Landmark enhanced directions

Abstract

Systems and techniques to provide location-based services. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes receiving a request for directions from an initial location to a final location, determining a route from the initial location to the final location, determining one or more landmarks based on the route and providing directions for traveling the route from the initial location to the final location, the directions including a reference to the one or more landmarks.

1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising: 
 receiving a request for directions from an initial location to a final location;    determining a route from the initial location to the final location;    determining one or more landmarks based on the route and    providing directions for traveling the route from the initial location to the final location, the directions including a reference to the one or more landmarks.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , where the determining one or more landmarks comprises: 
 providing information to a server and receiving one or more landmarks from the server.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , where the one or more landmarks is a branded reference point.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , where the branded reference point includes one or more of the following: a place of business, a commercial sign, or an advertisement.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , where the request is received from a user and the initial location is a current location of the user.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , where the request is received from a location-aware device and the initial location is the current location of the location-aware device.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving a query;    performing a search based on the query, where a search result comprises the final location.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , where the final location is a name of a physical location referring to one of: a place, a geographic area, an event, or a historical site.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , where the directions include one or more of the following: step-by-step instructions for traveling the route from the initial location to the final location or a graphical representation of a map identifying the route from the initial location to the final location.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , where providing directions comprises providing one or more of the following: voice prompt directions or an animated map.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 providing promotional information associated with the one or more landmarks.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising one or more of the following: 
 presenting a web page associated with the promotional material, forwarding the promotional material, or initiating a consumer transaction based on the promotional material.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , where determining the one or more landmarks includes determining a landmark based at least in part on a user profile.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , where determining the one or more landmarks includes selecting a landmark from a plurality of landmarks based on one or more of the following: a rank of the landmark, a rank of a promotion associated with the landmark, a time of day, a date, a relevancy of the landmark, or a relevancy of a promotion associated with the landmark.  
     
     
         15 . A system comprising: 
 an interface component configured to: 
 receive a request for directions from an initial location to a final location; and  
 provide directions to travel a route from the initial location to the final location;  
   a route determination component configured to: 
 determine a route between the initial location and the final location, the route including one or more direction points;  
 determine a landmark located near a first direction point of the one or more direction points;  
 generate directions to travel the route from the initial location to the final location, the directions including a reference to the landmark.  
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , where the landmark includes one or more of the following: a place of business, a commercial sign or an advertisement, and the route determination component is further configured to: 
 determine a geographic location corresponding to the final location.    
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , where the interface component configured to provide directions is configured to provide one or more of the following: a graphical display of a map including the route and the one or more landmarks identified on the map or step-by-step directions for traveling the route from the initial location to the final location including a reference to the one or more landmarks.  
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , where: 
 the interface component is further configured to: 
 provide promotional information associated with the one or more landmarks; and  
   the route determination component is further configured to: 
 obtain promotional information associated with the one or more landmarks.  
   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , where the interface component configured to provide promotional information is further configured to include a link to a web page associated with the promotional material.  
     
     
         20 . A computer-implemented method, comprising: 
 receiving an initial location and a final location;    determining a plurality of routes between the initial location and the final location;    for each of the plurality of routes, determining one or more landmarks at one or more direction points included in the route; and    selecting a route from the plurality of routes, the selecting based on the determined one or more landmarks for each of the plurality of routes.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , where the selecting comprises: 
 choosing a route from the plurality of routes, the route having a greatest number of landmarks of the plurality of routes.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising: 
 receiving a specified type of landmark;    where the selecting comprises choosing a route from the plurality of routes, the route having a greatest number of landmarks of the specified type.