US 4,891,761 AGranted

Method for accurately updating positional information provided on a digital map

AssigneeMets, Inc.

InventorsDonald R. Gray, Anthony J. Spadafora, Lawrence R. Green, III

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Abstract

A method and system for updating a digitized map. An operator-controlled vehicle provided with an onboard computer and a navigational transmitter unit is dispatched to a location provided on the map near to an unknown location. The vehicle would then traverse the segment between the known intersection and an unknown intersection while it is being tracked by the navigational tracking unit. When the unit reaches the unknown intersection, the address range as well as the street names of the intersection are verbally inputted into the system. The information collected by the computer is then inputted to the central computer which edits this information and updates its central file to produce a new updated version of the digital map.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method for updating a digitized street and terrain map to be displayed on a visual display screen in communication with a central computer provided with a memory, said map provided with address information related to geographical information provided on said map, said map displayed on the screen utilizing a digital data baser stored in the memory of said central computer including the steps of:

first, determining geographical, street and address information for one or more locations which must be added to the digital data base;
second, determining positional location provided in said digital data base proximate to one piece of geographical, street or address information generated by said first determining step;
dispatching a vehicle controlled by an operator, said vehicle provided with an onboard computer and navigational tracking system, both of which are in communication with a central facility to said position determined in said second determining step;
initiating computer communication between said vehicle and said central facility wherein reference coordinates related to said positional location determined in said second determining step are logged into said onboard computer;
driving said vehicle to one location generated by said first determining step proximate to the location determined by said second determining step, while coordinate data utilizing said navigational tracking system is logged by the central facility as said vehicle traverses from the location determined in said second determining step to the location determined by said first determining step;
inputting information to said onboard computer from said operator indicating that said vehicle has reached the location generated by said first determining step;
transferring information collected by said onboard computer to said central computer;
and
incorporating said data collected by said onboard computer of said vehicle to said digital data base.

6 more elements

A method for updating a digitized street and terrain map to be displayed on a visual display screen in communication with a central computer provided with a memory, said map displayed on the screen utilizing a first digital data base stored in the memory of a central computer including the steps of:

conflating said street and terrain map with a digitized second map provided with address ranges to create a second digital data base;
first, determining geographical, street and address information for one or more locations which must be added to the second digital data base;
second, determining positional location provided in second data base proximate to one piece of geographical, street or address information generated by said first determining step;
dispatching a vehicle controlled by an operator, said vehicle provided with an onboard computer and navigational tracking system, both of which are in communication with a central facility to said position determined in said second determining step;
initiating computer communication between said vehicle and said central facility wherein reference coordinates related to said positional location determined in said second determining step are logged into said onboard computer;
driving said vehicle to one location generated by said first determining step proximate to the location determined by said second determining step, while coordinate data utilizing said navigational tracking system is logged by the central facility as said vehicle traverses from the location determined in said second determining step to the location determined by said first determining step;
inputting information to said onboard computer from said operator indicating that said vehicle has reached the location generated by said first determining step;
transferring information collected by said onboard computer to said central computer;
and
incorporating said data collected by said onboard computer of said vehicle to said digital data base.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.