated with one or more grid units of the at least one geo-grid. The significant place platform also determines at least one significant place based, at least in part, on the one or more significance scores.

Claims

1-38. -38. (canceled)

39. A method comprising facilitating a processing of and/or processing (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal, the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal based, at least in part, on the following:

a mapping of one or more communication coverage areas associated with one or more identifiers onto at least one geo-grid, wherein the one or more identifiers are associated with at least one device operating within at least one communication network;

a processing of the one or more identifiers to determine one or more significance scores associated with one or more grid units of the at least one geo-grid; and

at least one determination of at least one significant place based, at least in part, on the one or more significance scores.

40. A method of claim 39, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a processing of the one or more identifiers, one or more overlaps of one or more communication coverage areas associated with the one or more communication coverage areas, or a combination thereof of to determine one or more stay areas; and

a selection of the one or more identifiers to process based, at least in part, on the one or more stay areas.

41. A method of claim 40, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a processing of one or more time spans associated with the one or more identifiers to determine, at least in part, one or more stay sessions; and

a selection of the one or more identifiers to process based, at least in part, on the one or more stay sessions.

42. A method of claim 41, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a processing of the one or more identifiers to determine one or more closed segments; and

at least one determination of the one or more stays sessions based, at least in part, on the one or more closed segments.

43. A method of claim 40, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

an incrementing of the one or more significance scores associated with the one or more grid units based, at least in part, on a number of the one or more identifiers associated with the one or more grid units, a number of stay areas associated with the one or more grid units, or a combination thereof.

44. A method of claim 40, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

one or more sizes associated with the one or more stay areas, the one or more grid units, or a combination thereof; and

at least one determination of the one or more significance scores based, at least in part, on the one or more sizes.

45. A method of claim 44, wherein a significance score is negatively related to a size of the one or more stay areas.

46. A method of claim 40, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

one or more time spans associated with the one or more identifiers, the one or more stay areas, or a combination thereof; and

at least one determination of the one or more significance scores based, at least in part, on the one or more time spans.

47. A method of claim 39, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of the at least one significant place based, at least in part, on one or more maximum area thresholds, one or more significance scores of one or more adjacent grid units, or a combination thereof.

48. A method of claim 39, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a decrementing of one or more of the one or more significance scores associated with the one or more grid units based, at least in part, on one or more time identifiers associated with the one or more identifiers.

49. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

cause, at least in part, a mapping of one or more communication coverage areas associated with one or more identifiers onto at least one geo-grid, wherein the one or more identifiers are associated with at least one device operating within at least one communication network;

process and/or facilitate a processing of the one or more identifiers to determine one or more significance scores associated with one or more grid units of the at least one geo-grid; and

determine at least one significant place based, at least in part, on the one or more significance scores.

50. An apparatus of claim 49, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

process and/or facilitate a processing of the one or more identifiers, one or more overlaps of one or more communication coverage areas associated with the one or more communication coverage areas, or a combination thereof of to determine one or more stay areas; and

cause, at least in part, a selection of the one or more identifiers to process based, at least in part, on the one or more stay areas.

51. An apparatus of claim 50, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

process and/or facilitate a processing of one or more time spans associated with the one or more identifiers to determine, at least in part, one or more stay sessions; and

cause, at least in part, a selection of the one or more identifiers to process based, at least in part, on the one or more stay sessions.

52. An apparatus of claim 51, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

process and/or facilitate a processing of the one or more identifiers to determine one or more closed segments; and

determine the one or more stays sessions based, at least in part, on the one or more closed segments.

53. An apparatus of claim 50, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, an incrementing of the one or more significance scores associated with the one or more grid units based, at least in part, on a number of the one or more identifiers associated with the one or more grid units, a number of stay areas associated with the one or more grid units, or a combination thereof.

54. An apparatus of claim 50, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine one or more sizes associated with the one or more stay areas, the one or more grid units, or a combination thereof; and

determine the one or more significance scores based, at least in part, on the one or more sizes.

55. An apparatus of claim 54, wherein a significance score is negatively related to a size of the one or more stay areas.

56. An apparatus of claim 50, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine one or more time spans associated with the one or more identifiers, the one or more stay areas, or a combination thereof; and

determine the one or more significance scores based, at least in part, on the one or more time spans.

57. An apparatus of claim 49, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine the at least one significant place based, at least in part, on one or more maximum area thresholds, one or more significance scores of one or more adjacent grid units, or a combination thereof.

58. An apparatus of claim 49, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, a decrementing of one or more of the one or more significance scores associated with the one or more grid units based, at least in part, on one or more time identifiers associated with the one or more identifiers.

59. A computer program product including one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the steps of:

causing, at least in part, a mapping of one or more communication coverage areas associated with one or more identifiers onto at least one geo-grid, wherein the one or more identifiers are associated with at least one device operating within at least one communication network;

processing and/or facilitating a processing of the one or more identifiers to determine one or more significance scores associated with one or more grid units of the at least one geo-grid; and

determining at least one significant place based, at least in part, on the one or more significance scores.