Digital mapping system
Various methods, systems, and apparatus for implementing aspects of a digital mapping system are disclosed. One such method includes sending a location request from a client-side computing device to a map tile server, receiving a set of map tiles in response to the location request, assembling said received map tiles into a tile grid, aligning the tile grid relative to a clipping shape, and displaying the result as a map image. One apparatus according to aspects of the present invention includes means for sending a location request from a client-side computing device to a map tile server, means for receiving a set of map tiles in response to the location request, means for assembling said received map tiles into a tile grid, means for aligning the tile grid relative to a clipping shape, and means for displaying the result as a map image. Such an apparatus may further include direction control or zoom control objects as interactive overlays on the displayed map image, and may also include route or location overlays on the map image.
1. A method of displaying a geographic location identifier, comprising:
determining a first structured geographic location identifier based on an unstructured search query;
determining a geometric feature associated with the first structured geographic location identifier;
determining a first zoom level based on the geometric feature;
determining a clipping shape based on the geometric feature;
identifying a set of map tiles based at least in part on the first zoom level; and
displaying the set of map tiles relative to the clipping shape.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a first structured geographic location identifier based on an unstructured search query comprises:
identifying, in the unstructured search query, a user-defined shortcut specifying the first structured geographic location identifier.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structured geographic location identifier is one of a street address, intersection, or point of interest, and wherein the geometric feature is a point.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structured geographic location identifier is a street and wherein the geometric feature is a polyline.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structured geographic location identifier is one of a city, county, country, metropolitan area, neighborhood, zip code, or state and wherein the geometric feature is a polygon.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the map tiles comprise map images.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the map tiles comprise satellite images.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the map tiles are stored in a database in a spatial format, wherein spatial proximity between map tiles in the database corresponds to spatial proximity of the map tiles in a map view.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a second structured geographic location identifier based on the unstructured search query and the first structured geographic location identifier;
generating a location marker based on the second structured geographic location identifier; and
displaying the location marker on the set of map tiles.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the set of map tiles relative to the clipping shape comprises sliding the set of map tiles onto a display window.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the set of map tiles relative to the clipping shape further comprises:
determining a first map view;
displaying the first map view while zooming out to a second zoom level;
panning to a second map view at the second zoom level, wherein the second map view comprises the geographic feature; and
displaying the geographic feature while zooming in to the first zoom level.
12. A method of displaying a geographic location marker, comprising:
determining a first structured geographic location identifier based on an unstructured search query;
generating a location marker based on the first structured geographic location identifier; and
displaying the location marker on a map image, wherein the location marker is displayed with a first corresponding shadow.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein displaying the location marker with the first corresponding shadow comprises drawing at least one of the location marker and the first corresponding shadow in a first overlay.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first overlay comprises an image.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first overlay comprises at least a first vector.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein a size of the first corresponding shadow is proportional to a size of the location marker.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein a height of the first corresponding shadow is a percentage of a height of the location marker.
18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first corresponding shadow is displayed at an angle relative to the location marker.
19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first corresponding shadow is darkest at a first region closest to the location marker and lightest at a second region farthest from the location marker.
20. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining a plurality of structured geographic location identifiers based on an unstructured search query;
generating a plurality of location markers based on the plurality of structured geographic location identifiers; and
displaying the plurality of location markers on the map image with a plurality of corresponding shadows.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of structured location markers are displayed in association with a plurality of search results, wherein at least some of the search results comprise links to web pages.
22. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
generating an information window responsive to receiving a user selection of the location marker; and
displaying the information window in association with the location marker on the interactive map image, wherein the information window is displayed with a second corresponding shadow.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the user selection of the first structured geographic location identifier comprises the user clicking on the location marker.
24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the information window is a HTML window.
25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the information window comprises a section of the map image.
26. The method of claim 22 , wherein displaying the second corresponding shadow comprises drawing the second corresponding shadow in a first overlay.
27. The method of claim 22 , wherein a size of the second corresponding shadow is proportional to a size of the information window.
28. The method of claim 22 , wherein a height of the second corresponding shadow is a percentage of a height of the information window.
29. The method of claim 22 , wherein the second corresponding shadow is displayed at an angle relative to the information window.
30. The method of claim 22 , wherein the second corresponding shadow is darkest at a first region closest to the information window and lightest at a second region farthest from the information window.
31. The method of claim 22 , further comprising displaying a plurality of information windows for a plurality of location markers, the plurality of information windows displayed in order from east to west or from north to south.