Driving directions with landmark data

1 . A system comprising:

a landmark data subsystem providing landmark data; and

a driving directions subsystem communicatively coupled to said landmark data subsystem and configured to

generate driving directions in response to a request received from an access device communicatively coupled to said driving directions subsystem, said driving directions including a least a subset of said landmark data representative of one or more landmarks located along a route defined by said driving directions, and

provide data representative of said driving directions to the access device.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said driving directions subsystem is configured to generate said driving directions by:

generating street-based driving directions in response to the request, and

incorporating said at least a subset of landmark data into said street-based driving directions.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of said one or more landmarks has a street address located along the route.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least a subset of landmark data includes at least one of a textual, visual, and audible description of said one or more landmarks.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said one or more landmarks include one or more turning point landmarks and one or more status point landmarks.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said driving directions subsystem is configured to provide to the access device a selection tool enabling a user of the access device to select between displaying and hiding said at least a subset of landmark data.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein when said one or more landmarks includes a plurality of landmarks, said driving directions subsystem is configured to provide to the access device a landmark selection tool enabling a user of the access device to select between different ones of said plurality of landmarks for display.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said driving directions includes one or more driving direction steps, each of said driving direction steps including a street-based driving instruction, and wherein at least a subset of said driving direction steps also includes said at least a subset of landmark data.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said landmark data subsystem includes a directory subsystem, and wherein one or more listings stored in said directory subsystem is used to generate said landmark data.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said landmark data includes, for each of said one or more landmarks, a landmark identifier and a street address associated with said landmark.

11 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a billing subsystem communicatively coupled to said driving directions subsystem, said billing subsystem being configured to charge one or more advertisers associated with said one or more landmarks a fee for at least one of inclusion and prioritization of said landmark data in said driving directions.

12 . A system comprising:

a landmark data generator configured to use directory listings stored in a directory subsystem to generate landmark data, said landmark data representing one or more landmarks and including at least a landmark identifier and a street address for each of said one or more landmarks;

an access module configured to receive a request for driving directions from an access device communicatively coupled to said access module; and

a driving directions engine communicatively coupled to the access module and the landmark data generator and configured to

generate street-based driving directions in response to the request, said street-based driving directions identifying a route, and

incorporate at least a subset of said landmark data into said street-based driving directions, said at least a subset of said landmark data being representative of at least a subset of said one or more landmarks, said street address of each said landmark included in said at least a subset of said one or more landmarks being located along said route;

said access module being configured to provide to the access device data representative of said driving directions having said at least a subset of said landmark data.

13 . A method comprising:

generating street-based driving directions in response to a request received from an access device;

incorporating landmark data into said street-based driving directions, said landmark data being representative of one or more landmarks located along a route defined by said driving directions; and

providing data representative of said driving directions having said landmark data to the access device.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said incorporating step includes identifying each of said one or more landmarks as having a street address located along the route.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said providing step includes providing at least one of a textual, visual, and audible description of said one or more landmarks for consideration by a user of the access device.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said one or more landmarks include one or more turning point landmarks and one or more status point landmarks.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing to the access device a selection tool enabling a user of the access device to select between displaying and hiding said landmark data.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

displaying at least a subset of said landmark data when said selection tool is selected; and

hiding said at least a subset of said landmark data when said selection tool is unselected.

19 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing to the access device, when said one or more landmarks includes a plurality of landmarks, a landmark selection tool enabling a user of the access device to select between different ones of said plurality of landmarks for display.

20 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising presenting said driving directions for consideration by a user of the access device, said driving directions including one or more driving direction steps, each of said driving direction steps including a street-based driving instruction, and wherein at least a subset of said driving direction steps also includes said landmark data.

21 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising using one or more listings stored in a directory subsystem to generate said landmark data.

22 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising charging one or more advertisers associated with said one or more landmarks a fee for at least one of inclusion and prioritization of said landmark data in said driving directions.