Geometry creation tool

• US 7,847,807 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HNTB Holdingss Limited
• Original Assignee: HNTB Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Herman, Glen Arthur, Stehle, Tommy Allen, Sohl, Shawn Dewayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Xiao M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Welch; David T
• Application Number:
  US11/313,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20060230351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,812 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619, 715/700, 701/200
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

Developing from a drawing an information-presenting interface that includes one or more display objects having variable display characteristics is provided for by receiving information from a graphics file that describes the drawing; identifying object data from the information; using the object data to render a set of definable objects that are situated to resemble the drawing; and wherein the definable objects can be associated with attributes such that the attributes can be used to present the display objects, and the display characteristics of the display objects, which the display objects correspond to the definable objects, can vary according to received situational input.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method for developing an information-presenting interface, the method comprising:

providing a graphics mapping component;

receiving information from a vector-based computer aided drafting (CAD) graphics file that depicts a drawing comprising display objects which correspond to real-world objects that have variable display characteristics, wherein the display objects describe roadway geometry;

referencing the roadway geometry in the CAD graphics file;

identifying relational object data from the information;

using coordinate geometry information obtained from the graphics file to render a set of definable objects, wherein the definable objects are situated to resemble the roadway geometry;

associating the variable display characteristics with the definable objects, said variable display characteristics corresponding to variations in real world situations;

searching a database accessible by the computing device comprising object-rendering data and traffic status data which depicts a current status of the drawing;

comparing the current status of the object-rendering data and the traffic status data to new object-rendering data and new traffic status data received in the vector-based CAD graphics file via a server of the computing device;

automatically re-rendering the drawing based on said comparing in response to the new object-rendering data and the new traffic status data received into the vector-based CAD graphics file without user intervention; and

displaying the re-rendered drawing on a dynamically updateable user interface accessible by the computing device;

wherein the display objects correspond to the definable objects, and can vary according to received situational input.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the dynamically updateable user interface comprises a plurality of drop-down menus for selecting one or more functional aspects of the graphics mapping component.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the variable display characteristics include audio characteristics and visual characteristics.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein said visual characteristics include a color, a fill pattern, a blinking status, and a texture.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically re-rendering the drawing comprises utilizing a FLASH product.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein identifying said relational object data includes parsing said information.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein said relational object data includes graphics primitives described by said information.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein said definable objects are objects associated with a redrawn rendition of the information from said graphics file.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein said one or more attributes comprise a grouping designation.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein said grouping designation comprises:

a polygon designation;

a segment designation; and

a route designation.

11. The media of claim 1, wherein said situational input includes traffic data.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the traffic data includes roadway data comprising:

traffic speed;

performance data gathered from one or more roadway sensors;

video from one or more traffic cameras;

incident data;

road closures;

construction information;

detour information;

traffic operations data from databases;

dispatch data including computer-assisted dispatch data from one or more law-enforcement agencies;

audio information including audio information from highway advisory radio(s);

road-condition information;

weather data;

location-specific data;

text from one or more dynamic message signs; and

roadway geometry.

13. A computer-implemented method for developing an information-presenting interface from a drawing, the method comprising:

providing a graphics mapping component;

receiving roadway geometry information from a vector-based computer aided drafting (CAD) graphics file depicting the drawing;

processing the roadway geometry information from the graphics files, via the graphics mapping component;

identifying relational object data from the information;

based on the relational object data, rendering a set of definable objects with associated attributes using vector-based coordinate geometry information obtained from the graphics file to form geometric models of the set of definable objects;

associating variable display characteristics with the definable objects, said variable display characteristics corresponding to variations in real world situations;

grouping the definable objects into one or more groups that share at least one conditional-display attribute;

searching a database accessible by the computing device comprising object-rendering data and traffic status data for one or more differences between a current status of the drawing and new information received into the graphics file via a server accessible by the computing device;

comparing the current status of the object-rendering data and the traffic status data to new object-rendering data and new traffic status data received in the vector-based CAD graphics file via the server accessible by the computing device;

automatically re-rendering the drawing based on said comparing in response to the new information received into the graphics file without user intervention; and

displaying the re-rendered drawing on a dynamically updateable user interface accessible by the computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of automatically re-rendering the drawing comprises utilizing a FLASH product.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said rendering a set of definable objects includes presenting said definable objects on a user interface that exposes one or more components to receive attributes to be associated with said definable objects.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said groups comprise:

a group of polygons to form a segment; and

a group of segments to form a route.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said conditional-display attribute includes a visual characteristic and an audio characteristic.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing the method of claim 13.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of converting a stagnant drawing into at least a portion of a dynamically updatable user interface, the method comprising:

providing one or more vector-based drawing files that comprise drawing data and coordinate geometry information that depict stagnant-drawing objects of the stagnant drawing;

using the drawing data and coordinate geometry information, presenting on a user interface a set of attribute-receivable objects that are consistent with the drawing data and coordinate geometry;

pulling vector geometry from the vector-based drawing files and converting the vector geometry to a visual vector format of the set of attribute-receivable objects automatically without user intervention;

associating polygon, segment, and route grouping designation attributes with the attribute-receivable objects;

receiving notification of a change in object-rendering data or traffic status data stored in a database via a server accessible by the computing device;

searching the database for one or more differences between a current status in the object rendering data and the traffic status data of the stagnant drawing and a new status in the object rendering data and the traffic status data received in the vector-based drawing files;

creating a dynamically updateable user interface that includes depictions of dynamic objects that correspond to the attribute-receivable objects and that are associated with one or more variable characteristics, wherein the one or more variable characteristics can automatically change incident to receiving situational data without user intervention; and

displaying a re-rendered drawing depicting the one or more differences on the dynamically updateable user interface.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein said drawing information includes ASCII information.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein said drawing information includes information within a computer-aided drafting (CAD) file.

22. The media of claim 19, wherein said dynamically updateable user interface is system independent.

23. A computer-implemented geometry creation tool, stored in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-implemented geometry creation tool comprising:

a mapping component;

a vector-based computer aided drafting (CAD) graphics file

relational object data identified from said vector-based CAD graphics file;

a set of definable objects with associated attributes derived from vector-based coordinate geometry information obtained from said vector-based CAD graphics file;

a plurality of variable characteristics which correspond to real world variations, wherein said variable characteristics define display objects, said display objects representative of said definable objects and can automatically vary according to received situational input, via a FLASH product without user intervention;

a database comprising a current status of object-rendering data and traffic status data of a stagnant drawing, and a new status of the object-rendering data and the traffic status data received from the vector-based CAD graphics file;

a re-rendered drawing depicting one or more differences between the current status and the new status of the object-rendering data and the traffic status data; and

a dynamically updateable user interface to display said display objects associated with said variable characteristics,

wherein the display objects automatically vary as a result of a change in object-rendering data or traffic status data stored within a database and are communicated by a server accessible by the computer-implemented geometry creation tool.

24. The tool of claim 23, wherein said plurality of variable characteristics comprises audio and video characteristics.

25. The tool of claim 23, wherein said plurality of attributes comprises a grouping of polygon, segment, and route designations, wherein the grouping is based upon respective shared traits of the polygon, segment, and route designations.