Google Inc.

Jeffrey Richard Hightower

William Henry Steinmetz

Lane-specific driving directions are generated using route data that describes a route between an origin and a destination as a sequence of route segments, and lane data for at least several route segments included in the sequence of route segments. The sequence of route segments includes a pair of adjacent multi-lane route segments that includes a first multi-lane route segment more proximate to the destination and a second multi-lane route segment more proximate to the origin, connected at a road junction. To determine a recommended lane connection at the road junction, a lane in the first multi-lane route segment is selected, and a lane in the second multi-lane route segment is selected based on the lane selected in the first multi-lane segment.

Generating a sequence of lane-specific driving directions

For a segment of a route, a navigation data gathering system and method may progressively increment the precision of data analysis in proportion to the number of people actively on a route segment. Navigation data may be anonymized to preclude the possibility of correlating navigation data with personal data to track users or infer private information. Further, the system or method may determine if information for a route segment can be used at all based on the number of users of that segment. If the number of users does not exceed a threshold, the information collected on that route may not be used for other purposes. Thus, the system and method may use navigation data related to a busy section of an interstate highway at the level of precision with which the data is gathered, but reduce the level of precision of data available for a rarely used road segment.

Varying the degree of precision in navigation data analysis

The present disclosure relates to generating graphical turn indicators associated with road junctions having an on-route road segment and multiple off-route road segments extending from a center of the road junction. More particularly, the present disclosure provides graphical turn indicators that represent road junctions having multiple road segments that extend from a center of the road junction within close angular proximity with respect to one another. Each road segment of a road junction is mapped to a unique graphical element of the graphical turn indicator and each graphical element represents a particular turn type.

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Bothell, WA, United States of America

Jeffrey Richard Hightower