Google Inc.

Silicon Graphics, Incorporated

John H Rohlf

Brian McClendon

Michael Timothy Jones

Francois Bailly

Andrew Timothy Szybalski

Emil Constantin Praun

Bent Hagemark

Marcin Romaszewicz

Matthew Dexter Hancher

David Kornmann

Amin Charaniya

Beth Ellyn O'Mullan

Mark Gordon Segal

Brad Grantham

Audrey Kaplan

Chris Tanner

Chris Walker

Systems and methods for storing and retrieving geospatial data in a geographic information system are provided. Geospatial data can be spatially partitioned along axes of a spherical coordinate system associated with a virtual globe or other spheroid into a plurality of discrete geospatial volumes pursuant to a hierarchical spatial partitioning scheme. For instance, geospatial data can be spatially partitioned into geospatial volumes along surfaces of constant latitude, longitude, and altitude defined by the spherical coordinate system. The discrete geospatial volumes can be stored as nodes in a hierarchical tree data structure. Additional methods are provided for portioning geospatial objects, such as tiles or discrete geospatial volumes, in tritree to reduce polar distortions.

System and method for storing and retrieving geospatial data

Interactive geographic information systems (GIS) and techniques are disclosed that provide users with a greater degree of flexibility, utility, and information. A markup language is provided that facilitates communication between servers and clients of the interactive GIS, which enables a number of GIS features, such as network links (time-based and/or view-dependent dynamic data layers), ground overlays, screen overlays, placemarks, 3D models, and stylized GIS elements, such as geometry, icons, description balloons, polygons, and labels in the viewer by which the user sees the target area. Also, 'virtual tours' of user-defined paths in the context of distributed geospatial visualization is enabled. Streaming and interactive visualization of filled polygon data are also enabled thereby allowing buildings and other such features to be provided in 3D. Also, techniques for enabling ambiguous search requests in a GIS are provided.

Intelligent distributed geographic information system

Systems and methods for providing smooth level of detail ('LOD') transition for textures in a graphics applications are disclosed. The texture LOD of a first frame of imagery can be compared to a second texture LOD for a current frame. For areas where the second LOD is higher than the first LOD, an LOD fade from the first LOD to the second LOD can be performed to provide a smooth LOD transition. The LOD fade can be implemented by generating a blend between textures at the first LOD and the second LOD. In one aspect, the blend is generated based on an interpolant value calculated based on the difference between the first LOD and the second LOD. The interpolant value can be incremented in subsequent frames to achieve a desired fade rate for the transition. The fade rate can be variable such that the LOD transition time remains constant.

Texture fading for smooth level of detail transitions in a graphics application

Dynamic view-based data layer in a geographic information system

Embodiments of the present invention relate to displaying and navigating within photo placemarks in a geographic information system. In one embodiment, a computer implemented method displays a photographic image within geographic information in a geographic information system. The photographic image is displayed at a location within the geographic information when the photographic image is located within a field of view of a virtual camera of the geographic information system. In response to a computer input event, the photographic image is displayed in greater detail.

Displaying and navigating within photo placemarks in a geographic information system and applications thereof

Data-driven guarded evaluation of conditional-data associated with data objects is used to control activation and processing of the data objects in an interactive geographic information system. Methods of evaluating conditional-data to control activation of the data objects are disclosed herein. Data structures to specify conditional data are also disclosed herein.

Markup language for interactive geographic information system

Systems and methods for providing smooth level of detail transitions for geometric objects, such as geometric terrain tiles, are provided. In one embodiment, a parent geometric tile associated with a first level of detail can be partitioned into sub-tiles. The sub-tiles can be blended independently with child geometric tiles associated with a second level of detail. The blends can be adjusted as a function of camera distance over a transition range to provide a smooth level of detail transition. Various enhancements and modifications can be made to the level of detail transition, such as implementing a bias in the level of detail calculation, implementing an unpop algorithm over only a subset of the transition range, implementing a time based fade during a camera stop, and other enhancements.

Level of detail transitions for geometric objects in a graphics application

Embodiments of the present invention relate to displaying and navigating within photo placemarks in a geographic information system. In an embodiment, a method registers a photographic image in a geographic information system. A location of the photographic image within geographic information of the geographic information system is determined based on the geographic information and a metadata of the photographic image. The location of the photographic image is stored.

Registering photos in a geographic information system, and applications thereof

A method of providing geo-coded information to a user of a graphical computing device is disclosed. The method includes receiving information identifying a view to be displayed on the graphical computing device, querying a geo-coded database containing information associated with publicly supplied models located in a geography, for one or more models located in the view, and transmitting information identifying the one or more models located in the view.

Identifying geo-located objects

Terrain data that represents earth features for a geographic area is received. The following meshes are generated based on the terrain data: (i) a water surface mesh including a first plurality of geometric primitives and (ii) a water bottom mesh including a second plurality of geometric primitives. Portions of the water bottom mesh appearing above the water surface mesh are identified. At least one of the water surface mesh and the water bottom mesh are corrected to cause the water surface mesh to appear above the water bottom mesh.

Water surface generation

Systems and methods for approximating terrain data representing a water surface are disclosed. A computer-based geographical information system for approximating terrain data representing a water surface is provided. The system includes a mesh simplifier and a surface inversion corrector. The mesh simplifier simplifies initial water surface and water bottom meshes. The surface inversion corrector corrects simplified water surface and/or water bottom meshes to avoid having a water bottom surface incorrectly appear above a corresponding water surface in a display view. In one example, the mesh simplifier simplifies the initial water surface mesh while accounting for water/land boundaries. The mesh simplifier also simplifies the initial water bottom mesh while accounting for geographic features and/or water/land boundaries. A computer-implemented method for approximating terrain data representing a water surface is provided. In further embodiments, systems and methods for altering tile information received at a client device are provided.

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for view based streaming of geographical information system (GIS) data are described herein. An embodiment includes assigning priority values to cache nodes based on a current view of GIS data, reordering cache node requests based on the assigned priority, aggregating the reordered cache node requests into aggregated requests and providing the aggregated requests to a content server to retrieve cache nodes that fulfill the requests. Another embodiment includes receiving cache nodes in response to requests for a frame of data, wherein the cache nodes are associated with a requested view of GIS data, reviewing a priority value assigned to each requested cache node, determining cache nodes that are relevant to a current view and discarding cache nodes based on said determining step.

Growing community of inventors

Truckee, CA, United States of America

John H Rohlf