Map aggregation
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsEyal Ofek, Boris Epshtein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system described herein includes a text extractor component that extracts text from a digital image and a determiner component that automatically determines whether or not the digital image is a map of a geographic region based at least in part upon the extracted text. The system additionally includes a correlator component that generates correlation data that causes the digital image to be correlated with a portion of a reference map that pertains to the geographic region if the determiner component determines that the digital image is a map of the geographic region.
Claims20
A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:
- automatically locating a digital image, the digital image being a candidate map of a geographic region;
- automatically determining whether or not the digital image is a map of a geographic region, wherein automatically determining whether or not the digital image is a map of the geographic region comprises:
- extracting text from the digital image;
- comparing the extracted text with a database of known points of interest for the geographic region to locate matches between the extracted text and the known points of interest for the geographic region;
- and
- determining whether or not there is spatial correspondence between the extracted text in the digital image and matched known points of interest, wherein the digital image is determined to be a map of the geographic region if and only if there is spatial correspondence between the extracted text in the digital image and the matched known points of interest;
- and
- if the digital image is determined to be a map of the geographic region, automatically generating correlation data that correlates the digital image with a reference map that includes the geographic region.
A system comprising the following computer-executable components:
- a text extractor component that extracts text from a digital image;
- a determiner component that automatically determines whether or not the digital image is a map of a geographic region, wherein the determiner component determines whether or not the digital image is a map of a geographic region by comparing the text extracted from the digital image with entries in a database of known points of interest in the geographic region to identify matches, and subsequently determining whether the matched text extracted from the digital image has a spatial correspondence with the known points of interest on a reference map;
- and
- a correlator component that generates correlation data that causes the digital image to be correlated with a portion of the reference map that pertains to the geographic region if the determiner component determines that the digital image is a map of the geographic region;
- wherein the text extractor component, the determiner component, and the correlator component are implemented on one or more processors.
A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:
- receiving a digital image;
- extracting text from the digital image;
- comparing the extracted text with a database of known points of interest;
- if a sufficient match exists between the extracted text and contents of the database of known points of interest, analyzing a spatial correspondence between the extracted text and entries in the database of known points of interest;
- determining whether or not the digital image is a map of a geographic region based at least in part upon the analyzing of the spatial correspondence between the extracted text and the entries in the database of known points of interest;
- and
- if the digital image is a map of the geographic region, correlating a portion of the reference map that corresponds to the geographic region with the digital image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.