Automated travel planning system

1. A method of generating a list of places of interest geographically located near a travel route, the method comprising:

accessing a routing database storing shape points capable of defining a travel route;

determining a travel route from the shape points stored in the routing database;

accessing a place of interest database including geographic centers;

selecting from the place of interest database at least one geographic center that is geographically proximate to the travel route; and

generating a list of places of interest associated with at least one of the selected geographic centers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting at least one geographic center includes using proximity metrics from within the place of interest database, and relating those proximity metrics to the travel route to select at least one geographic center.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the proximity metrics include a location of the geographic center.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting from the place of interest database at least one geographic center includes retrieving one or more of the shape points in an order corresponding to the direction of the travel route and selecting at least one geographic center from the place of interest database that is proximate to at least one of the retrieved shape points used to generate the travel route.

5. An automated travel planning apparatus, comprising:

a routing database storing shape points defining travel routes;

a routing device structured and arranged to generate a travel route from the shape points stored in the routing database;

a place of interest database that includes geographic centers and information capable of relating the geographic centers to at least one shape point; and

a selection device structured and arranged to select from the place of interest database geographic centers that are geographically located within a predetermined distance of at least one of the shape points used to generate the travel route, and to generate a list of places of interest associated with at least one of the selected geographic centers.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to use proximity metrics from within the place of interest database, and relate those proximity metrics to the travel route to select at least one geographic center.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the proximity metrics include a location of the geographic center.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to retrieve one or more of the shape points in an order corresponding to the direction of the travel route and select at least one geographic center from the place of interest database that is proximate to at least one of the retrieved shape points used to generate the travel route.

9. A method for generating a list of places of interest related to an identified travel route, the method comprising:

generating a travel route;

accessing a place of interest database that includes geographical groups of places of interest and that relates the geographical groups of places of interest to a geographic center;

selecting from the place of interest database one or more geographic centers that are related to the travel route; and

generating a list of places of interest associated with the selected geographic centers based on the geographical groups of places of interest stored in the place of interest database and associated with the selected geographic centers.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein generating the travel route includes:

generating a routing database from vector data; and

generating the travel route based on the routing database.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the list of places of interest is generated based on a stored relationship to the selected geographic centers.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the list of places of interest is generated without a separate evaluation of locations for the places of interest within the place of interest database.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the places of interest are identified automatically as a result of identifying the geographic centers.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the list of places of interest is identified regardless of input proximity parameters.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the list of places of interest is generated after the geographic centers are selected.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the list of places of interest is generated independent of the selection of the geographic centers that are related to the travel route.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein selecting geographic centers includes selecting geographic centers that are geographically located within a predetermined distance of the travel route.

18. An apparatus for generating a list of places of interest related to an identified travel route, the apparatus comprising:

a routing device structured and arranged to generate a travel route;

a place of interest database that includes geographical groups of places of interest and that relates the geographical groups of places of interest to a geographic center; and

a selection device structured and arranged to:

select from the place of interest database one or more geographic centers that are related to the travel route, and

generate a list of places of interest associated with the selected geographic centers based on the geographical groups of places of interest stored in the place of interest database and associated with the selected geographic centers.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the routing device is structured and arranged to:

generate a routing database from vector data; and

generate the travel route based on the routing database.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to generate the list of places of interest based on a stored relationship to the selected geographic centers.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to generate the places of interest within the place of interest database without a separate evaluation of locations.

22. The apparatus of 20 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to identify the places of interest automatically as a result of identifying the geographic centers.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to identify the list of the places of interest regardless of input proximity parameters.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to generate the list of places of interest after the geographic centers are selected.

25. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to generate the list of the places of interest independent of the selection of the geographic centers that are related to the travel route.

26. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the selection device is structured and arranged to select geographic centers that are geographically located within a predetermined distance of the travel route.

27. An automated travel planning apparatus configured to generate a list of places of interest related to an identified travel route, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a travel route;

means for accessing a place of interest database that includes geographical groups of places of interest and that relates the geographical groups of places of interest to a geographic center;

means for select from the place of interest database one or more geographic centers that are related to the travel route; and

means for generating a list of places of interest associated with the selected geographic centers based on the geographical groups of places of interest stored in the place of interest database and associated with the selected geographic centers.

28. An automated travel planning apparatus configured to generate a list of places of interest geographically located near a travel route, the apparatus comprising:

means for accessing a routing database storing shape points capable of defining a travel route;

means for determining a travel route from the shape points stored in the routing database;

means for accessing a place of interest database including geographic centers;

means for selecting from the place of interest database at least one geographic center that is geographically proximate to the travel route; and

means for generating a list of places of interest associated with at least one of the selected geographic centers.