Systems and method for using visual landmarks in initial navigation

1. A method for providing initial navigation guidance, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, a route from a current location of a portable device to a destination, the route including a sequence of directed sections;

generating, by the one or more processors, navigation instructions to guide a user of the portable device along the route to the destination, including:

identifying candidate navigation landmarks perceptible within a 360-degree range of the current location of the portable device,

selecting, from among the candidate navigation landmarks, a navigation landmark,

generating an initial instruction in the navigation instructions, the initial instruction referencing the selected navigation landmark, including displaying a selectable icon corresponding to a type of the navigation landmark; and

causing the initial navigation instruction to be provided via a user interface of the portable device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to selection of the icon:

providing, by the one or more processors, additional information regarding the navigation landmark.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing the additional information regarding the navigation landmark includes displaying a photograph of the navigation landmark.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing the additional information regarding the navigation landmark includes displaying a panoramic photograph of the navigation landmark.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing the additional information regarding the navigation landmark includes displaying an interactive three-dimensional view of the navigation landmark.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing the additional information regarding the navigation landmark includes displaying business data related to the navigation landmark.

7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

providing the additional information in an instruction window that partially overlaps a digital map.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing the initial navigation instruction using markers illustrating a current location of the user, a first waypoint corresponding to the navigation landmark, and a direction in which the user should move.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the selected navigation landmark is a first navigation landmark, and

generating the initial instruction includes selecting, from among the candidate navigation landmarks, a second navigation landmark disposed in a different direction than the first navigation landmark, and

generating the initial instruction includes referencing the second navigation landmark.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein generating the initial instruction includes using a format “travel <direction> from <the first navigation landmark> to <the second navigation landmark>,” including displaying respective selectable icons for the first navigation landmark and the second navigation landmark.

11. A portable computing device comprising:

a positioning module to determine a current geographic location of the portable computing device;

a user interface module;

processing hardware coupled to the positioning module and the user interface module; and

a non-transitory memory readable by the processing hardware and storing thereon instructions that, when executed by the processing hardware, cause the portable computing device to:

determine a route from a current location of a portable device to a destination, the route including a sequence of directed sections,

generate navigation instructions to guide a user of the portable device along the route to the destination, including:

identify candidate navigation landmarks perceptible within a 360-degree range of the current location of the portable device,

select, from among the candidate navigation landmarks, a navigation landmark,

generate an initial instruction in the navigation instructions, the initial instruction referencing the selected navigation landmark, including display a selectable icon corresponding to a type of the navigation landmark, and

cause the initial navigation instruction to be provided via a user interface of the portable device.

12. The portable computing device of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the portable device to provide additional information regarding the navigation landmark, in response to selection of the icon.

13. The portable computing device of claim 12 , wherein to provide the additional information regarding the navigation landmark, the instructions cause the processor to display a photograph of the navigation landmark.

14. The portable computing device of claim 12 , wherein to provide the additional information regarding the navigation landmark, the instructions cause the processor to display a panoramic photograph of the navigation landmark.

15. The portable computing device of claim 12 , wherein to provide the additional information regarding the navigation landmark, the instructions cause the processor to display an interactive three-dimensional view of the navigation landmark.

16. The portable computing device of claim 12 , wherein to provide the additional information regarding the navigation landmark, the instructions cause the processing hardware to display business data related to the navigation landmark.

17. The portable computing device of claim 12 , wherein the instructions further cause the processing hardware to provide the additional information in an instruction window that partially overlaps a digital map.

18. The portable computing device of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the processing hardware to:

provide the initial navigation instruction using markers illustrating a current location of the user, a first waypoint corresponding to the navigation landmark, and a direction in which the user should move.

19. The portable computing device of claim 11 , wherein:

the selected navigation landmark is a first navigation landmark, and

to generate the initial instruction, the instructions cause the processing hardware to:

select, from among the candidate navigation landmarks, a second navigation landmark disposed in a different direction than the first navigation landmark, and

reference the second navigation landmark in the initial instruction.

20. The portable computing device of claim 19 , wherein to generate the initial instruction, the instructions cause the processing hardware to use a format “travel <direction> from <the first navigation landmark> to <the second navigation landmark>,” including displaying respective selectable icons for the first navigation landmark and the second navigation landmark.