Map information processing apparatus and map information transmission center

A map information processing apparatus comprising:

• route determination means for determining a route between two arbitrary points by using map information for route determination having one or more levels of hierarchy;
• route determination result providing means for providing route determination results obtained by said route determination means by using map information for route determination result providing;
• map information storage means for storing the map information for route determination and the map information for route determination result providing;
• map information correction means for making a correction to map information, including information about a predetermined region, which is included in the map information held by said map information storage means;
• and
• external map information acquiring means for, when acquiring correction map information used for making a correction to the map information including information about the predetermined region from outside said map information processing apparatus, acquiring map information for route determination result providing having information about a region of an arbitrary size including the predetermined region, and map information for route determination about at least one unit region including the predetermined region, which is included in map information for route determination at a top level of the hierarchy, and map information for route determination about all unit regions that exist at levels of the hierarchy lower than the unit region including the predetermined region.

A map information transmission center comprising:

• map information storage means for storing map information for route determination having one or more levels of hierarchy and map information for route determination result providing;
• map request processing means for processing a request for map information from outside said map information transmission center;
• and
• information providing means for providing map information for outside said map information transmission center, wherein, when receiving a request for map information about a predetermined region from outside said map information transmission-center, said map request processing means
• reads map information for route determination result providing having information about a region of an arbitrary size, including the predetermined region, and map information for route determination about at least one unit region including said predetermined region, which is included in map information for route determination at a top level of the hierarchy, and map information for route determination about all unit regions that exist at lower levels of the hierarchy than the unit region from said map information storage means, and
• delivers the map information read to said information providing means.

A map information transmission center comprising:

• map information storage means for storing correction map information used for making a correction to one or more versions of map information, each version including map information for route determination having one or more levels of hierarchy and map information for route determination result providing;
• map request processing means for processing a request for map information from outside said map information transmission center;
• and
• information providing means for providing map information for outside said map information transmission center, wherein, when receiving a request for map information about a predetermined region from outside said map information transmission center, said map request processing means
• reads both correction map information used for making a correction to map information for route determination result providing having information about a region of an arbitrary size including the predetermined region and correction map information used for making a correction to both map information for route determination about at least one unit region including the predetermined region, which is included in map information for route determination at a top level of the hierarchy, and map information for route determination about all unit regions that exist at levels of the hierarchy lower than the unit region from said map information storage means, and
• delivers the correction map information to said information providing means.