Obtaining and displaying virtual earth images

• US 8,850,011 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2005
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kimchi, Gur, Dekate, Amit, Kuppusamy, Ashok, Lombardi, Steve, Schwartz, Joseph, Lawler, Stephen L., Gounares, Alexander G., Endres, Raymond E.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US11/246,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20060238379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,280 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 707/636
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3841 Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Provided is a single repository for capturing, connecting, sharing, and visualizing information based on a geographic location, for example. Provided is a schema, repository, index, and APIs for any information, place, entity, attribute, service or person that can be referenced geographically. A system to provide real time image data includes an input component that receives image data associated with a specific geographic area, a splitter component that splits the image data into at least two quadrants, and a storage component that stores at least a portion of the at least two quadrants. Also provides is on-line or real-time advertising based on a user'"'"'s mapped location and/or a user preference.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage device containing machine readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, provide a system that facilitates serving large images, comprising:

a component that determines a level of web-based viewing activity of an area associated with a particular geographic location, the area being selected from a plurality of areas each of which associated with different geographic locations;

a rendering component for providing map image data and additional image data associated with the area containing the particular geographic location;

a capacity component that calculates available server capacity to render images associated with the area containing the particular geographic location; and

a multi-server load balancing component that dynamically redistributes data associated with the images to be rendered as a function of image size, the calculated available capacity, and the viewing activity, the data being redistributed to a plurality of servers.

2. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the load balancing component redistributes the data based in part upon hotness.

3. The computer-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein hotness is calculated based upon viewing population, viewing activity and unforeseen event data.

4. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of areas are ranked according to a viewing level, wherein the viewing level is one of cold, normal, and hot.

5. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the load balancing component further reconfigures the data into a single image file to provide seamless viewing of the single image file.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the level of web-based viewing activity associated with a particular geographic location is based on a number of user requests received for the particular geographic location.

7. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the level of web-based viewing activity associated with a particular geographic location is based on a number of user requests received in a given time period for the particular geographic location.

8. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising:

an input component that receives additional image data;

a splitter component that splits the additional image data into at least two areas, wherein the at least two areas are selected from the plurality of areas, and wherein one of the at least two areas corresponds to the areas containing the particular geographic location;

a storage component that stores the at least two areas; and

an index component that provides an offset location for where the at least two areas are stored.

9. A method for providing large images on request, comprising:

receiving additional image data from a plurality of users;

storing the additional image data with one or more associated geographic locations, the storing of the additional image data including dividing the additional image data into at least a first area and a second area based on geographic locations associated with a plurality of areas, wherein the at least the first area and the second area are selected from the plurality of areas;

receiving a first plurality of user requests to view image data associated with the first area, the image data including map image data for the first area and the portion of the divided additional image data corresponding to the first area;

receiving a second plurality of user requests to view image data associated with the second area, the image data including map image data for the second area and the portion of the divided additional image data corresponding to the second area;

determining a level of viewing activity associated with the first area and determining a level of viewing activity associated with the second area;

calculating available server capacity for the first area and the second area based on the corresponding determined level of viewing activity;

dynamically redistributing the image data associated with the first area to a first plurality of servers based on the available server capacity, the size of the image data, and the determined level of viewing activity for the first area;

dynamically redistributing the image data associated with the second area to a second plurality of servers based on the available server capacity, the size of the image data, and the determined level of viewing activity for the second area;

displaying the image data associated with the first area to the first plurality of users; and

displaying the image data associated with the second area to the second plurality of users.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the image data is stored in at least two storage locations.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

redistributing the data based at least in part on hotness of the map image data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

calculating hotness using the equation;

HOTNESS=[(population+tourism)*unknown event].

13. The method of claim 11, wherein calculating hotness is based on a foreseen event.

14. A computer-implemented method for displaying large images, comprising:

determining a viewing activity of an area associated with a geographic region, the area being selected from a plurality of areas, each of which is associated with different geographic regions;

receiving additional image data;

splitting the additional image data into at least two areas from the plurality of areas, wherein one of the at least two areas corresponds to the area associated with the particular geographic region;

storing the at least two areas;

indexing the at least two areas, the index providing an offset location for where the at least two areas are stored;

rendering map image data and additional image data for an area associated with a particular geographic region;

calculating an available server capacity to render images for the area associated with the particular geographic region; and

redistributing data associated with the images to be rendered as a function of image size, the calculated available capacity, and the viewing activity, the data being redistributed to a plurality of servers.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the data is redistributed based, at least in part, upon hotness.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein hotness is calculated based, at least in part, upon viewing population, viewing activity and unforeseen event data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein hotness is based, at least in part, on a foreseen event.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of areas are ranked according to a viewing level, wherein the viewing level is one of cold, normal, and hot.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the level of web-based viewing activity associated with a particular geographic location is based on a number of user requests received for the particular geographic region.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the level of web-based viewing activity associated with a particular geographic region is based on a number of user requests received in a given time period for the particular geographic region.