System and method for updating, enhancing or refining a geographic database using feedback

A system for providing a geographic database comprising:

• a plurality of position sensors, each of said position sensors installed in a separate one of a plurality of vehicles each of which is capable of traveling on roads in a geographic region, and each of said position sensors is operative to provide outputs indicative of physical positions of said position sensor in said geographic region as its respective vehicle travels on the roads in the geographic region;
• a geographic database including data representing the roads in the geographic region, and including data identifying physical positions of said roads;
• an updating feedback program comprised of
• a first program portion that compares said outputs to said data identifying the physical positions of said roads and provides results representative of said comparisons;
• a second program portion responsive to said results from said first program portion to determine a measure of significance taking into account a number of said outputs;
• and
• a third program portion operative to modify said data identifying the physical locations of said roads based upon said measure of significance determined by said second program portion.

A method for providing a geographic database comprising:

• sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles;
• comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features;
• ascertaining variances based upon said comparing:
• refining the geographic database using the variances;
• and
• transmitting copies of the geographic database to a plurality of end-users.

A method for providing a geographic database comprising:

• sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles;
• comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features;
• ascertaining variances based upon said comparing:
• determining a statistical significance of a large number of said variances, prior to the step of refining the geographic database;
• and
• refining the geographic database using the variances.

A method for providing a geographic database comprising:

• sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles;
• comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features;
• ascertaining variances based upon said comparing:
• refining the geographic database using the variances;
• and
• calibrating end-users' sensors using the refined geographic database.

A method for providing a geographic database comprising:

• sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles;
• comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features;
• ascertaining variances based upon said comparing:
• refining the geographic database using the variances;
• and
• re-calibrating an end-users' variance-reporting sensor using the refined geographic database.

A method of refining a geographic database comprising:

• sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems, each of which is installed in a respective one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles;
• comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of data collection systems to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features in the geographic region;
• ascertaining variances based upon said comparing;
• and
• after ascertaining, said variances, assigning a level of confidence to data in the geographic database using the ascertained variances.

A guidance system for a vehicle comprising:

• a geographic database including, data representing roadside features, wherein said data representing roadside features includes geographic position information relating to said represented roadside features, said geographic database located in the vehicle;
• a sensor capable of sensing said roadside features, said sensor located in the vehicle;
• and
• a processor coupled to the sensor and the geographic database and that executes a program that determines a vehicle position by matching roadside features being sensed as the vehicle travels to said data representing roadside features in the geographic database.