An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation that may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a video cassette recorder (VCR), medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

Adaptive pattern recognition based control system and method

Disclosed is a method, system, and program for providing access to spatial data. A request for data is received. Enterprise and third party data are integrated. The integrated data is processed. Spatially referenced results are generated using the processed data. The spatially referenced results are returned in response to the request.

Method, system, and program for an improved enterprise spatial system

Map-matching is the process of aligning a sequence of observed user positions with the road network on a digital map. It is a fundamental pre-processing step for many applications, such as moving object management, traffic flow analysis, and driving directions. In practice there exists huge amount of low-sampling-rate (e.g., one point every 2--5 minutes) GPS trajectories. Unfortunately, most current map-matching approaches only deal with high-sampling-rate (typically one point every 10--30s) GPS data, and become less effective for low-sampling-rate points as the uncertainty in data increases. In this paper, we propose a novel global map-matching algorithm called ST-Matching for low-sampling-rate GPS trajectories. ST-Matching considers (1) the spatial geometric and topological structures of the road network and (2) the temporal/speed constraints of the trajectories. Based on spatio-temporal analysis, a candidate graph is constructed from which the best matching path sequence is identified. We compare ST-Matching with the incremental algorithm and Average-Frechet-Distance (AFD) based global map-matching algorithm. The experiments are performed both on synthetic and real dataset. The results show that our ST-matching algorithm significantly outperform incremental algorithm in terms of matching accuracy for low-sampling trajectories. Meanwhile, when compared with AFD-based global algorithm, ST-Matching also improves accuracy as well as running time.

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Map-matching for low-sampling-rate GPS trajectories

Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device, determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving content associated with the POI (“POI content”) and displaying the POI content. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI content is displayed, and removing the POI content in response. One apparatus, according to aspects of the present invention, may include means of detecting a change in the zoom level in a digital map displayed through an application (e.g. a web browser, an application on web-enabled cellular phones, etc., displaying a map generated by a service such as Google Maps®, Yahoo! Maps®, Windows Live Search Maps®, MapQuest®, etc.) on a computing device (e.g. personal computer, workstation, thin client, PDA, cellular phone/smart phone, GPS device, etc.) means of identifying a POI at the pre-determined zoom level, means of obtaining content associated with the POI, and means of displaying the POI content. POI content may be retrieved from a database (e.g. internet-based database); or, in an alternate embodiment, gathered by crawling websites associated with the POI. In one embodiment, POI content may be displayed as an image (e.g. a PNG file, GIF, Flash® component, etc.) superimposed on the digital map (e.g. as an overlay object on the map image.) In alternate embodiments, POI content may replace the digital map and may contain links to other content.

Method and system for associating content with map zoom function

Location sharing and tracking using mobile phones or other wireless devices

An improved method and system for storage of geographic data on physical storage media. The geographic data are stored in a manner that facilitates and enhances use and access of the data by various navigation application functions in navigation systems that use the data. The geographic data includes a parcelization that separates the geographic data into parcels having less than or equal to a maximum parcel size but having at least a desired fill percentage. The parcelization method also provides for a division arrangement that facilitates addressing and identification of the parcels. According to a further aspect, the geographic data includes special nodal entities that are used to collapse complex intersections, such as roundabouts, cloverleaves, and divided highways, into simpler data representations. The special nodal entities are associated with road segment data entities and used in a route calculation program in place of regular node entities. Further, the geographic data include a normalized attribute array that includes reoccurring combinations of certain selected attributes of the geographic data. Indices to the array are included in place of data corresponding to the selected attributes. When a navigation application program requests data, an entry in the normalized attribute table pointed to by an index in the data is used to return the requested data in the particular combination of attributes from the normalized attribute array. The geographic data is compiled by a method that facilitates access to the data on a physical medium. According to the compilation method, data files to be stored on the medium are organized into parcels. The data records within the data files are identified by the parcel in which they are located. An arrangement of all the data files on the medium is determined and a parcel identification related to the medium is assigned to each parcel. Cross references between data records are updated to include the assigned parcel identifications and the parcels are stored on the medium.

System and method for use and storage of geographic data on physical media

An improved method and system that provides for a data access interface layer in a navigation system. The navigation system is of the type that includes a navigation application software program that provides navigating features to a user of the system and a geographic database stored on a computer-readable storage medium wherein the geographical database includes information relating to the geographical region about which the navigation system provides the navigation features to the user. The data access interface layer is preferably stored in the navigation system as a library of software functions. The data access interface layer operates in conjunction with the navigation system application software. The data access interface layer isolates the navigation application software from the geographic data which are stored on the storage medium. The data access interface layer intercepts requests by the navigation application software for geographic data. The data access interface layer retrieves geographic data from the storage medium and converts the data into a format usable by the navigation application software. The data access interface layer also provides for memory management that facilitates accessing and using geographic data from the particular storage medium quickly and efficiently. By recognizing that different media types have different physical formats, the data access interface layer accommodates and isolates the differences so that the portions of the data access interface layer that interact with the navigation application software can be generic.

Interface layer for navigation system

A geographic database for use with a navigation application program that provides navigation features to an end-user. The geographic database includes data entities that represent segments of roads and additionally includes data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads. The data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads are used during a route calculation by the navigation application to suppress evaluation of roads of lesser functional rank thereby enhancing performance of the navigation system. According to one aspect, each of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents a segment of a road that together with at least one other segment of a road forms part of an aggregation which is represented by one of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads includes a reference thereto. According to another aspect, each of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads refers to data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation. Each of the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads refers to a corresponding one of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents the same respective segment of road. According to this aspect, at least some of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads are stored separately from the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation. According to a further aspect, the navigation application program uses the references between the data entities that represent segments of roads, the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads, and the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation to provide navigation features, including evaluating which data entities to use for route calculation and ascertaining whether a solution route has been found.

Segment aggregation in a geographic database and methods for use thereof in a navigation application

A system and method for providing updated geographic data for use by a navigation application program. The navigation application program is at a first version level and uses geographic data in a geographic database. An updated geographic database is provided to the navigation application program. The updated geographic database is at a second version level which is later than the first version level. Also provided to the navigation application program are one or more replacement routines. These replacement routines may be stored with the updated geographic database on a computer-readable medium or may be provided separately. The one or more replacement routines are used by the navigation application program either at initialization or during runtime. The one or more replacement routines are called to access or use the data in the updated geographic database. The one or more replacement routines are preferably in an interpretive language and executed by a virtual processor. The virtual processor may be part of the navigation application program. The one or more replacement routines can be used by the navigation application program thereby enabling the navigation application program which is at the first version level to use the updated geographic data which is at second version level.

Method and system for providing navigation systems with updated geographic data

A geographic database for use with a navigation application program that provides navigation features to an end-user. The geographic database includes a plurality of data records of a first type and a plurality of data records of a second type. The plurality of records of the first type are organized into a plurality of parcels, each of which includes a plurality of data records of the first type and the plurality of records of the second type are organized into a plurality of parcels, each of which includes a plurality of data records of the second type. The parcels of data records of the first type are interleaved with the parcels of data records of the second type. This interleaving enables navigation functions that use these different types to access these different types more quickly and efficiently, thereby enhancing navigation system performance. Also disclosed is a method for forming a geographic database that includes a plurality of data records that represent geographic features and which can be used in a navigation system. The method includes the step of interleaving parcels containing pluralities of data records of a first type with parcels containing pluralities of data records of a second type.

Paul M. Bouzide

Papers

System and method for use and storage of geographic data on physical media

Interface layer for navigation system

Segment aggregation in a geographic database and methods for use thereof in a navigation application

Method and system for providing navigation systems with updated geographic data

Segment aggregation and interleaving of data types in a geographic database and methods for use thereof in a navigation application