Personalized mapping with photo tours

• US 9,488,489 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hensel, Chase, Zhao, Ze Hong, Liu, Wei, Zhou, Guiheng, Li, Shuangfeng, Chen, Liyong, Bai, Ming, Qiao, Jian, Huang, Yi, Han, Lu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weber, Joy M
• Application Number:
  US13/630,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20150178561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 715/838, 715/854, 715/763
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer-readable storage mediums encoded with computer programs executed by one or more processors for providing personalized mapping with photo-tours are disclosed. A mapping system provides a map of a geographic region that includes a plurality of selectable image locations within the region, with standardized images of the respective image location that accord with predefined parameters provided by the mapping system. An image location selection from the map is received and it is determined whether the selected image location is associated with one or more photo-tours of non-standardized images that do not according with the predefined parameters. A selection of a particular one of the photo-tours is received, and the set of non-standardized images corresponding to a selected photo-tour for the image location is provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing personalized maps with photo-tours, comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a selection of a geographic region, wherein the selection of the geographic location is based, at least in part, on a first user input;

providing, by the one or more processors, based on the selection of the geographic region, a map of the geographic region, including a plurality of selectable image locators and one or more selectable photo-tour indicators overlaid on the map, wherein;

each selectable image locator is associated with one or more standardized images that are of the selected geographic region and that accord with predefined parameters provided by a mapping system, and

each photo-tour indicator is associated with one or more photo-tours and each of the one or more photo-tours include a set of non-standardized images provided to the mapping system by a respective user that traversed a path to capture the set of non-standardized images that are of at least a portion of the selected geographic location and that do not accord with the predefined parameters provided by the mapping system;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a selection of one of the one or more photo-tour indicators overlaid on the map, wherein the selection of the particular one of the one or more photo-tour indicators is based, at least in part, on a second user input; and

displaying, upon receiving a selection of the one of the one or more photo-tour indicators by the one or more processors, the set of non-standardized images corresponding to the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tour indicators and an indicator representing at least a section of the path of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours to an end user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the set of non-standardized images comprises providing the set of non-standardized images in an order as arranged by the respective user that provided the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the set of non-standardized images includes:

determining that the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours includes a plurality of non-standardized images, wherein each image includes a spatial relationship to at least one or more other standardized or non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours; and

providing the non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours in a sequence based on the spatial relationships between the non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying a first one of the non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours at a user device, the first non-standardized image including a plurality of spatial indicators corresponding to the spatial relationships between the first non-standardized image and one or more other non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a selection, from the user device, of a particular spatial indicator on the first non-standardized image; and

displaying a second one of the non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours at the user device, the second non-standardized image corresponding to the spatial relationship of the selected spatial indicator.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the selected photo-tour is a first photo-tour; and

providing the set of non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours for display at a user device in a sequence that corresponds to the path the respective user traversed to capture the set of non-standardized images within the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

wherein the indicator is updated on the map corresponding to an image capture location of a respective one of the set of non-standardized images currently being provided for display on the user device, wherein the image capture location is along the path of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a time indicator on the map, wherein the time indicator indicates an image capture time of at least one non-standardized image of the set of non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more standardized images of the selectable image locators are panoramas of the selected geographic region as defined by the predefined parameters, and wherein at least one or more images of the set of non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo tours are not panoramic images as defined by the predefined parameters.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more standardized images of the selectable image locators are provided by one or more other users who receive monetary compensation from an entity associated with the mapping system, and wherein the respective user who provides the set of non-standardized images of the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours does not receive monetary compensation from the entity.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the set of non-standardized images corresponding to the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours comprises:

selecting the set of non-standardized images corresponding to the selected particular one of the one or more photo-tours in association with one or more of the standardized images.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predefined parameters include parameters indicating which portion of the geographic region to capture, when to capture the one or more standardized images, and which camera to use to capture the one or more standardized images.

13. A system comprising:

a map generator configured to generate a map of a geographic region, the map comprising a plurality of selectable image locators and one or more photo-tour indicators overlaid on the map;

a standardized image processor configured to identify the plurality of selectable image locators on the map associated with one or more standardized panoramic images that accord with predefined parameters provided by the mapping system;

a photo-tour processor configured to identify the photo-tour indicators overlaid on the map corresponding to locations for which photo-tours of non-standardized images have been provided, wherein the non-standardized images include images that do not accord with the predefined parameters as provided to the system by one or more users, and wherein each photo-tour comprises a set of the non-standardized images corresponding to a path a respective user traversed to capture at least a portion of the set of the non-standardized images;

a selection tool configured to receive a selection, from a user device, of a first photo-tour indicator from the photo-tour indicators on the map and corresponding to a first photo-tour, from the map for display at the user device; and

wherein the map generator is configured to generate for display, upon receiving a selection of the first photo-tour indicator, an indicator representing at least a section of the path of the selected first photo-tour on the map.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the photo-tour processor is configured to determine a spatial relationship between the set of non-standardized images of the selected first photo-tour, and provide the set of the non-standardized images of the selected first photo-tour in a sequence based on the spatial relationships between the set of the non-standardized images.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the photo-tour processor is configured to determine the path based on one or more geotags associated with the set of non-standardized images of the selected first photo-tour.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the map generator is configured to update the indicator based on a first image of the set of non-standardized images of the selected first photo-tour displayed at the user device, wherein the update indicates a location on the map of the displayed first image of the set of non-standardized images of the selected first photo-tour.

17. A non-transitory computer storage medium implemented by one or more processors and a tangible memory accessible to the one or more processors, the memory comprising code for providing personalized maps with photo-tours that when executed cause the one or more processors to:

receive a selection of a geographic region from a map, wherein the selection of the geographic region is based, at least in part, on a first user input;

provide, based on the selection of the geographic region, a map of the geographic region, including a plurality of selectable image locators and one or more selectable photo-tour indicators overlaid on the map, wherein;

each selectable image locator is associated with one or more standardized images that are of the respective image location that accord with predefined parameters provided by a mapping system, and

each photo-tour indicator is associated with one or more photo-tours and each of the one or more photo-tours include a set of non-standardized images provided to the mapping system by a respective user that traversed a path to capture the set of non-standardized images that are of at least a portion of the selected geographic location and that do not accord with the predefined parameters provided by the mapping system;

receive a selection of a particular one of the one or more photo-tours, the particular photo-tour indicator being one of the photo-tour indicators on the map and wherein the selection of the particular one of the photo-tours is based, at least in part, on a second user input; and

display, upon receiving a selection of the particular one of the one or more photo-tour indicators, the set of non-standardized images corresponding to the selected particular one of the photo-tours and provide an indicator representing at least a section of the path of the selected particular one of the photo-tours on the map to an end user.

18. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 17 wherein the memory comprises code that when executed cause the one or more processors to:

display the selected particular one of the photo-tours via a browser operating on a user device connected to the mapping system over a network, and update the indicator on the map.

19. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 18 wherein the memory comprises code that when executed further cause the one or more processors to:

update the indicator as based on the image capture location of a first image of the set of non-standardized images, corresponding to the selected particular one of the photo-tours, displayed on the user device.

20. A computer-implemented method for providing personalized maps with photo-tours, comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a photo-tour from a first user, the photo-tour comprising a plurality of non-standardized images that are of at least a portion of a geographic region and that do not accord with predefined parameters provided by a mapping system, wherein the plurality of non-standardized images correspond to a path the first user traversed to capture the plurality of non-standardized images;

providing, by the at least one or more processors, a map of the geographic region including a plurality of selectable image locators associated with one or more standardized images that are of the respective image location that accord with predefined parameters provided by the mapping system, and a photo-tour indicator corresponding to the photo-tour from the first user;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a selection of the photo-tour indicator from the map from a second user; and

displaying, upon receiving a selection of the photo-tour indicator from the map from the second user, a first one of the plurality of non-standardized images of the photo-tour to the second user and an indicator representing at least a section of the path of the photo-tour.