System for automatically locating visibility zones

• US 8,537,145 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cuende Infometrics SA
• Original Assignee: Cuende Infometrics SA
• Inventors: Cuende Alonso, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M
• Application Number:
  US10/770,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,515 Days
• Field of Search: 345 12- 23, 345 87-100, 345/204, 345/214, 345/84, 340901-905, 356/256, 700/90
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

According to the invention, the system automatically locates effective visibility zones from which an element to be viewed is visible. For this purpose, for this purpose, the inventive system makes use of the location of potential visibility zones (obtained from data such as sitting, morphology and orientation of the element to be viewed, potential visibility distance assigned to said element, etc.) and the morphology of the region in which the effective visibility zones are to be located. Said system avails of means of appraising the degree of visibility of different visibility zones according to the level of compliance achieved in relation to the criteria for locating visibility zones. By means of a sample practical application, the element to be viewed could be an advertising medium and the effective visibility zones could be defined by effective visibility axes that correspond to the streets of an urban environment in which other parameters can also be considered, such as the number of individuals and the transport means that pass through said streets, the direction of traffic, the time, etc.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer application for automatically locating visibility zones from which an element (1) to be viewed is visible, wherein it comprises at least a computer application (15) provided with locating means (14) that enable to locate potential (9) and effective (17) visibility zones by means of a set of visibility zone locating criteria comprising:

at least one item of data about the element (1) to be viewed selected from location (2), morphology, orientation (3) and combinations thereof, with which the potential visibility zone locating means (14) automatically locate at least one potential visibility zone (9) assigned to the element to be viewed (1), and

at least one visibility study region mapped and stored with which, as function of the said potential visibility zone (9), the effective visibility zone locating means (14) automatically locate effective visibility zones (17) selected from effective visibility areas (19), effective visibility axes (18) and combinations thereof, from which the element to be viewed is visible;

and wherein the computer application further comprises means for configuring at least three visibility zone locating criterion, said means of configuration being selected from;

manual configuration, default configuration, configuration by extrapolation from visibility study regions with a similar morphology, configuration by visibility optimization criteria and combinations thereof

and wherein the set of visibility zone locating criteria further comprises at least three visibility zone locating criterion selected from;

legibility of the element to be viewed,

movement of the element to be viewed,

lighting of the element to be viewed,

morphology of the visibility study region,

at least one potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed,

at least one potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of its morphology,

at least one potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of its size,

at least one potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing time,

at least one potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing date,

percentage of visibility of the element to be viewed,

at least one potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed, selected from horizontal angles, vertical angles and combinations thereof,

at least one potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing time, said potential visibility angle (8) being selected from horizontal angles, vertical angles and combinations thereof,

at least one potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing date, said potential visibility angle (8) being selected from horizontal angles, vertical angles and combinations thereof,

at least one optimum potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed, selected from horizontal angles, vertical angles and combinations thereof,

at least one optimum potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing time, said potential visibility angle being selected from horizontal angles, vertical angles and combinations thereof,

at least one optimum potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing date, said potential visibility angle being selected from horizontal angles, vertical angles and combinations thereof,

at least one optimum potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed,

at least one optimum potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of its size,

at least one optimum potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing time,

at least one optimum potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed as function of at least one viewing date,

at least one lapse of viewing time of the element to be viewed, selected from maximum viewing time, minimum viewing time and combinations thereof,

at least one lapse of viewing time of the element to be viewed, as function of its morphology, said lapse of viewing time being selected from maximum viewing time, minimum viewing time and combinations thereof,

at least one lapse of viewing time of the element to be viewed, as function of at least one viewing time, said lapse of viewing time being selected from maximum viewing time, minimum viewing time and combinations thereof,

at least one lapse of viewing time of the element to be viewed, as function of at least one viewing date, said lapse of viewing time being selected from maximum viewing time, minimum viewing time and combinations thereof,

at least one lapse of viewing time of the element to be viewed, as function of at least one means of transport which moves at least partially through the visibility study region, said lapse of viewing time being selected from maximum viewing time, minimum viewing time and combinations thereof,

direction (12) and course of at least one individual moving at least partially through the visibility study region,

direction (12) and course of at least one means of transport moving at least partially through the visibility study region,

average moving speed of at least one means of transport which moves at least partially through the visibility study region,

degree of visibility from at least one means of transport which moves at least partially through the visibility study region,

estimate of the number of individuals present in a determined zone of the visibility study region per unit of time, as function of at least one of the following sub-criteria;

location, time, date, direction and course of moving and combinations thereof,

estimate of the number of means of transport present in a determined zone of the visibility study region per unit of as function of at least one of the following sub-criteria;

location, time, date, direction and course of moving, capacity of the means of transport, degree of occupation of the means of transport and combinations thereof,

degree of interference with the visibility of the element to be viewed due to temporary interposition of other elements, and

combinations thereof.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein for obtaining at least one visibility zone locating criterion, the computer application access to at least one database in which at least one visibility criterion of at least one geographical location is stored.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the computer application (15) is provided with means for showing the visibility zones located, in at least one format selected from:

at least one computer file compatible with at least one computer application (15), at least one image of the visibility study region where the visibility zones located are shown highlighted, a list of the visibility zones located, at least one mapping layer with associated information and combinations thereof.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the computer application (15) comprises means for evaluating the degree of visibility of different visibility zones, as function of the degree of achievement of at least one of the criteria of locating visibility zones.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the effective visibility zones (17) are defined by effective visibility axes (18) from which the element to be viewed is visible.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the effective visibility zones (17) are additionally defined by at least one characteristic selected from:

a course of effective visibility which specifies the course in which the effective visibility axis has to be traveled in order to view the element to be viewed, a frontal effective visibility space (20) and combinations thereof.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the visibility study region comprises, at least partially, an urban environment where the effective visibility zones (17) are defined by effective visibility axes (18), courses (21) of effective visibility and frontal effective visibility spaces (20) corresponding to urban streets.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the computer application (15) comprises a module of “

assignment of effective visibility axes”

provided with means of locating effective visibility axes, effective visibility courses and frontal effective visibility spaces (20), that enable to view the element to be viewed, by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

at least one potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one optimum potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element (1) to be viewed, at least one optimum potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed, morphology of the visibility study region, morphology and orientation of the element to be viewed, course of movement of individual and means of transport, plans of the visibility study region, visibility zone location criteria and combinations thereof.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein within the module of “

assignment of effective visibility axes” and

comprising an integral part thereof, the computer application (15) comprises;

at least one module of “

collection of mapping information”

provided with means for locating potential visibility zones comprising spaces selected from potential visibility cones, portions of potential visibility spheres, zones of potential visibility and combinations thereof; and

for generating mapping layers of the visibility study region contained by at least one potential visibility zone, by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

morphology of the element to be viewed, morphology of the visibility study region, at least one potential visibility angle assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one potential visibility distance assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one optimum potential visibility angle assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one optimum potential visibility distance assigned to the element to be viewed, plans of the visibility study region, visibility zone locating criteria and combinations thereof and

at least one module of “

location of effective visibility axes and effective visibility courses”

, by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

potential visibility zone and mapping layer generated by the module of “

collection of mapping information”

, morphology and orientation of the element to be viewed, course of movement of the individuals and of the means of transport, visibility zone locating criteria and combinations thereof.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein within the module of “

collection of mapping information” and

comprising an integral part thereof, the computer application comprises;

at least one module of “

location of potential visibility zones”

, by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

morphology and orientation (3) of the element to be viewed, at least one potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one optimum potential visibility angle (8) assigned to the element to be viewed, at least one optimum potential visibility distance (6) assigned to the element to be viewed and combinations thereof;

at least one module of “

location of potential visibility axes on a background map”

by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

visibility study region plans, urban environment and combinations thereof; and

at least one module of “

generation of mapping layers”

, by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

potential visibility zones located by the module of “

location of potential visibility zones”

, potential visibility axes on a background map generated by the module of “

location of potential visibility axes on a background map”

, and combinations thereof.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein within the module of “

location of effective visibility axes and effective visibility courses” and

comprising an integral part thereof, the computer application (15) comprises;

at least one module of “

location of effective visibility axes”

, by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

potential visibility zone (9) and mapping layer generated by the module of “

collection of mapping information”

, morphology and orientation (3) of the element to be viewed and combinations thereof; and

at least one module of “

determination of the course of effective visibility”

, by means of at least one input parameter selected from;

at least one effective visibility axis (18) located by the module of “

location of potential visibility axes”

, course of movement of individuals and means of transport, morphology and orientation of the element to be viewed, visibility zone locating criteria and combinations thereof.