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.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method for assigning identifiers to geographic locations within digital map data, the method 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.
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:
- a context identifier associated with a geographic region;
- information identifying a location of a firstly plurality of cells dividing at least a part of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a first length;
- and
- information identifying a location of a second plurality of cells dividing one portions of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a second length,
- wherein geographic locations within the second plurality of cells are uniquely identified by identifiers of the first and second lengths, and
- 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:
- a context identifier associated with a geographic region;
- information identifying a location of a firstly plurality of cells dividing at least a part of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a first length;
- and
- information identifying a location of a second plurality of cells dividing one portions of the geographic region, each cell being associated with a unique identifier of a second length,
- wherein geographic locations within the second plurality of cells are uniquely identified by identifiers of the first and second lengths;
- and
- determining at least one geographic location corresponding to the respective identifier from the context table.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.