Map Version Control Methods And Apparatus For Updating The Use Of Network-Maintained Map Data Sets For Mobile Communication Devices

A mobile device, comprising:

• a wireless transceiver;
• one or more processors;
• a cache memory coupled to the one or more processors;
• a user interface which includes a visual display;
• the one or more processors being configured to:
• receive, via the wireless transceiver from one or more network databases, map data for rendering a map, the map data having a plurality of layers of map data, each of the plurality of layers including a version number and a plurality of data entries associated therewith, of the plurality of data entries indicating a plurality of data points for rendering one or more artifacts or labels within an area of interest of the map;
• cause the map data to be stored in the cache memory;
• displaying the area of interest in the visual display from the plurality of layers of the stored map data;
• receive, via the wireless transceiver, an indication of an alternative version of one of the layers of the stored map data;
• and
• if the version number of the alternative version is greater than the version number of the stored version cause one or more requests for the alternative version of said layer for the area of interest to be sent via the wireless transceiver, receive the alternative version of the said layer for the area of interest from the one or more network databases via the wireless transceiver in response to the one or more requests, and cause the map of the area of interest to be rendered in the visual display in accordance with the combined plurality of layers of the stored map data but with use of the alternative version of said layer.