Trusted maps: updating map locations using trust-based social graphs

• US 8,812,585 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gharpure, Chaitanya, Chen, Charles L., Raman, Tiruvilwamalai Venkatraman
• Primary Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURPHY, CHARLES C
• Application Number:
  US12/749,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 715/734, 715/723, 709/206, 709/205, 709/204, 705/310, 705/28, 705/14.61, 705/14.4, 705/12, 705/1.1, 705/319, 705/26.41, 705/14.67, 705/14.35, 705/1, 455/556.1, 455/466, 455/457, 455/456.6, 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/435.1, 382/162, 382/154, 382/141, 382/104, 703/6, 703/2
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2230/00 Voting or election arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/463 Electronic voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting

Abstract

A system and method for updating and correcting the location of geospatial entities, the method comprising receiving at a server from a mobile device operated by a first user, a proposed location for a geospatial entity, the proposed location determined by a wireless location system, and based upon a current location of the mobile device; providing information about the proposed location for the geospatial entity to a first plurality of other users; receiving votes from the first plurality of users as to whether the proposed location is correct and responsive to the received votes, determining whether to update the location information for the geospatial entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of updating location information for geospatial entities on maps, the method comprising:

receiving by one or more computing systems from a computing device operated by a first user, a proposed location for a geospatial entity on a map, the proposed location correcting an existing location for the geospatial entity on the map, the proposed location determined by a wireless location system, and based upon a current location of the computing device;

receiving a search request related to the geospatial entity on the map from a plurality of other users wherein each of the plurality of other users is connected to the first user in a social network;

responsive to the search request, providing the map displaying the proposed location for the geospatial entity to the plurality of other users;

providing a user interface with the proposed location requesting the plurality of other users to vote whether the proposed location for the geospatial entity is correct;

receiving via the user interface the votes from the plurality of other users as to whether the proposed location is correct;

determining a trust metric indicating a measure of trustworthiness of the proposed location responsive to the votes, the trust metric weighing votes from different users differently responsive to distances from the voting users to the first user in the social network; and

responsive to the trust metric, determining whether to change the location of the geospatial entity on the map to the proposed location provided by the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second search request related to the geospatial entity on the map from a second plurality of other users wherein each of the plurality of other users is in a second social network with at least one of the plurality of other users;

providing the map displaying the proposed location to the second plurality of other users;

providing the user interface with the proposed location requesting the second plurality of other users to vote whether the proposed location for the geospatial entity is correct; and

receiving via the user interface the votes from the second plurality of other users; and

wherein determining whether to change update the location of the geospatial entity on the map to the proposed location is responsive to votes received from the first and the second plurality of other users.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein there is minimal overlap between the users in the first plurality of other users and the second plurality of other users.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing the proposed location for the geospatial entity to an online map hosting system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless location system comprises a global positioning system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless location system comprises cell phone tower triangulation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless location system comprises coarse wifi location.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user is not a member of the second social network.

9. A geographic information system comprising:

one or more processors for executing program code; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable program code for;

receiving from a computing device operated by a first user, a proposed location for a geospatial entity on a map, the proposed location correcting an existing location for the geospatial entity on the map, the proposed location determined by a wireless location system, and based upon a current location of the computing device,

receiving a search request related to the geospatial entity on the map from a plurality of other users wherein each of the plurality of other users is connected to the first user in a social network;

responsive to the search request, providing the map displaying the proposed location for the geospatial entity to the plurality of other users, and

providing a user interface with the proposed location requesting the plurality of other users to vote whether the proposed location for the geospatial entity is correct;

receiving via the user interface the votes from the first plurality of other users as to whether the proposed location is correct;

determining a trust metric indicating a measure of trustworthiness of the proposed location responsive to the votes, the trust metric weighing votes from different users differently responsive to distances from the voting users to the first user in the social network; and

responsive to the trust metric from the first plurality of other users, determining whether to change the location of the geospatial entity to the proposed location provided by the first user.

10. The geographic information system of claim 9 further comprising code for:

receiving a second search request related to the geospatial entity on the map from a second plurality of other users wherein each of the plurality of other users is in a second social network with at least one of the plurality of other users;

responsive to the search request, providing the map displaying the proposed location for the geospatial entity to the second plurality of other users,

providing the user interface with the proposed location requesting the second plurality of other users to vote whether the proposed location for the geospatial entity is correct; and

receive via the user interface the votes from the second plurality of other users as to whether the proposed location is correct; and

wherein determining whether to change the location of the geospatial entity to the proposed location is responsive to votes received from the first and the second plurality of other users.

11. The geographic information system of claim 10 wherein there is minimal overlap between the users in the first plurality of other users and the second plurality of other users.

12. The geographic information system of claim 9 further comprising executable program code for providing the proposed location to an online map hosting system.

13. The geographic information system of claim 9 wherein the wireless location system comprises a global positioning system.

14. The geographic information system of claim 9 wherein the wireless location system comprises cell phone tower triangulation.

15. The geographic information system of claim 9 wherein the wireless location system comprises coarse wifi location.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the first user is not a member of the second social network.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a microprocessor to perform steps comprising:

receiving by one or more computing systems from a computing device operated by a first user, a proposed location for a geospatial entity on a map, the proposed location correcting an existing location for the geospatial entity on the map, the proposed location determined by a wireless location system, and based upon a current location of the computing device;

receiving a search request related to the geospatial entity on the map from a plurality of other users wherein each of the plurality of other users is connected to the first user in a social network;

responsive to the search request, provide the map displaying the proposed location for the geospatial entity to the plurality of other users;

providing a user interface with the proposed location requesting the plurality of other users to vote whether the proposed location for the geospatial entity is correct;

receiving via the user interface the votes from the first plurality of other users as to whether the proposed location is correct;

determining a trust metric indicating a measure of trustworthiness of the proposed location responsive to the votes, the trust metric weighing votes from different users differently responsive to distances from the voting users to the first user in the social network; and

responsive to the trust metric, determining whether to change the location of the geospatial entity to the proposed location provided by the first user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the program further instructs a microprocessor to further perform steps comprising:

receiving a second search request related to the geospatial entity on the map from a second plurality of other users wherein each of the plurality of other users is in a second social network with at least one of the plurality of other users,

responsive to the search request, providing the map displaying the proposed location to a second plurality of other users,

providing the user interface with the proposed location requesting the second plurality of other users to vote whether the proposed location for the geospatial entity is correct, and

receiving via the user interface the votes from the second plurality of other users; and

determining whether to change the location of the geospatial entity to the proposed location is responsive to votes received from the first and the second plurality of other users.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein there is minimal overlap between the users in the first plurality of other users and the second plurality of other users.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 further comprising program code for providing the proposed location for the geospatial entity to an online map hosting system.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the wireless location system comprises a global positioning system.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the wireless location system comprises cell phone tower triangulation.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the wireless location system comprises coarse wifi location.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the first user is not a member of the second social network.