Navigation Technologies Corporation

Navteq North America, LLC

Senthil K Natesan

John C Jasper

Richard A Ashby

Robert P Fernekes

Vijaya S Israni

Paul M Bouzide

David S Lampert

William McDonough

James A Meek

Matthew Friederich

Nicholas E Smith

Jerry S Feigen

Srinivasa Doddapaneni

Asta Kavakh

Grant S Killey

Philip Robare

Aaron I Crane

Michael Livshutz

John M Jaugilas

Paul Crowley

Alex Nash

A system and method for providing geographic data to end users' computing platforms. A server maintains downloadable geographic data that are organized into pre-computed parcels that correspond to pre-determined sub-areas into which the entire geographic region serviced by the server is divided. The server responds to requests from the end users' computing platforms for navigation services and data by sending selected pre-computed parcels of geographic data to the end users' computing platforms. The end users' computing platforms store the pre-computed parcels received from the server in a cache memory. The end users' computing platforms use the data in the pre-computed parcels to provide navigation-related features locally.

Navigation system with distributed computing architecture

A geographic database for use with a navigation application program that provides navigation features to an end-user. The geographic database includes a plurality of data records of a first type and a plurality of data records of a second type. The plurality of records of the first type are organized into a plurality of parcels, each of which includes a plurality of data records of the first type and the plurality of records of the second type are organized into a plurality of parcels, each of which includes a plurality of data records of the second type. The parcels of data records of the first type are interleaved with the parcels of data records of the second type. This interleaving enables navigation functions that use these different types to access these different types more quickly and efficiently, thereby enhancing navigation system performance. Also disclosed is a method for forming a geographic database that includes a plurality of data records that represent geographic features and which can be used in a navigation system. The method includes the step of interleaving parcels containing pluralities of data records of a first type with parcels containing pluralities of data records of a second type.

Segment aggregation and interleaving of data types in a geographic database and methods for use thereof in a navigation application

An improved method and system that provides for a data access interface layer in a navigation system. The navigation system is of the type that includes a navigation application software program that provides navigating features to a user of the system and a geographic database stored on a computer-readable storage medium wherein the geographical database includes information relating to the geographical region about which the navigation system provides the navigation features to the user. The data access interface layer is preferably stored in the navigation system as a library of software functions. The data access interface layer operates in conjunction with the navigation system application software. The data access interface layer isolates the navigation application software from the geographic data which are stored on the storage medium. The data access interface layer intercepts requests by the navigation application software for geographic data. The data access interface layer retrieves geographic data from the storage medium and converts the data into a format usable by the navigation application software. The data access interface layer also provides for memory management that facilitates accessing and using geographic data from the particular storage medium quickly and efficiently. By recognizing that different media types have different physical formats, the data access interface layer accommodates and isolates the differences so that the portions of the data access interface layer that interact with the navigation application software can be generic.

Interface layer for navigation system

A method and system for managing memory resources in a system used in conjunction with a navigation application program that accesses geographic data. The geographic data are comprised of a plurality of data records. The plurality of data records are organized into parcels, each of which contains a portion of the plurality of data records, such that the data records in each portion of the plurality of data records that forms each parcel are accessed together. One or more buffers each that forms a contiguous portion of the memory of the navigation system is provided as a cache to store a plurality of parcels. One or more data structures located outside the contiguous portion of memory identify the parcels of data stored in the cache and the locations in the cache at which the parcels are stored. The one or more data structures located outside the contiguous portion of memory in which the parcels are cached are used to manage the parcel cache to use it efficiently. These one or more data structures located outside the contiguous memory in which the parcels are cached are also used to defragment the parcel cache.

Memory management for navigation system

A geographic database for use with a navigation application program that provides navigation features to an end-user. The geographic database includes data entities that represent segments of roads and additionally includes data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads. The data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads are used during a route calculation by the navigation application to suppress evaluation of roads of lesser functional rank thereby enhancing performance of the navigation system. According to one aspect, each of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents a segment of a road that together with at least one other segment of a road forms part of an aggregation which is represented by one of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads includes a reference thereto. According to another aspect, each of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads refers to data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation. Each of the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads refers to a corresponding one of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents the same respective segment of road. According to this aspect, at least some of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads are stored separately from the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation. According to a further aspect, the navigation application program uses the references between the data entities that represent segments of roads, the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads, and the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation to provide navigation features, including evaluating which data entities to use for route calculation and ascertaining whether a solution route has been found.

Segment aggregation in a geographic database and methods for use thereof

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Carol Stream, IL, United States of America

Senthil K Natesan