Google Inc.

Brian Daniel Shucker

Yan Mayster

Brandon Kyle Trew

Brian Edmond Brewington

Robert Bruce Bahnsen

Vishal Goenka

Sujoy Banerjee

Stephane Belmon

Zhiyuan Weng

Matt Strosnick

Jianxiang Fan

Marcus Bulach

Jaydeep Untwal

Provided are methods, systems, devices, apparatuses, and tangible non-transitory computer readable media for navigation and geocoding. The disclosed technology can perform operations including accessing location data and semantic tags. The location data can include information associated with interactions at locations. Each semantic tag can include information associated with one of the locations. Further, each semantic tag can be descriptive of features associated with the respective location. The location data and the plurality of semantic tags that satisfy suitability criteria can be identified. The suitability criteria can be associated with the suitability of each location for use by a geographic context application. A suitable location can be determined based on the location data and the semantic tags that satisfy the suitability criteria. Furthermore, the indications including a description of the suitable location can be generated based on the features associated with the suitable location.

Discovery and ranking of locations for use by geographic context applications

According to one example embodiment, a computing device can include a camera, one or more processors, and one or more computer-readable media that store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations. The operations can include defining a camera model of the camera based at least in part on location data associated respectively with an object in an image of a night sky and a cataloged star that corresponds to the object. The operations can further include performing an iterative process to iteratively update the camera model. For at least one iteration of the iterative process the operations can further include updating the camera model based at least in part on additional location data associated respectively with an additional object in an additional image of the night sky and an additional cataloged star that corresponds to the additional object.

Characterizing an undefined camera model of a computing device camera

Methods, systems, devices, and tangible non-transitory computer readable media for generating a route through a geographic area are provided. The disclosed technology can generate an unoccupied cell map. The unoccupied cell map can include cells that are associated with unoccupied portions of a geographic area that are not associated with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) returns. Further, route request data that is associated with a request for a route from a starting location to one or more destination locations within the geographic area can be received. Based on the route request data, the unoccupied cell map can be accessed. A route, based on the unoccupied cell map, can then be generated. Furthermore, the route can include the unoccupied cells between a starting location and one or more destination locations within the geographic area. Indications associated with the route can then be generated.

Sensor based map generation and routing

Provided are methods, systems, devices, and tangible non-transitory computer readable media for mapping geographical surfaces. The disclosed technology can access image data and sensor data. The image data can include a plurality of images of one or more locations and semantic information associated with the one or more locations. The sensor data can include sensor information associated with detection of one or more surfaces at the one or more locations by one or more sensors. One or more irregular surfaces can be detected based at least in part on the image data and the sensor data. The one or more irregular surfaces can include the one or more surfaces associated with the image data and the sensor data that satisfies one or more irregular surface criteria at each of the one or more locations respectively. Map data including information associated with the one or more irregular surfaces can be generated.

Generation of surface maps to improve navigation

Provided are methods, systems, devices, apparatuses, and tangible non-transitory computer readable media for navigation and geocoding. The disclosed technology can perform operations including accessing location data and semantic tags. The location data can include information associated with locations including the location of a carrier and the location of a passenger. The semantic tags can include information associated with features of the locations. The location data and the semantic tags that satisfy meeting criteria can be identified. The meeting criteria can be associated with a suitability of a location for the carrier and the passenger. A meeting location for the carrier and the passenger can be determined based on the location data and the semantic tags that satisfy the meeting criteria. Furthermore, indications associated with the meeting location can be generated based on the features of the meeting location.

Discovery and evaluation of meeting locations using image content analysis

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for adjusting physical location usage for a plurality of particular locations. Methods can include obtaining a three-dimensional (3D) representation of the given geographic area, wherein the 3D representation depicts a view of the given geographic area from a specified viewing perspective. For the given geographic area, traffic data is obtained indicating different traffic volumes during different time periods and one or more traffic characteristics. The 3D representation is segmented into a plurality of particular locations. For each particular location among the plurality of particular locations and based on the traffic data, a viewability score is determined that indicates an aggregate amount of time that the particular location is viewable by traffic passing the different locations. Physical location usage is then adjusted based on the viewability scores for the plurality of particular locations.

Geospatially informed resource utilization

Provided are methods, systems, and devices for updating a sensor based on sensor data and the semantic state associated with an area. Sensor data can be received by a computing system. The sensor data can be based on sensor outputs from sensors. The sensor data can include information associated with states of areas detected by the sensors. An estimated semantic state of one of the areas from a target sensor that can detect the states of the areas can be generated. Based on a comparison of the estimated semantic state to semantic states of the area from the sensors, an uncertainty level associated with an accuracy of the estimated semantic state can be determined. In response to the uncertainty level satisfying one or more update criteria, an updated version of the sensor data from the target sensor can be obtained.

Semantic state based sensor tracking and updating

The present disclosure provides systems and methods that enable map search recommendations based on a geo-semantic index developed using image content analysis. In one example, a computer-implemented method can include obtaining, by one or more computing devices, a vocabulary of image feature types associated with user activities. The method can include obtaining a collection of imagery. The method can include performing image content analysis on the collection of imagery based on the vocabulary of image feature types. The method can include generating at least one activity score for each of a plurality of location cells in a geo-semantic index based at least in part on the vocabulary of image feature types. The method can include populating the geo-semantic index of location cells, the geo-semantic index of location cells including data indicative of the at least one activity score for each location cell. The method can include providing the geo-semantic index of location cells for use in generating location recommendations in response to a query.

Map search recommendation system based on image content analysis driven geo-semantic index

A user requests a package delivery from a package delivery system. The package delivery system provides the user with a machine-readable code for display at the delivery location. An aerial delivery device receives, from the package delivery system computing device, information associated with the delivery location of the package. The information comprises information matching the information in the machine-readable code associated with the delivery location and a delivery address. The delivery device secures the package for transporting to the delivery location and transports the package to the delivery address. The delivery device locates the machine-readable code on a display at the delivery address and verifies that the information from the machine-readable code is associated with the package. The delivery device deposits the package on the display.

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Superior, CO, United States of America

Brian Daniel Shucker