System and Method for Web-Based Mapping On Touch-Screen Computing Device

A method employed with regard to a touch screen computing device having a processor, a memory, and a touch display, the memory for storing instructions, the processor for retrieving the instructions from the memory and executing the retrieved instructions, the touch display for receiving inputs as touch-based gestures imparted directly on the touch display by a user and sensed by the touch display, the instructions comprising actions taken by the computing system to implement the method including:

• displaying a map on the touch display of the device;
• overlaying the displayed map on the touch display with a map-based graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI providing a translucent view corresponding to the displayed map, the view being associated with a particular dataset, the GUI also providing interlocked queries and analysis tools to probe the dataset, the view comprising a polygon layer corresponding to the displayed map and a point layer corresponding to the displayed map, the polygon layer and the point layer working in tandem to simultaneously display both aggregated and disaggregated data across the displayed map;
• the point layer overlaying the displayed map and showing for each of a plurality of specific items a location of the specific item on the displayed map, each shown item being tied to and listed in a selectable point list displayed by the GUI on the display;
• the polygon layer overlaying the displayed map and showing a thematic display of information aggregated to distinct regions on the displayed map, the aggregated information for each region being derived from the items in the point layer located on the displayed map within the region;
• receiving at the touch display from the user a first selection of one of the regions of the polygon layer;
• submitting a first request to a remote service administering the dataset for first items in the dataset that reside in the first selected region;
• receiving from the remote service in response to the first request the first items in the dataset that reside in the first selected region;
• rendering the received first items as points in the point layer, the rendered points being bounded by the first selected region;
• generating a filter list dynamically from the received first items, the filter list including multiple categories relating to the received first items;
• presenting the generated filter list to the user on the touch display as a plurality of selectable categories;
• receiving at the touch display from the user a selection of one or more of the selectable categories in the generated filter list;
• determining which of the received first items match the selected categories from the filter list;
• rendering the matching received first items as points in the point layer, the rendered points being bounded by the first selected region and representing entities which match the selected categories from the filter list;
• receiving at the touch display from the user a second selection of one of the regions of the polygon layer;
• submitting a second request to the remote service for second items in the dataset that reside in the second selected region;
• receiving from the remote service in response to the second request the second items in the dataset that reside in the second selected region;
• determining which of the received second items match the selected categories from the filter list;
• and
• rendering the matching received second items as points in the point layer, the rendered points being bounded by the second selected region and representing entities which match the selected categories from the filter list.

A method employed with regard to a touch screen computing device having a processor, a memory, and a touch display, the memory for storing instructions, the processor for retrieving the instructions from the memory and executing the retrieved instructions, the touch display for receiving inputs as touch-based gestures imparted directly on the touch display by a user and sensed by the touch display, the instructions comprising actions taken by the computing system to implement the method including:

• displaying a map on the touch display of the device;
• overlaying the displayed map on the touch display with a map-based graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI providing a translucent view corresponding to the displayed map, the view being associated with a particular dataset, the GUI also providing interlocked queries and analysis tools to probe the dataset, the view comprising a polygon layer corresponding to the displayed map and a point layer corresponding to the displayed map, the polygon layer and the point layer working in tandem to simultaneously display both aggregated and disaggregated data across the displayed map;
• the point layer overlaying the displayed map and showing for each of a plurality of specific items a location of the specific item on the displayed map, each shown item being tied to and listed in a selectable point list displayed by the GUI on the display;
• the polygon layer overlaying the displayed map and showing a thematic display of information aggregated to distinct regions on the displayed map, the aggregated information for each region being derived from the items in the point layer located on the displayed map within the region;
• receiving at the touch display from the user a selection of one of the regions of the polygon layer;
• submitting a request to a remote service administering the dataset for items in the dataset that reside in the selected region;
• receiving from the remote service in response to the request the items in the dataset that reside in the selected region;
• rendering the received items as points in the point layer, the rendered points being bounded by the selected region;
• generating a filter list dynamically from the received items, the filter list including multiple categories relating to the received items;
• presenting the generated filter list to the user on the touch display as a plurality of selectable categories;
• receiving at the touch display from the user a first selection of one or more of the selectable categories in the generated filter list;
• determining which of the received items first match the first selected categories;
• rendering the first matching received items as points in the point layer, the rendered points being bounded by the selected region;
• receiving at the touch display from the user a second selection of one or more of the selectable categories in the generated filter list;
• determining which of the received items second match the second selected categories;
• and
• rendering the second matching received items as points in the point layer, the rendered points being bounded by the selected region.