Patent Grant
9842120
With the explosion of mobile devices, a variety of needs exist related to digital maps. For example, a need exists for ways to standardize address, provide location-based services, confirmation the location of points of interest, and generate geographic representations of geographic areas.
In general, embodiments of the present invention provide methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, and/or the like.
In accordance with one aspect, a method is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises (1) identifying a plurality of records corresponding to a serviceable point, wherein each of the plurality of records comprises location data collected from a visit to the serviceable point; (2) determining reference location data for the serviceable point based at least in part on the location data from each of the plurality of records; and (3) assigning the reference location data to each of the plurality of records corresponding to the serviceable point.
In accordance with another aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product may comprise at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising executable portions configured to (1) identify a plurality of records corresponding to a serviceable point, wherein each of the plurality of records comprises location data collected from a visit to the serviceable point; (2) determine reference location data for the serviceable point based at least in part on the location data from each of the plurality of records; and (3) assign the reference location data to each of the plurality of records corresponding to the serviceable point.
In accordance with yet another aspect, an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code is provided. In one embodiment, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to (1) identify a plurality of records corresponding to a serviceable point, wherein each of the plurality of records comprises location data collected from a visit to the serviceable point; (2) determine reference location data for the serviceable point based at least in part on the location data from each of the plurality of records; and (3) assign the reference location data to each of the plurality of records corresponding to the serviceable point.
In accordance with one aspect, a method is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises (1) identifying a plurality of records corresponding to a geographic area, wherein each of the plurality of records comprises location data associated with the geographic area, the location data collected from one or more visits to the geographic area; (2) generating a geographic representation of the geographic area based at least in part on the location data from the plurality of records; and (3) causing display of the geographic representation of the geographic representation of the geographic area.
In accordance with another aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product may comprise at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising executable portions configured to (1) identify a plurality of records corresponding to a geographic area, wherein each of the plurality of records comprises location data associated with the geographic area, the location data collected from one or more visits to the geographic area; (2) generate a geographic representation of the geographic area based at least in part on the location data from the plurality of records; and (3) cause display of the geographic representation of the geographic representation of the geographic area.
In accordance with yet another aspect, an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code is provided. In one embodiment, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to (1) identify a plurality of records corresponding to a geographic area, wherein each of the plurality of records comprises location data associated with the geographic area, the location data collected from one or more visits to the geographic area; (2) generate a geographic representation of the geographic area based at least in part on the location data from the plurality of records; and (3) cause display of the geographic representation of the geographic representation of the geographic area.
In accordance with one aspect, a method is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises (1) receiving input identifying a geographic area and search criteria; (2) providing the search criteria for a search to be performed based on the geographic area and the search criteria; (3) receiving and causing display of the results of the search to a mobile device, wherein the results comprise information about a point of interest; and (4) after providing the results of the search to the mobile device, monitoring the location of the mobile device to determine when the mobile device is proximate the point of interest.
In accordance with another aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product may comprise at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising executable portions configured to (1) receive input identifying a geographic area and search criteria; (2) provide the search criteria for a search to be performed based on the geographic area and the search criteria; (3) receive and cause display of the results of the search to a mobile device, wherein the results comprise information about a point of interest; and (4) after providing the results of the search to the mobile device, monitor the location of the mobile device to determine when the mobile device is proximate the point of interest.
In accordance with yet another aspect, an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code is provided. In one embodiment, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to (1) receive input identifying a geographic area and search criteria; (2) provide the search criteria for a search to be performed based on the geographic area and the search criteria; (3) receive and cause display of the results of the search to a mobile device, wherein the results comprise information about a point of interest; and (4) after providing the results of the search to the mobile device, monitor the location of the mobile device to determine when the mobile device is proximate the point of interest.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Various embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. The term “or” is used herein in both the alternative and conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. The terms “illustrative” and “exemplary” are used to be examples with no indication of quality level. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various ways, including as computer program products that comprise articles of manufacture. A computer program product may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, program code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like (also referred to herein as executable instructions, instructions for execution, program code, and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably). Such non-transitory computer-readable storage media include all computer-readable media (including volatile and non-volatile media).
In one embodiment, a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may include a floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, solid-state storage (SSS) (e.g., a solid state drive (SSD), solid state card (SSC), solid state module (SSM)), enterprise flash drive, magnetic tape, or any other non-transitory magnetic medium, and/or the like. A non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may also include a punch card, paper tape, optical mark sheet (or any other physical medium with patterns of holes or other optically recognizable indicia), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc-rewritable (CD-RW), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD), any other non-transitory optical medium, and/or the like. Such a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may also include read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., Serial, NAND, NOR, and/or the like), multimedia memory cards (MMC), secure digital (SD) memory cards, SmartMedia cards, CompactFlash (CF) cards, Memory Sticks, and/or the like. Further, a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may also include conductive-bridging random access memory (CBRAM), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), ferroelectric random-access memory (FeRAM), non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM), resistive random-access memory (RRAM), Silicon-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon memory (SONOS), floating junction gate random access memory (FJG RAM), Millipede memory, racetrack memory, and/or the like.
In one embodiment, a volatile computer-readable storage medium may include random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), fast page mode dynamic random access memory (FPM DRAM), extended data-out dynamic random access memory (EDO DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), double data rate type two synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR2 SDRAM), double data rate type three synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR3 SDRAM), Rambus dynamic random access memory (RDRAM), Twin Transistor RAM (TTRAM), Thyristor RAM (T-RAM), Zero-capacitor (Z-RAM), Rambus in-line memory module (RIMM), dual in-line memory module (DIMM), single in-line memory module (SIMM), video random access memory (VRAM), cache memory (including various levels), flash memory, register memory, and/or the like. It will be appreciated that where embodiments are described to use a computer-readable storage medium, other types of computer-readable storage media may be substituted for or used in addition to the computer-readable storage media described above.
As should be appreciated, various embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented as methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, and/or the like. As such, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of an apparatus, system, computing device, computing entity, and/or the like executing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to perform certain steps or operations. However, embodiments of the present invention may also take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment performing certain steps or operations.
Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations. Thus, it should be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations may be implemented in the form of a computer program product, an entirely hardware embodiment, a combination of hardware and computer program products, and/or apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, and/or the like carrying out instructions, operations, steps, and similar words used interchangeably (e.g., the executable instructions, instructions for execution, program code, and/or the like) on a computer-readable storage medium for execution. For example, retrieval, loading, and execution of code may be performed sequentially such that one instruction is retrieved, loaded, and executed at a time. In some exemplary embodiments, retrieval, loading, and/or execution may be performed in parallel such that multiple instructions are retrieved, loaded, and/or executed together. Thus, such embodiments can produce specifically-configured machines performing the steps or operations specified in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations. Accordingly, the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations support various combinations of embodiments for performing the specified instructions, operations, or steps.
a. Exemplary Vehicle
In various embodiments, the term vehicle 100 is used generically. For example, a vehicle 100 may be a tractor, a truck, a car, a motorcycle, a moped, a Segway, a bicycle, a golf cart, a hand truck, a cart, a trailer, a tractor and trailer combination, a van, a flatbed truck, a vehicle, drone, airplane, helicopter, and/or any other form of object for moving or transporting people and/or items (e.g., one or more packages, parcels, bags, containers, loads, crates, items banded together, vehicle parts, pallets, drums, the like, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably). Although in certain embodiments, the vehicle may be unmanned. In one embodiment, each vehicle 100 may be associated with a unique vehicle identifier (such as a vehicle ID) that uniquely identifies the vehicle 100. The unique vehicle ID (e.g., trailer ID, tractor ID, vehicle ID, and/or the like) may include characters, such as numbers, letters, symbols, and/or the like. For example, an alphanumeric vehicle ID (e.g., “AS445”) may be associated with each vehicle 100. In another embodiment, the unique vehicle ID may be the license plate, registration number, or other identifying information assigned to the vehicle 100.
In one embodiment, the data collection device 130 may include, be associated with, or be in communication with one or more processors 200 (various exemplary processors are described in greater detail below), one or more location-determining devices or one or more location sensors 120 (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensors), one or more telematics sensors 125, one or more real-time clocks 215, a J-Bus protocol architecture, one or more electronic control modules (ECM) 245, one or more communication ports 230 for receiving telematics data from various sensors (e.g., via a CAN-bus), one or more communication ports 205 for transmitting/sending data, one or more RFID tags/sensors 250, one or more power sources 220, one or more data radios 235 for communication with a variety of communication networks, one or more memory modules 210, and one or more programmable logic controllers (PLC) 225. It should be noted that many of these components may be located in the vehicle 100 but external to the data collection device 130.
In one embodiment, the one or more location sensors 120, modules, or similar words used herein interchangeably may be one of several components in communication with or available to the data collection device 130. Moreover, the one or more location sensors 120 may be compatible with GPS satellites 115, such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems, Department of Defense (DOD) satellite systems, the European Union Galileo positioning systems, the Chinese Compass navigation systems, Indian Regional Navigational satellite systems, and/or the like. This data can be collected using a variety of coordinate systems, such as the Decimal Degrees (DD); Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS); Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM); Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS) coordinate systems; and/or the like. Alternatively, triangulation may be used in connection with a device associated with a particular vehicle and/or the vehicle's operator and with various communication points (e.g., cellular towers or Wi-Fi access points) positioned at various locations throughout a geographic area to monitor the location of the vehicle 100 and/or its operator. The one or more location sensors 120 may be used to receive latitude, longitude, altitude, heading or direction, geocode, course, position, time, and/or speed data (e.g., referred to herein as telematics data and further described herein below). The one or more location sensors 120 may also communicate with the mapping computing entity 110, the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, and/or similar computing entities.
As indicated, in addition to the one or more location sensors 120, the data collection device 130 may include and/or be associated with one or more telematics sensors 125, modules, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably. For example, the telematics sensors 125 may include vehicle sensors, such as engine, fuel, odometer, hubometer, tire pressure, location, weight, emissions, door, and speed sensors. The telematics data may include, but is not limited to, speed data, emissions data, RPM data, tire pressure data, oil pressure data, seat belt usage data, distance data, fuel data, idle data, and/or the like (e.g., referred to herein as telematics data). The telematics sensors 125 may include environmental sensors, such as air quality sensors, temperature sensors, and/or the like. Thus, the telematics data may also include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), ozone (O3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and/or ammonium (NH4) data, and/or meteorological data (e.g., referred to herein as telematics data).
In one embodiment, the ECM 245 may be one of several components in communication with and/or available to the data collection device 130. The ECM 245, which may be a scalable and subservient device to the data collection device 130, may have data processing capability to decode and store analog and digital inputs from vehicle systems and sensors. The ECM 245 may further have data processing capability to collect and present telematics data to the J-Bus (which may allow transmission to the data collection device 130), and output standard vehicle diagnostic codes when received from a vehicle's J-Bus-compatible on-board controllers 240 and/or sensors.
As indicated, a communication port 230 may be one of several components available in the data collection device 130 (or be in or as a separate computing entity). Embodiments of the communication port 230 may include an Infrared data Association (IrDA) communication port, a data radio, and/or a serial port. The communication port 230 may receive instructions for the data collection device 130. These instructions may be specific to the vehicle 100 in which the data collection device 130 is installed, specific to the geographic area in which the vehicle 100 will be traveling, specific to the function the vehicle 100 serves within a fleet, and/or the like. In one embodiment, the data radio 235 may be configured to communicate with a wireless wide area network (WWAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN), or any combination thereof. For example, the data radio 235 may communicate via various wireless protocols, such as 802.11, general packet radio service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), CDMA2000 1× (1×RTT), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), 802.16 (WiMAX), ultra wideband (UWB), infrared (IR) protocols, Bluetooth protocols (including Bluetooth low energy (BLE)), wireless universal serial bus (USB) protocols, and/or any other wireless protocol.
b. Exemplary Mapping Computing Entity
As indicated, in one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 may also include one or more communications interfaces 320 for communicating with various computing entities, such as by communicating data, content, information, and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably that can be transmitted, received, operated on, processed, displayed, stored, and/or the like. For instance, the mapping computing entity 110 may communicate with vehicles 100, mobile devices 105, and/or the like.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 may further include or be in communication with non-volatile media (also referred to as non-volatile storage, memory, memory storage, memory circuitry and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably). In one embodiment, the non-volatile storage or memory may include one or more non-volatile storage or memory media 310 as described above, such as hard disks, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, MMCs, SD memory cards, Memory Sticks, CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM, RRAM, SONOS, racetrack memory, and/or the like. As will be recognized, the non-volatile storage or memory media may store databases, database instances, database management system entities, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like. The term database, database instance, database management system entity, and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably may refer to a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as via a relational database, hierarchical database, and/or network database.
In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 may further include or be in communication with volatile media (also referred to as volatile storage, memory, memory storage, memory circuitry and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably). In one embodiment, the volatile storage or memory may also include one or more volatile storage or memory media 315 as described above, such as RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory, and/or the like. As will be recognized, the volatile storage or memory media may be used to store at least portions of the databases, database instances, database management system entities, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like being executed by, for example, the processing element 305. Thus, the databases, database instances, database management system entities, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like may be used to control certain aspects of the operation of the mapping computing entity 110 with the assistance of the processing element 305 and operating system.
As indicated, in one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 may also include one or more communications interfaces 320 for communicating with various computing entities, such as by communicating data, content, information, and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably that can be transmitted, received, operated on, processed, displayed, stored, and/or the like. For instance, the mapping computing entity 110 may communicate with computing entities or communication interfaces of the vehicle 100, mobile devices 105, and/or the like.
Such communication may be executed using a wired data transmission protocol, such as fiber distributed data interface (FDDI), digital subscriber line (DSL), Ethernet, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay, data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS), or any other wired transmission protocol. Similarly, the mapping computing entity 110 may be configured to communicate via wireless external communication networks using any of a variety of protocols, such as GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000, 1×RTT, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, EVDO, HSPA, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, IR protocols, Bluetooth protocols, USB protocols, and/or any other wireless protocol. Although not shown, the mapping computing entity 110 may include or be in communication with one or more input elements, such as a keyboard input, a mouse input, a touch screen/display input, audio input, pointing device input, joystick input, keypad input, and/or the like. The mapping computing entity 110 may also include or be in communication with one or more output elements (not shown), such as audio output, video output, screen/display output, motion output, movement output, and/or the like.
As will be appreciated, one or more of the mapping computing entity's 110 components may be located remotely from other mapping computing entity 110 components, such as in a distributed system. Furthermore, one or more of the components may be combined and additional components performing functions described herein may be included in the mapping computing entity 110. Thus, the mapping computing entity 110 can be adapted to accommodate a variety of needs and circumstances.
c. Exemplary Mobile Device
The signals provided to and received from the transmitter 404 and the receiver 406, respectively, may include signaling data in accordance with an air interface standard of applicable wireless systems to communicate with various entities, such as vehicles 100, mapping computing entities 110, and/or the like. In this regard, the mobile device 105 may be capable of operating with one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, and access types. More particularly, the mobile device 105 may operate in accordance with any of a number of wireless communication standards and protocols. In a particular embodiment, the mobile device 105 may operate in accordance with multiple wireless communication standards and protocols, such as GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000, 1×RTT, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, EVDO, HSPA, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, IR protocols, Bluetooth protocols, USB protocols, and/or any other wireless protocol.
Via these communication standards and protocols, the mobile device 105 can communicate with various other entities using concepts such as Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency Signaling (DTMF), and/or Subscriber Identity Module Dialer (SIM dialer). The mobile device 105 can also download changes, add-ons, and updates, for instance, to its firmware, software (e.g., including executable instructions, applications, program modules), and operating system.
According to one embodiment, the mobile device 105 may include location determining aspects, devices, modules, functionalities, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably. For example, the mobile device 105 may include outdoor positioning aspects, such as a location module adapted to acquire, for example, latitude, longitude, altitude, geocode, course, direction, heading, speed, UTC, date, and/or various other information/data. In one embodiment, the location module can acquire data, sometimes known as ephemeris data, by identifying the number of satellites in view and the relative positions of those satellites. The satellites may be a variety of different satellites, including LEO satellite systems, DOD satellite systems, the European Union Galileo positioning systems, the Chinese Compass navigation systems, Indian Regional Navigational satellite systems, and/or the like. Alternatively, the location information may be determined by triangulating the mobile device's 105 position in connection with a variety of other systems, including cellular towers, Wi-Fi access points, and/or the like. Similarly, the mobile device 105 may include indoor positioning aspects, such as a location module adapted to acquire, for example, latitude, longitude, altitude, geocode, course, direction, heading, speed, time, date, and/or various other information/data. Some of the indoor aspects may use various position or location technologies including RFID tags, indoor beacons or transmitters, Wi-Fi access points, cellular towers, nearby computing devices (e.g., smartphones, laptops) and/or the like. For instance, such technologies may include iBeacons, Gimbal proximity beacons, BLE transmitters, Near Field Communication (NFC) transmitters, and/or the like. These indoor positioning aspects can be used in a variety of settings to determine the location of someone or something to within inches or centimeters.
The mobile device 105 may also comprise a user interface (that can include a display 416 coupled to a processing element 408) and/or a user input interface (coupled to a processing element 408). For example, the user interface may be an application, browser, user interface, dashboard, webpage, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably executing on and/or accessible via the mobile device 105 to interact with and/or cause display of information. The user input interface can comprise any of a number of devices allowing the mobile device 105 to receive data, such as a keypad 418 (hard or soft), a touch display, voice or motion interfaces, scanners, readers, or other input device. In embodiments including a keypad 418, the keypad 418 can include (or cause display of) the conventional numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other keys used for operating the mobile device 105 and may include a full set of alphabetic keys or set of keys that may be activated to provide a full set of alphanumeric keys. In addition to providing input, the user input interface can be used, for example, to activate or deactivate certain functions, such as screen savers and/or sleep modes. Through such inputs the mobile device can collect contextual data as part of the telematics data.
The mobile device 105 can also include volatile storage or memory 422 and/or non-volatile storage or memory 424, which can be embedded and/or may be removable. For example, the non-volatile memory may be ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, MMCs, SD memory cards, Memory Sticks, CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM, RRAM, SONOS, racetrack memory, and/or the like. The volatile memory may be RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory, and/or the like. The volatile and non-volatile storage or memory can store databases, database instances, database management system entities, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like to implement the functions of the mobile device 105.
d. Exemplary User Computing Entity
In one embodiment, the user computing entities 140 may each include one or more components that are functionally similar to those of the mapping computing entity 110 and/or the mobile device 105. For example, in one embodiment, each of the user computing entities 140 may include: (1) a processing element that communicates with other elements via a system interface or bus; (2) a user interface; (3) transitory and non-transitory memory; and (4) a communications interface. As previously noted, the user computing entity 140 may comprise a user interface. For example, the user interface may be an application, browser, user interface, dashboard, webpage, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably executing on and/or accessible via the user computing entity 140 to interact with and/or cause display of information from the mapping computing entity 110 and/or the mobile device 105, as described herein. These architectures are provided for exemplary purposes only and are not limiting to the various embodiments.
Reference will now be made to
a. Exemplary Map Information
In one embodiment, a “serviceable point” may be any identifiable location, such as one or more addresses, one or more delivery locations, one or more pickup locations, one or more parking locations, one or more sidewalks, one or more highways, one or more trails, one or more alleys, one or more paths, one or more walkways, one or more streets, one or more street segments, one or more entrance or exit ramps, one or more roads, one or more longitude and latitude points, one or more geocodes, one or more zip codes, one or more area codes, one or more cities, one or more counties, one or more states, one or more provinces, one or more countries, one or more stops (e.g., pick up stops, delivery stops, vehicle visits), one or more geofenced areas, one or more geographic areas, one or more landmarks, one or more buildings, one or more bridges, and/or other identifiable locations. For example, a serviceable point may be a residential location, such as one or more homes, one or more mobile homes, one or more apartments, one or more apartment buildings, one or more condominiums, one or more townhomes, one or more points at such locations, and/or the like. The serviceable point may also be any specific location at a residential location, such as a front door of a residence, a side door of a residence, a garage door of a residence, a porch, driveway, and/or the like. A serviceable point may also be a commercial location, such as one or more stores in a mall, one or more office buildings, one or more office parks, one or more offices of an apartment complex, one or more garages, one or more warehouses, one or more restaurants, one or more stores, one or more suites, one or more retail locations, one or more points at such locations, and/or the like. The serviceable point may also be any specific location at a commercial location, e.g., (e.g., front door of a commercial location, dock of a commercial location, and/or the like). A serviceable point may be one or more streets, one or more street segments, one or more zones, one or more areas, one or more latitude and/or longitude points (e.g., 33.7869128, −84.3875602), one or more geocodes, and/or the like. A serviceable point may be any identifiable location. As will be recognized, a variety of approaches and techniques can be used to adapt to various needs and circumstances.
In certain embodiments, serviceable points can be represented digitally in geographical, digital maps as map information/data. Map data may include boundary, location, and attribute data corresponding to the various serviceable points and/or the like. As will be recognized, the map data can be stored using a variety of formats, layers, and/or the like—including shapefiles, ArcMaps, geodatabases, coverages, imagery, rasters, computer-aided drafting (CAD) files, other storage formats, and/or the like. For instance, the mapping computing entity 110 can appropriately store/record map information/data as a part of a digital map, e.g., as part of a feature layer, raster layer, service layer, geoprocessing layer, basemap layer, and/or the like.
Further, serviceable points can be represented in digital maps as being accessible by one or more street networks or street segments of a street network. A “street network” is collection of street segments that comprise navigable/traversable/travelable roads, streets, highways, paths, trails, walkways, entrance and exit ramps, bridges, sidewalks, alleys, and/or the like that can be used to access serviceable points. Similar to serviceable points, street networks can be represented in digital maps as navigable/traversable/travelable segments or points for traveling to and/or from serviceable points.
As will be recognized, digital maps (e.g., map data) may include various types of information about serviceable points and street networks, such as the longitude of street segments and/or serviceable points, the latitude of street segments and/or serviceable points, the altitude of street segments and/or serviceable points, the speed limits of street segments, direction restrictions for street segments, time penalties for street segments, and/or other information associated with street networks and serviceable points, and/or the like. For example, in one embodiment, a serviceable point may be represented by and/or associated with a longitude and latitude, a geocode, a nearest street segment, an address, and/or the like. Similarly, street segments of street networks may be represented by or associated with a street name, a segment identifier, a connecting node, an address or address range, a series of longitude and latitude coordinates, and/or the like that define the overall shape and location of the street segment. As will be recognized, a variety of other approaches and techniques can be used to adapt to various needs and circumstances.
In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 may store digital maps. In another embodiment, the mapping computing may be in communication with or associated with one or more mapping websites/servers/providers/databases (including providers such as maps.google.com, bing.com/maps/, mapquest.com, Tele Atlas®, NAVTEQ®, and/or the like) that provide map data of digital maps to a variety of users and/or entities. Using the digital maps, an appropriate computing entity can provide map information/data, for example, about serviceable points (e.g., their locations, attributes, and/or the like) and/or their corresponding street networks based on map data. An appropriate computing entity can also provide map information/data, for example, about traveling to different serviceable points on the street networks. For instance, the map data may include a route for delivering one or more items to different serviceable points, the most efficient order for delivering items to the serviceable points, directions for traveling to and/or from the serviceable points, the estimated distance for traveling to and/or from the serviceable points, the expected time for traveling to and/or from the serviceable points, and/or the like. The term “route” is used generically to refer to any path traversed by a vehicle 100, person, animal, and/or the like. The map data may also include other information about serviceable points and/or traveling to and from serviceable points, such as current estimated speeds for associated street segments, historical speeds for associated street segments, nearest street segments, posted speed limits for associated street segments, interpolated locations of serviceable points, reverse geocoded locations of serviceable points, latitude and longitude points of serviceable points, distances between various serviceable points, directions, stop orders, and/or the like. Certain examples of these types of information are described in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/940,824, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify and/or retrieve map data associated with serviceable points and/or geographic areas (e.g., areas/points of interest). A geographic area may be one or more delivery routes, serviceable points, delivery locations, parking locations, sidewalks, highways, trails, geofenced areas, alleys, paths, walkways, streets, routes, street segments, entrance or exit ramps, roads, zip codes, area codes, cities, counties, states, provinces, countries, and/or other identifiable location.
In one embodiment, although not necessary, the map data can be provided to the driver of the vehicle 100 in a variety of ways and using various formats. For instance, the mobile device 105 (or other appropriate device) may provide turn-by-turn navigation to the driver of a vehicle 100 for traveling between each stop. As will be recognized, a variety of other approaches and techniques can be used to adapt to various needs and circumstances.
In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify and/or retrieve other map data associated with serviceable points and/or geographic areas. In one example, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify, retrieve, or determine the interpolated or reverse geocoded locations on the street networks for one or more of the serviceable points shown in Table 2, for instance. Or, in another example, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify, retrieve, and/or reverse geocode the latitude and longitude points of the serviceable points if available, such as the location of 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest being located at 33.7869128, −84.3875602. As will be recognized, a variety of other techniques and approaches can be used to adapt to various needs and circumstances.
The information/data about street networks, street segments, direction, altitudes, longitudes, latitudes, speed limits, direction restrictions, and/or the like can be collected in a variety of ways.
b. Telematics Data
In one embodiment, telematics data associated with serviceable points, geographic areas, points/areas of interest, street networks, street segments, and/or the like can be collected/captured (Block 500 of
1. Geofence Based: Defined Geographic Areas
In one embodiment, the process may be begin with a computing entity (e.g., via a user operating the computing entity) identifying or defining one or more geographic areas. In one embodiment, the geographic areas may correspond to countries, regions, states, counties, cities, towns, private land areas, vehicle staging areas, parking lots (e.g., at malls or other establishments), driveways, and/or the like. For example, geographic areas may be defined around the United States, the state of Georgia, Gwinnett County in the state of Georgia, zip codes, area codes, and/or the like. In one embodiment, the geographic areas may correspond to roads, streets, avenues, toll roads, ways, interstates, and/or the like. For example, each geographic area may be defined around a public road (e.g., substantially around 1-285) or a portion of a public road (e.g., exit and/or entrance ramps on 1-75 in Georgia or throughout the U.S.). In one embodiment, the geographic areas may correspond to delivery routes, bus routes, and/or taxis routes (e.g., driven by delivery drivers, bus drivers, and/or taxis drivers). The geographic areas may be defined based on zoning classifications associated with different geographic areas (e.g., an office park, industrial park, and/or neighborhood).
According to various embodiments of the present invention, a geographic area may overlap or reside wholly within another geographic area. Geographic areas may, for example, be as large as an entire country, region, state, county, city, or town (or larger). According to various embodiments, the geographic areas need not be continuous. In other words, a geographic area may specifically exclude an area that would otherwise fall within the geographic area (e.g., such that the geographic area forms a donut or other shape around the excluded area).
The geographic areas may be defined based on any number and/or combination of factors including, but not limited to, those described above. The foregoing examples are therefore provided for exemplary purposes only and should not be taken in any way as limiting embodiments of the present invention to the examples provided.
2. Geofence Based: Defined Geofences
In one embodiment, once the geographic areas have been defined or identified, a computing entity (e.g., via the user operating a computing entity) may define one or more geofences, such as defining a geofence around a geographic area. The geofences may be defined to surround a defined geographic area, such as surrounding countries, regions, states, counties, cities, towns, interstates, roads, streets, avenues, toll roads, zip codes, area codes, ways, exit and entrance ramps, delivery routes, bus routes, taxis routes, industrial parks, neighborhoods, off-road areas (e.g., areas without paved roads), private land areas, parking lots (e.g., at malls or other establishments), driveways, and/or the like. The geofences may be defined, for example, by the latitude and longitude coordinates associated with various points along the perimeter of the geographic area. Alternatively, geofences may be defined based on latitude and longitude coordinates of the center, as well as the radius, of the geographic area. Geofences may be as large as an entire country, region, state, county, city, or town (or larger). The geographic areas, and therefore the geofences, may be any shape including, but not limited to, a circle, square, rectangle, an irregular shape, and/or the like. Moreover, the geofenced areas need not be the same shape or size. Accordingly, any combination of shapes and sizes may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Similarly, a geofence may overlap or reside wholly within another geofence.
In one embodiment, once at least one geofence has been defined, the coordinates (or similar methods for defining the geofenced areas) may be stored in an information/database associated with, for example, the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, and/or mapping computing entity 110. Thus, as the vehicle 100 enters and exits the one or more defined geofences, a computing entity (the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, and/or mapping computing entity 110) can monitor the location of the vehicle 100 and trigger/initiate certain events based on the vehicle's 100 location.
3. Geofence Based: Collection of Telematics Information/Data
In one embodiment, after the one or more geofenced areas (e.g., geofences) have been defined, the location of the vehicle 100 can be monitored (Block 500 of
In one embodiment, in response to (e.g., after) a determination that a vehicle 100 has entered a defined geofenced area, a computing entity (e.g., the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, or mapping computing entity 110) can collect/capture relevant telematics information/data. For example, the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, or any other appropriate computing entity can collect/capture telematics information/data (e.g., latitude, longitude, direction, altitude, geocode, course, position, time, and/or speed information/data) about the area being traversed while within the geofenced area. Similarly, the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, or any other appropriate computing entity can collect/capture telematics data about where a delivery, pickup, or vehicle visit is made within the geofenced area. As will be recognized, a variety of other information/data (e.g., telematics information/data) can also be collected/captured such as speed information/data, geofenced area information/data (e.g., the triggering geofence), emissions information/data, engine information/data, tire pressure information/data, oil pressure information/data, idle information/data, meteorological information/data, and/or the like. In one embodiment, the collected telematics information/data can be routinely, periodically, and/or continuously transmitted to, for example, the mapping computing entity 110.
In one embodiment, after the vehicle 100 has entered the geofenced area, the location of the vehicle 100 can continue to be monitored by any of a variety of computing entities. By using the vehicle's 100 location, a computing entity can determine, for example, when the vehicle 100 exits the defined geofenced area. As described, this may include using location-determining devices, location sensors 120 (e.g., GNSS sensors), or other telemetry location services (e.g., cellular assisted GPS or real time location system or server technology using received signal strength indicators from a Wi-Fi network).
In another embodiment, in response to (e.g., after) a determination that a vehicle 100 has exited the defined geofenced area, a computing entity can collect/capture relevant telematics information/data. For instance, the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, or any other appropriate computing entity can collect/capture telematics information/data (e.g., latitude, longitude, location, direction, altitude, geocode, course, position, time, and/or speed information/data) about the area being traversed outside the geofenced area. Similarly, the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, or any other appropriate computing entity can collect/capture telematics data about where a delivery, pickup, or vehicle visit is made outside the geofenced area. As described, a variety of other telematics information/data (e.g., telematics information/data) can also be collected/captured, such as speed information/data, emissions information/data, geofenced area information/data (e.g., the triggering geofence), RPM information/data, tire pressure information/data, oil pressure information/data, idle information/data, meteorological information/data, and/or the like. Moreover, the collected telematics information/data can be routinely, periodically, and/or continuously transmitted to, for example, the mapping computing entity 110.
As indicated, collected/captured telematics information/data can be stored/recorded in an electronic record. For example, in one embodiment, a computing entity (e.g., the data collection device 130, mobile device 105, or mapping computing entity 110) can create a record for each serviceable point, for each visit to a serviceable point, each variation of an address or name associated with a serviceable point, for a route, for a trip, for a time period, and/or the like. In these examples, the records can be updated on a routine, periodic, and/or continuous basis. As will be recognized, a variety of other approaches and techniques can be used to adapt to various needs and circumstances.
4. Non-Geofence Based: Collection of Telematics Information/Data
In one embodiment, the appropriate computing entities can collect/capture telematics data regularly, periodically, continuously, and/or upon determining the occurrence of one or more predefined triggers/events (Block 500 of
The data collection device 130, for example, can determine whether any of such (or other) predefined triggers/events have occurred as the vehicle 100 traverses, travels, visits, or operates on street networks (or other areas) and/or as the driver operates the vehicle 100 and/or mobile device 105. If a predefined trigger/event is detected, the data collection device 130 (or other devices) can capture and store telematics data from the vehicle sensors 120, 125. As noted earlier, the telematics data captured from the sensors 120, 125 may include various types of telematics data, including location data.
If a predefined trigger/event is not detected, the data collection device 130 (or other devices) can determine whether a threshold data capture time has elapsed. For example, in one embodiment, the threshold data capture time can be defined as 30 seconds (or any other time period). If the data collection device 130 determines that the threshold data capture time has not elapsed, the data collection device 130 can continue monitoring for predefined events. However, if the data collection device 130 determines that the threshold data capture time has elapsed (e.g., more than 30 seconds have passed since the last time that data was captured from the vehicle sensors), the data collection device 130 can capture telematics data.
In one embodiment, the telematics data may include contextual data collected/captured with the telematics data. In another embodiment, contextual data can be associated with the collected/captured telematics data. For instance, an appropriate computing entity (e.g., mobile device 105) can be configured to collect/capture some or all of the following contextual data: (a) the date (e.g., Dec. 30, 2014) and time (e.g., 13:24) the telematics data is captured; (b) the driver associated with the mobile device 105 at the time the telematics data is captured (e.g., James P. Smith); (c) the vehicle associated with the driver at the time the telematics data is captured (e.g., a vehicle identification number such as AS445); (d) the type of telematics data captured (e.g., stop status, lunch break); (e) if applicable—a route number and/or stop number associated with the input telematics data (e.g., stop 3); (f) the serviceable point associated with the telematics data captured; (g) the address associated with the telematics data captured; (h) a logged reason for and location of the data capture (e.g., a code indicating the detected predefined trigger/event or indicating that the threshold data capture time interval elapsed); and/or the like. Further, in one embodiment, an appropriate computing entity (e.g., the data collection device 130, the mapping computing entity 110, the mobile device 105, and/or the like) can be configured to associate the captured telematics data with the contextual data by, for example, storing fields of telematics data captured from the vehicle sensors 120, 125 in the same record, or records, as concurrently captured contextual data, thereby associating the two types of data if necessary.
In one embodiment, the data collection device 130 (or other devices) can transmit the captured telematics data and/or associated contextual data to the mapping computing entity 110 or mobile device 105. This may be accomplished by using any of the transmission methods and systems described herein, as well as other methods, protocols, and systems known in the art. In one embodiment, the data collection device 130 can be configured to first attempt to transmit captured data to the mapping computing entity 110, and subsequently attempt to transfer data to the mobile device 105 if a connection with the mapping computing entity 110 is unavailable.
According to various embodiments, the mobile device 105 can also be configured to capture telematics data. More specifically, the mobile device 105 can collect/capture telematics data regularly, periodically, continuously, and/or upon determining the occurrence of one or more predefined triggers/events. For instance, the mobile device 105 can monitor its user interface or other inputs for user input (e.g., from a driver). In one embodiment, the mobile device 105 can be configured to receive and recognize user input indicating some or all of the following: (a) that a delivery stop has commenced; (b) that a delivery stop has ended; (c) that a particular delivery stop is a pickup, delivery, or both; (d) that a particular bill of lading and its associated freight or packages have been picked up or delivered; (e) the number of units picked up or delivered at a stop; (f) the weight of packages or freight picked up or delivered at a stop; (g) that a lunch or break period has commenced; (h) that a lunch or break period has ended; (i) that a particular delay has been encountered; (j) that a particular delay has ended; (k) that a driver has begun a work day and is on the clock; (l) that a driver has ended a work day and is off the clock; (m) that the vehicle 100 has moved out of a geo-fenced area (e.g., as indicated by a GPS sensor); (n) that the vehicle 100 has moved into a geo-fenced area; (o) that the vehicle 100 has moved into a geo-fenced area associated with a delivery area assigned to the vehicle 100 and/or its driver; (p) that the vehicle 100 has moved out of a geo-fenced area associated with a delivery area assigned to the vehicle 100 and/or its driver; (q) that a scan event of an item (e.g., scanning a barcode) has occurred; (r) that an electronic signature capture event has occurred; (s) that the vehicle 100 or driver is at a particular serviceable point; (t) that an item has been picked up from or delivered to a serviceable point; (u) that the vehicle 100 (or driver walking with the mobile device 105) has entered or exited a street network; (v) that the vehicle 100 has been placed in the park position; (w) that a configurable period of time has elapsed; (x) that a vehicle visit to a serviceable point has occurred; (y) as a result of a location-based search; and/or the like.
The mobile device 105 (or other devices) can determine whether any of such (or other) predefined triggers/events have occurred. If a predefined trigger/event is detected, the mobile device 105 (or other devices) can collect/capture and store telematics data. As noted earlier, the telematics data may include various types of telematics data, including location data. If a predefined trigger/event is not detected, the mobile device 105 can determine whether a threshold data capture time has elapsed. For example, in one embodiment, the threshold data capture time can be defined as 30 seconds (or any other predefined time period). If the mobile device 105 determines that the threshold data capture time has not elapsed, the mobile device 105 can continue monitoring for predefined events. However, if the mobile device 105 determines that the threshold data capture time has elapsed (e.g., more than 30 seconds have passed since the last time that data was captured from the vehicle sensors), the mobile device 105 can collect/capture telematics data.
In one embodiment, the telematics data may include contextual data. In another embodiment, the mobile device 105 can collect/capture contextual data and associate the contextual data with the collected/captured telematics data. For instance, the mobile device 105 can be configured to capture some or all of the following contextual data: (a) the date (e.g., Dec. 30, 2014) and time (e.g., 13:24) the telematics data is captured; (b) the driver associated with the mobile device 105 at the time the telematics data is captured (e.g., James P. Smith); (c) the vehicle associated with the driver at the time the telematics data is captured (e.g., a vehicle identification number such as AS445); (d) the type of telematics data captured (e.g., delay code, stop status); (e) if applicable—a route number and/or stop number associated with the input telematics data (e.g., route 1, stop 3); (f) the serviceable point associated with the telematics data; (g) the address associated with the telematics data; and/or the like. Further, the mobile device 105 (or other appropriate computing entity) can be configured to associate the collected/captured telematics data with the collected/captured contextual data in order to ensure that concurrently captured telematics data and contextual data are linked. For example, in one embodiment, the mobile device 105 can be configured to store one or more fields of telematics data in the same record, or records, as concurrently captured contextual data, thereby associating the two types of data if necessary.
In one embodiment, the mobile device 105 can transmit the captured telematics data and/or associated contextual data to the mapping computing entity 110. This may be accomplished by using any of the transmission methods and systems described herein, as well as other methods, protocols, and systems known in the art. In one embodiment, the mobile device 105 can be configured to first attempt to transmit captured data to the mapping computing entity 110, and subsequently attempt to transfer data to the data collection device 130 if a connection with the mapping computing entity 110 is unavailable.
c. Assignment of Geocodes to Addresses
As will be recognized, the mapping computing entity 110 can assign location information/data (e.g., geocode information/data, longitude and latitude information/data, and/or the like) from the telematics data collected for a serviceable point and store/record the assigned location information/data in a record for the serviceable point. For example, assume a package is picked up from or delivered to 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309—although embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the pick-up or delivery context. Further assume that the location information/data collected during the pick up or delivery indicates that this serviceable point is located at 33.7869128, −84.3875602 (using the DD coordinate system). This location information/data can be collected as described in detail above. Although this example is in the DD coordinate system, a variety of other formats can be used as well, such as the DMS, UTM, UPS coordinate systems, and/or the like. The mapping computing entity 110 can assign this location information/data to the serviceable point (1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309) and store/record the location information/data in a record for 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309.
d. Standardization
As previously described, each serviceable point can be assigned location information/data (and/or other types of telematics data). In the previous example, the serviceable point (e.g., 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309) is the address of a pickup or delivery location visited by carrier personnel. As will be recognized, there may be multiple variations of the address associated with a serviceable point (and any other serviceable point). For example, 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309 may be represented using a variety of addresses in different formats, including:
(1) 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309;
(2) 1201 W Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga. 30309;
(3) 1201 West Peachtree St., Atlanta, Ga. 30309;
(4) 1201 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta, Ga. 30309;
(5) 1201 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga. 30309;
(6) 1201 W Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30309; and
(7) 1201 W Peachtree St, NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30309.
This may be due to different acceptable abbreviations, standards, and practices. Each of these different address formats may be stored as a unique record corresponding to the serviceable point because they are not exactly the same. Moreover, each of these different address formats for 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309 may be associated with location information/data (potentially unique location information/data). The location information/data for each address format may vary depending on where the location information/data was collected for the visit to the serviceable point. For example, for a pickup or delivery, the location information/data can be collected near the mailbox, in the road in front of the serviceable point, at the front door, in a parking area near the serviceable point, and/or the like. Based on the different possible locations of the sample, the location information/data may also vary.
Even further, there may be various recipient names, entity names, location descriptions, and/or the like associated with a given serviceable point. For example, the names associated with the different address format variations for 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309 may include: (1) A. Richard Jones; (2) Richard Jones; (3) Rich Jones; (4) Kyle Jones; (5) Beverly Jones; and (6) Janice Jones. Thus, the mapping computing entity 110 may store/record or otherwise have access to location information/data for each address format and/or address format and name combination for which a record exists in one more databases to which the mapping computing entity 110 has access. Exemplary location information/data for the name and address combinations for 1201 West Peachtree Street are provided below and in
(1) 33.7869128, −84.3875602//A. Richard Jones//1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest;
(2) 33.7869124, −84.3875610//Richard Jones//1201 W Peachtree Street;
(3) 33.7869121, −84.3875605//Rich Jones//1201 West Peachtree St.;
(4) 33.7869123, −84.3875611//Kyle Jones//1201 W. Peachtree St.;
(5) 33.7869125, −84.3875613//Rich Jones//1201 West Peachtree Street;
(6) 33.7869128, −84.3875601//Rich Jones//1201 W Peachtree Street, NW;
(7) 33.7869131, −84.3875603//Beverly Jones//1201 W Peachtree St, NW;
(8) 33.7869130, −84.3875609//Janice Jones//1201 West Peachtree St.; and
(9) 33.7869126, −84.3875607//Janice Jones//1201 W. Peachtree St.
As shown in
In one embodiment, because of all the different combinations and potentially different location information/data, it can lead to many records for a single serviceable point and cause inefficient searching for addresses or names associated with serviceable points and uncertainty as to which location information/data is accurate for the serviceable point. For example, a search for the serviceable point for the address in the above example may return nine different results. Thus, address standardization for the serviceable points may provide clarity to the information/data, allow for the removal of extraneous records, and provide for reduced search times. In one embodiment, the address standardization may be used to reduce the number of records.
In one embodiment, multiple approaches can be used to standardize the addresses associated with serviceable points. For a given record, for example, a configurable distance (e.g., a tolerance, zone of confidence, geofence, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably) can be used to identify other potentially relevant address formats associated with a serviceable point. For instance, to create/determine a zone of confidence, the mapping computing entity 110 can use the location information/data that is stored/recorded in a record for a serviceable point to define a tolerance (e.g., a configurable distance) from the stored/recorded location information/data. The tolerance (e.g., a configurable distance) may be an acceptable distance or range from the stored/recorded location information/data for a serviceable point that will likely correspond to the serviceable point. For example, a zone of confidence may be plus or minus (±) a specific distance or range using the corresponding coordinate system (e.g., DD, DMS, UTM, and/or UPS). Similarly, a configurable distance may be in a variety of other formats, such as degrees, minutes, seconds, feet, meters, miles, kilometers, and/or the like.
Continuing with the above example, the mapping computing entity 110 may use a zone of confidence (e.g., a configurable distance) of ±0.000001, ±0.000001 for addresses in the DD coordinate system. However, as described above, the zone of confidence (e.g., the configurable distance) may vary both in terms of format, range, distance, and/or the like to adapt to various needs and circumstances. In the above example, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify all records within the zone of confidence (e.g., ±0.000001, ±0.000001) of the location information/data for 1201 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, Ga. 30309 (Block 505 of
In another embodiment, for a given record or address, similar addresses (e.g., individual records for the addresses) can be identified from the different address formats (Block 505 of
Regardless of the techniques and approaches used to identify the relevant records corresponding to a serviceable point, the mapping computing entity 110 can standardize, normalize, and similar words used herein interchangeably the addresses or location information/data in the corresponding records for the serviceable point. In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 can standardize the records for the corresponding serviceable point by, for example, determining/calculating reference location information/data for the serviceable point (Block 510 of
In such embodiments, the mapping computing entity 110 can assign or associate the reference location information/data to the identified records to serve as a location-based key (e.g., a foreign key for the references) for the records corresponding to the serviceable point (Block 515 of
In various embodiments, this allows for addresses to be searched based on and expressed as numerical or digital values (e.g., the reference location information/data and at least a portion of the physical/street address)—Block 520 of
In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 can use the reference location information/data to remove records for the address that are outside the zone of confidence, which records likely include errors in the collection samples or where the collections occurred. Moreover, this approach allows for third party information/data to be indexed easily and allows the mapping computing entity 110 to validate address information/data based on the reference location information/data. As will be recognized, a variety of other approaches and techniques can be used to adapt to various needs and circumstances.
e. Geographic Representations and/or Identification of Geographic Areas/Points of Interest
As described, the mapping computing entity 110 can store or have access to one or more geographical maps comprising map information/data. Additionally, the mapping computing entity 110 can store or have access to collected telematics data corresponding to one or more geographic areas, points of interest, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably.
As indicated in Block 525 of
Responsive to such requests, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify telematics data (e.g., location information/data) corresponding to the geographic area (e.g., area/point of interest)—Block 530 of
In one embodiment, after identifying the records corresponding to the geographic area (e.g., area/point of interest), the mapping computing entity 110 can use the corresponding location information/data to identify, determine, generate, create, and similar words used herein interchangeably geographic representations of the location information/data for the geographic area (Block 535 of
Continuing with the above example, with the geographic area (e.g., area/point of interest) being zip code 30309, the mapping computing entity 110 can plot, cause display of, draw, position, and/or similar words used herein interchangeably the corresponding identified location information/data (e.g., telematics data) for the geographic area on a digital map. For instance, to do so, the mapping computing entity 110 may indicate a colored dot, pixel, or other graphic representing the positions for each point of location information/data in the geographic area. For instance,
With the location information/data identified, the mapping computing entity 110 can cause display of various levels (e.g., zoomed or enhanced view) of the location information/data. For example,
As shown in
In another example,
In another embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 can receive input to identify/determine the precise location of the origins and terminations of streets, roads, avenues, bridges, highways, interstates, and/or the like of a street network. In embodiment, this may include where name changes in the streets, roads, avenues, bridges, highways, interstates, and/or the like occur based on crossing, for example, defined governmental boundaries (e.g., cities, towns, counties, and states). For example, to identify/determine the precise termination and origin of West Peachtree Street Northwest in Atlanta, Ga., the mapping computing entity 110 can identify all of the serviceable points for West Peachtree Street Northwest in Atlanta, Ga., for which a record with location information/data exists in one more databases to which the mapping computing entity 110 has access. With such information/data identified, the mapping computing entity 110 can cause display of the corresponding aggregated location information/data for the relevant geographic areas (e.g., areas/points of interest) on a digital map. In essence, the mapping computing entity 110 creates a collection of location information/data strung together with addresses for West Peachtree Street Northwest in Atlanta, Ga., as a boundary for the street.
As will be recognized, the mapping computing entity 110 can receive input to identify/determine other geographic areas (e.g., areas/points of interest) as well, including states, provinces, counties, cities, landmarks, natural or governmental boundaries, geographic areas, zip codes, area codes, geofenced areas, delivery areas, and/or the like. As in the previous examples, depending on the outcome desired, this may include just the reference location information/data for a single geographic area (e.g., area/point of interest) or all location information/data associated with the geographic area. With the appropriate information/data identified, the mapping computing entity 110 can cause display of the corresponding aggregated location information/data for the relevant geographic area (e.g., area/point of interest) on a digital map.
As indicated, in addition to identifying the location information/data for geographic areas (e.g., areas/points of interest), the mapping computing entity 110 can store/record this information as part of a digital map. For instance, the mapping computing entity 110 can appropriately store/record such map information/data separately from or as a part of a digital map, e.g., as part of a feature layer, raster layer, service layer, geoprocessing layer, basemap layer, and/or the like. This may include identifying/determining the outer boundaries of areas/points of interest, such as countries, states, provinces, counties, cities, geographic areas, geofenced area, landmarks, zip codes, area codes, delivery areas, streets, roads, avenues, bridges, highways, interstates, and/or the like.
As previously noted, it may be advantageous for a carrier such as UPS to collect and store/record such telematics data (e.g., location information/data). This is because such a company may have tens of thousands of pickup and delivery personnel traversing millions of miles a day with the ability to capture billions of location information/data samples a year. Moreover, such information/data can be collected from a uniform technology platform, which can eliminate uncertainty and variability with the collected information/data.
f. Search for Areas/Points of Interest
In one embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 can use hierarchical or stepped queries, for example, to identify/determine areas/points of interest. For instance, as shown in
By way of example,
In response to receiving such search criteria, in this example, the mapping computing entity 110 can perform a search (identify the records) corresponding to all serviceable points in Atlanta, Ga. and that include 1201 as part of the description (Block 555 of
In another embodiment, the mapping computing entity 110 can use the standardized digital addresses, for example, to identify/determine areas/points of interest. For instance, as shown in
By way of example,
In response to receiving such search criteria, in this example, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify the records corresponding to all serviceable points within two miles of the 33.7862580, −84.3852790 (Four Seasons Hotel) and that include “1201” as part of the street number. As part of the search, the mapping computing entity 110 can identify serviceable points with either reference location information/data or collected location information/data being within approximately a two-mile area (e.g., radius) of 33.7862580, −84.3852790 (Four Seasons Hotel) and having 1201 as part of the street number. After identifying the relevant records, the mapping computing entity 110 can provide the same to the mobile device 105 to display to the user (shown in
As will be recognized, a variety of other approaches and techniques can be used to adapt to various needs and circumstances. Moreover, by having standardized, digital addresses, the mapping computing entity 110 can easily search for serviceable points in relation to locations for which known location information/data exists.
In one embodiment, if a user (e.g., operating mobile device 105) requests directions and/or navigation information to the area/point of interest, the mobile device can monitor the location of mobile device 105 (Block 565 of
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 61/765,416 filed Feb. 15, 2013, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
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