Method and apparatus for providing suggestions driven by nearby favorites

A computer-implemented method for promoting points of interest (POIs) for display on a digital map at a mobile computing device based on context information associated with a user, the method comprising:

• sending location data from a mobile computing device, the location data indicating a geographic location of the computing device;
• receiving promotion data, indicating one or more sets of POIs to be promoted, based on the location data and user classification, wherein the user classification is based on a degree of familiarity with the location indicated by the location data;
• promoting one or more sets of POIs on the mobile computing device;
• sending a request for mapping data, wherein the requested mapping data corresponds to a promoted POI;
• receiving the requested mapping data on the mobile computing device in response to the subsequent request.

A computer system for promoting points of interest (POIs) for display on a digital map at a client computing device based on context information associated with a user, the system comprising:

• a point of interest selection system in communication with a memory storing instructions for execution on a processor of the point of interest selection system, the instructions to:
• receive location data from a client computing device, the location data indicating a geographic location of the computing device,
• determine a user classification based on the location data, the user classification indicating a degree of familiarity with the location indicated by the location data, and
• determine promotion data based on the location data and the user classification, the promotion data indicating one or more sets of POIs to be promoted;
• a mapping system in communication with a memory storing instructions for execution on a processor of the mapping system, the instructions to:
• send promotion data to the client computing device, wherein the promotion data enables display on the client computing device of the one or more indicated sets of POIs,
• subsequently receive a request for mapping data, wherein the requested mapping data corresponds to the location of a promoted POI, and
• send the requested mapping data to the client computing device in response to the subsequent request.