Travelogue-based contextual map generation

• US 8,281,246 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Xiao, Rong, Yang, Jiangming, Zhang, Lei, Chen, Xingrong
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): ULRICH, NICHOLAS S
• Application Number:
  US12/568,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 715/231, 715/230, 715/738, 707/776
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A map user interface control provides functionality for displaying a map in conjunction with the display of a Web page. The map control operates in combination with a location extraction component that analyzes the contents of the Web page to identify locations mentioned therein. Once the location extraction component has identified the locations mentioned in the Web page, a map is generated that encompasses the locations identified in the Web page. Once the map has been generated, the map control displays the map in conjunction with the display of the Web page. The map might include visual indicators corresponding to the locations mentioned in the Web page. The map might also include visual indicators corresponding to other locations near the locations identified in the Web page that have been identified using co-occurrence values generated through an analysis of a set of travelogues.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for travelogue-based contextual map generation, the computer-implemented method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:

identifying, by a computing device, one or more locations mentioned in a Web page travelogue for a particular location;

causing a map to be generated and displayed, by the computing device, in conjunction with a display of the Web page travelogue, the map encompassing the identified locations;

generating, by the computing device, co-occurrence values for the one or more locations by identifying a number of times a pair of first and second locations are mentioned within a universe of travelogues associated with the particular location;

identifying, by the computing device, at least one other location based on the co-occurrence values; and

causing the map, by the computing device, to encompass the at least one other location.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map further comprises visual indicators corresponding to one or more of the identified locations.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising causing visual indicators to be displayed, by the computing device, on the map for the one or more other locations identified using the co-occurrence values.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the Web page travelogue comprises program code for causing a map control to be executed when the Web page travelogue is rendered by a Web browser, the map control configured to display the map in conjunction with the display of the Web page travelogue.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more locations in the Web page travelogue comprises executing, by the computing device, a location extraction component configured to identify the one or more locations in the Web page travelogue.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating co-occurrence values for the locations comprises executing, by the computing device, a co-occurrence extraction component configured to generate the co-occurrence values utilizing the one or more identified locations.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the Web page travelogue further comprises text, the text including the names of the locations, the Web page travelogue including a person'"'"'s written experience with the particular location.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the map is displayed in conjunction with the text.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

execute a location extraction component configured to identify one or more locations in a Web page travelogue for a particular location;

execute a co-occurrence extraction component to generate co-occurrence values related to a frequency of pairs of first and second locations mentioned within a plurality of travelogues associated with the particular location;

identifying at least one other location based on the co-occurrence values;

generate a map encompassing the identified locations and the at least one other location; and

to cause the map to be displayed in conjunction with a display of the Web page travelogue.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the map further comprises visual indicators corresponding to one or more of the identified locations.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, having further computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the computer, will cause the computer to cause visual indicators to be displayed on the map for the other locations identified using the co-occurrence values.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the Web page travelogue comprises program code for causing a map control to be executed when the Web page travelogue is rendered by a Web browser, the map control configured to display the map in conjunction with the display of the Web page travelogue.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the Web page travelogue further comprises text, the text including the names of the locations, the Web page travelogue including a person'"'"'s written experience with the particular location.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the map is displayed in conjunction with the text.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereupon, the computer-readable instructions being executable by a computer, and comprising:

a location extraction component configured to identify one or more locations in a Web page travelogue for a particular location, the one or more locations including other locations different than the particular location, the other locations being included based on a frequency of occurrence the other locations are mentioned within a plurality of travelogues associated with the particular location;

a map control configured to display a map encompassing the identified locations and including visual indicators corresponding to one or more of the identified locations; and

a Web page travelogue comprising program code for causing the map control to be executed when the Web page travelogue is rendered by a Web browser.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 having further computer-executable instructions stored thereupon comprising a co-occurrence extraction component configured to generate co-occurrence values for the one or more locations and to identify other locations using the co-occurrence values, and wherein the map control is further configured to display indicators on the map for the other locations identified using the co-occurrence values.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the Web page travelogue further comprises text, the text including the names of the locations, the Web page travelogue including a person'"'"'s written experience with the particular location.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the co-occurrence values comprise integer values specifying the number of times a first location and a second location are mentioned within a same travelogue for travelogues within a set of travelogues associated with the particular location.