Method and apparatus for identifying geographic locations
AssigneeStichting Mapcode Foundation
InventorPieter Andreas Geelen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-implemented method for assigning identifiers to geographic locations within digital map data, comprising selecting a region within the map data, dividing the region into a first plurality of cells each uniquely addressable by an identifier of a first length, selecting a portion of the region and dividing the portion into a second plurality of cells each uniquely addressable by an identifier of a second length, wherein the second length is shorter length than the first length and a geographic location within the portion of the region may be uniquely identified by an identifier of the first length and an identifier of the second length.
Claims22
A computer-implemented method for assigning identifiers to geographic locations within digital map data, comprising:
- selecting a region within the map data;
- dividing the region into a first plurality of cells each uniquely addressable by an identifier of a first length;
- selecting a portion of the region;
- dividing the portion into a second plurality of cells each uniquely addressable by an identifier of a second length, wherein the second length is shorter than the first length identifier of the first length and an identifier of the second length;
- selecting a further portion of the region;
- dividing the further portion into a third plurality of cells each uniquely addressable by an identifier of a third length, wherein the length is shorter than the first length and second length, and wherein a geographic location within both the portion and further portion is uniquely identified by each of the identifiers of the first, second and third lengths;
- and
- generating and storing a context table comprising information identifying a location of the first, second and third plurality of cells and the indentifier for each cell.
A navigation device, comprising:
- a display screen for providing navigation information to a user;
- and
- a processor communicably coupled to a data store comprising a context table, wherein the context table comprises:
- information identifying a location of a first plurality of cells dividing a geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a first length;
- information identifying a location of a second plurality of cells dividing a portion of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a second length, said second length being shorter than the first length;
- and
- information identifying a location of a third plurality of cells dividing a further portion of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a third length, said third length being shorter than the first length and the second length,
- wherein geographic locations within both the portion and further portion are uniquely identified by each of the identifiers of the first, second and third lengths,
- wherein the processor is arranged to receive, from a user, at least one identifier, and to determine at least one geographic location corresponding to the respective identifier from the context table.
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- receiving, from a user, at least one identifier;
- accessing a data store comprising a context table, wherein the context table comprises:
- information identifying a location of a first plurality of cells dividing a geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a first length;
- information identifying a location of a second plurality of cells dividing a portion of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a second length, said second length being shorter than the first length, wherein geographic locations within the second plurality of cells are uniquely identified by identifiers of the first and second lengths;
- and
- information identifying a location of a third plurality of cells dividing a further portion of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a third length, said third length being shorter than the first length and the second length;
- wherein geographic locations within both the portion and further portion are uniquely identified by each of the identifiers of the first, second and third lengths;
- and
- determining at least one geographic location corresponding to the respective identifier from the context table.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.