Tomtom Germany Gmbh & Co. Kg

Mannesmann Vdo Ag

Tomtom Navigation B.v.

Tomtom Global Content B.v.

Hans-Ulrich Otto

Volker Hiestermann

Hannes Scharmann

Heiko Mund

Ernst-Peter Neukirchner

Oleg Schmelzle

Paul Dominique Marie Etienne Lahaije

A system and method are disclosed for incrementally updating an existing digital map of a client device in a digital map update system. The digital map update system comprises, for each of one or more baseline digital maps, at least one digital map update repository comprising data which may be communicated to one or more remote client devices for use by the or each remote client device in incrementally updating an existing digital map of the device. Each repository includes one or more digital map forward update journals in respect of a respective given version of the baseline map to which the digital map update repository relates. The forward update journal comprises data indicative of a set of one or more incremental updates that may be used to update the given version of the baseline map to a later version. Each repository also includes one or more digital map reverse update journals for reversing the effects of the or a forward update journal and reverting the later version of the baseline map back to an earlier version.

Methods and systems for updating a digital map

Parking lot () locations and geometries are discerned from probe data () and integrated with a digital map () for use in navigation and other map-related activities. The steps of this invention include: identifying the positions in the probe data () where cars are probably parked, detecting the positions of parking lots (), determining the extension and shape of the detected parking lots (), and adjusting the parking lots () into the road network (). Optionally, the parking lot () can be classified and additional attributes computed. Finally, a topological connection of the parking lot () is made to the road network () during which entrances () and exits () are identified.

Parking lot detection using probe data

A system and method for providing a digital map database wherein multiple instances of geocoded objects pertaining to points of interest (POI) and/or three-dimensional (3D) objects contained within one or more building blocks are compared to find undesirable duplicate geocoded objects. Cross-referencing information is stored and preference information about which geocoded object or object property/attribute should be used is assessed to determine priority for selection or presentation on the display screen of a navigation device or other suitable computing device. Cross-references can be pre-calculated at compile time or calculated on-the-fly by the navigation application at run time and may be persistently stored in dedicated data structures. When duplicate geocoded objects are found, only the most accurate information or a super set of (attribute) information is used by applications or presented to a user thereby preventing confusion.

Method and system for cross-referencing and deduplicating objects in multiple map building blocks

A system and method for providing a digital map database wherein multiple instances of geocoded objects pertaining to points of interest (POI) and/or three-dimensional (3D) objects contained within one or more building blocks are compared to find undesirable duplicate geocoded objects. Cross-referencing information is stored and preference information about which geocoded object or object property/attribute should be used is assessed to determine priority for selection or presentation on the display screen () of a navigation device () or other suitable computing device. Cross-references can be pre-calculated at compile time or calculated on-the-fly by the navigation application at run time and may be persistently stored in dedicated data structures. When duplicate geocoded objects are found, only the most accurate information or a super set of (attribute) information is used by applications or presented to a user thereby preventing confusion.

A digital map with line features is stored on a storage medium into parcels, each covering a certain area of the map. A parcel has around it standard border a border region bounded by an inner border and an outer border. A line feature crossing the standard border between two neighboring parcels is only divided into two new line features if it completely crosses the border region, i.e. if it crosses the outer border of both neighboring parcels.

Growing community of inventors

Hildesheim, Germany

Hans-Ulrich Otto