Comprehensive mapping data structures and methods for using the same

A method for communicating location information using a standardized location data structure for both providing location information and receiving location information, the method comprising the following:

• an act of accessing an instance of a location data structure, the location data structure including a plurality of fields including a first data field that represents at least two geolocation coordinates for the location, and a second data field that represents a fixed entity approximated by the geolocation coordinates;
• an act of populating data into at least one of the plurality of fields;
• an act of passing the location data structure to a map service;
• and
• an act of receiving from the map service the location data structure, wherein data for at least one of the plurality of data fields included in the location data structure has been populated or changed in the location data structure as received as compared to the location data structure as passed to the map service.

In a computing system that is capable of processing a map view, a method for processing the map view using a map view data structure that contains sufficient information to derive a plurality of independent descriptions of a map view, a method for using one of the descriptions to process the map view, the method comprising the following:

• an act of accessing the map view data structure;
• an act of identifying a function that is to be performed on the map view represented by the plurality of independent descriptions of the map view;
• an act of selecting an appropriate one of the plurality of independent descriptions of the map view for use when performing the identified function;
• and
• an act of performing the identified function using the selected description of the map view.

A computer program product for use in a computing system that is capable of processing a map view, the computer program product for implementing a method for processing the map view using a map view data structure that contains sufficient information to derive a plurality of independent descriptions of a map view, the method comprising the following:

• an act of accessing the map view data structure;
• an act of identifying a function that is to be performed on the map view represented by the plurality of independent descriptions of the map view;
• an act of selecting an appropriate one of the plurality of independent descriptions of the map view for use when performing the identified function;
• and
• an act of performing the identified function using the selected description of the map view.

A computer-readable media having thereon a data structure that represents route information, the data structure comprising the following:

• a first data field that represents two locations;
• a second data field that is configured to represents a route between the two locations;
• and
• a third data field that indicates whether the data structure represents a request to calculate a route, a response to the request to calculate a route, or a request to render a route.

In a computing system capable of calculating routes between two locations in response to a request from a requesting computing system, a method for calculating the route in a manner that informs the requesting computing system of what options where used to calculate the route, the method comprising the following:

• an act of receiving a request to calculate a route from a requesting computing system, the request including a routing data structure;
• an act of determining what options are to be used to calculate the route, wherein the options includes at least one of a snap type and a route type;
• an act of calculating the route using the options;
• an act of populating the routing data structure with the calculate route;
• an act of populating the routing data structure with the options;
• and
• an act of returning the routing data structure with the route and the options to the requesting computing system.