Location encoder

A method of forming a binary representation of geographic information based on a coordinate system, the method comprising,

• relating the geographic information to the coordinate system,
• iteratively creating subdivisions from at least one of the coordinate system or a subdivision of the coordinate system,
• assigning a binary code to the created subdivisions, and,
• forming the binary representation based on the binary code of the identified created subdivision.

A method for comparing a first location and a second location, comprising,

• using an iterative process to obtain a binary representation of the first location,
• using the iterative process to obtain a binary representation of the second location,
• performing a binary computation utilizing the first location binary representation and the second location binary representation to obtain a binary result, and
• computing a distance measure from the binary result.

A system for comparing at least two locations, comprising,

• an interface to receive geographical information based on at least one of the at least two locations,
• a processor having instructions to convert the geographical information to a binary representation using a hierarchical segmentation scheme, where levels of the hierarchical scheme are associated with a precision for thc binary representation,
• a database that includes binary representations of at least another of the at least two locations,
• a comparator to perform a binary computation between binary representations.

A system for forming a binary representation of geographic information based on a coordinate system, the system comprising,

• means for providing the geographic information,
• means for implementing a hierarchical segmentation scheme to create subdivisions based on the geographic information,
• means for determining a level of the hierarchial scheme to provide a desired precision for the binary representation
• means for assigning a binary code to the subdivisions, and,
• means for forming the binary representation based on the assigned binary codes and the desired precision.

A computer product for brining a binary representation of geographic information based on a coordinate system, the computer product disposed on a computer readable medium and having instructions for causing a processor to,

• relate the geographic information to thc coordinate system,
• provide a hierarchical segmentation scheme to create subdivisions based on the geographic information,
• determine a level of the hierarchical scheme to provide a desired precision,
• assign a binary code to the subdivisions, and,
• form thc binary representation based on the assigned binary codes and the desired precision.

A computer product for forming a binary representation of geographic information based on a coordinate system, the computer product disposed on a computer readable medium and having instructions for causing a processor to,

• relate the geographic information to the coordinate system,
• iteratively create subdivisions from at least one of the coordinate system or a subdivision of the coordinate system,
• assign a binary code to the created subdivisions, and,
• form the binary representation based on the binary code of the identified created subdivision.

A computer product for comparing a first location and a second location, the computer product disposed on a computer readable medium and having instructions for causing a processor to,

• use an iterative process to obtain a binary representation of the first location,
• use the iterative process to obtain a binary representation of the second location,
• perform a binary computation utilizing the first location binary representation and the second location binary representation to obtain a binary result, and
• compute a distance measure from the binary result.