Communications server apparatus, method and communications system for recommending one or more points-of-interest for a transport-related service to a user

A method, executed by a processor of a communications server, for recommending one or more points-of-interest for a transport-related service to a user, the method comprising:

• receiving user data from a user communications device associated with the user, the user data including a first data field indicative of a location of the user, and a second data field indicative of a suggest request issued upon selection of an input element by the user in a transport application executing on the user communications device;
• accessing a suggest endpoint of the communications server to retrieve a suggested list of points-of-interest in response to receiving the user data, wherein accessing the suggest endpoint causes at least one of:
• the processor to query historical data, associated with the user, corresponding to transport-related services in one or more data records, wherein the processor queries the historical data to retrieve one or more first candidate points-of-interest for inclusion in the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• and
• a dispatcher module of the communications server to dispatch a request in parallel to one or more provider modules configured to retrieve one or more second candidate points-of-interest from one or more external data sources for inclusion in the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• transmitting, to the user communications device, data indicative of the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• receiving, from the user communications device, information indicating a pickup point-of-interest and a drop-off point-of-interest selected, by the user via the transport application, from the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• and
• populating an order, being made by the user for the transport-related service, with the pickup point-of-interest and the drop-off point-of-interest selected by the user from the suggested list of points-of-interest.

A communications system comprising a user communications device associated with a user and a communications server,

• wherein the user communications device comprises a first memory storing first instructions, and a first processor configured to execute the first instructions to operate a transport application executing thereon to transmit, to the communications server, user data comprising a data field indicative of a location of the user;
• and
• wherein the communications server comprises a second memory storing second instructions, and a second processor configured to execute the second instructions to:
• in response to receiving the user data from the user communications device, determine whether there is historical data, associated with the user, corresponding to transport-related services in one or more data records;
• and
• in response to determining that there is historical data, associated with the user, corresponding to transport-related services in the one or more data records:
• access a prediction endpoint of the communications server to determine, based on the historical data and the location, a first point-of-interest as a recommended origin location for a transport-related service, wherein the prediction endpoint includes a predictor cache and a predictor database behind the predictor cache, the predictor cache storing point-of-interest (POI) data of each POI request made to the predictor database within a predetermined time period;
• determine, based on the historical data and the access of the prediction endpoint, a second point-of-interest as a recommended destination location for the transport-related service, the first point-of-interest and the second point-of-interest being paired to each other corresponding to a historical transport-related service in the historical data, wherein, for accessing the prediction endpoint, the second processor is configured to query the predictor cache prior to querying the predictor database, and wherein in the event that the first point-of-interest and the second point-of-interest are determined in response to querying the predictor cache, the second processor is configured to avoid querying the predictor database;
• transmit, to the user communications device, data indicative of the first point-of-interest and the second point-of-interest;
• receive, from the user communications device, information indicating one of:
• (i) an acceptance of the first point-of-interest and the second point-of-interest, and (ii) an issuance of a suggest request by the user;
• populate an order, being made by the user for the transport-related service, with the first point-of-interest and the second point-of-interest, in response to receiving the information indicating the acceptance;
• access a suggest endpoint of the communications server to retrieve a suggested list of points-of-interest in response to receiving the information indicating the issuance of the suggest request, wherein accessing the suggest endpoint causes at least one of:
• the second processor to query the predictor database storing the historical data to retrieve one or more first candidate points-of-interest for inclusion in the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• and
• a dispatcher module of the communications server to dispatch a request in parallel to one or more provider modules configured to retrieve one or more second candidate points-of-interest from one or more external data sources for inclusion in the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• transmit, to the user communications device, data indicative of the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• receive, from the user communications device, information indicating a pickup point-of-interest and a drop-off point-of-interest selected, by the user via the transport application, from the suggested list of points-of-interest;
• and
• populate an order, being made by the user for the transport-related service, with the pickup point-of-interest and the drop-off point-of-interest selected by the user from the suggested list of points-of-interest.