Geotagging Structured Data

Abstract

A mapping system comprising processes for creating and displaying structured geotagged data using interactive digital geographic imagery is disclosed. In one embodiment, a mapping system comprises processes and logic for creating a geo tag for structured data. A user creates a geo tag for a property of an object by selecting a geographic location on an interactive digital map and selecting the property of the object from a dialog presented to the user in response to selecting the geographic location. In this way, the user can more quickly and easily create structured geotagged data than can be accomplished using typical approaches requiring the user to manually enter geographic coordinates to associate a geographic location with structured data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for displaying geotagged data comprising:
 using digitally programmed logic of an application server, causing display on a client computing device of a user interface comprising a map corresponding to a particular window of time, including causing display of icons on said map corresponding to events that occurred within the particular window of time, each of the icons representing a location of one of the events, and without changing the particular window of time:   in response to receiving input from the client computing device that selects a particular sub-time window of said particular window of time, using digitally programmed logic of the application server, updating display of the map;   wherein updating display of the map includes causing one or more of the events that occurred within the particular sub-time window to be visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the particular sub-time window;   in response to receiving input from the client computing device that drags at least one temporal boundary of the particular sub-time window from a first point to a second point:   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously generating, as the at least one temporal boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, an expanding, contracting, or sliding sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window;   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously updating display of the map, as the at least one temporal boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point;   wherein continuously updating the display of the map includes causing one or more of the events that occurred within the expanding, contracting, or sliding sub-time window to be visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the expanding, contracting, or sliding sub-time window;   wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said user interface comprises controls for filtering display of events by event type, the method further comprising:
 in response to receiving, from the client computing device, input through said controls that specifies a particular event type, using digitally programmed logic of the application server, updating display of the map so that one or more icons, corresponding to one or more of the events of the particular event type, are highlighted.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said user interface further comprises an event histogram corresponding to the particular window of time, the method further comprising:
 using digitally programmed logic of the application server, causing the event histogram to display a distribution of the events over the particular window of time.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein said user interface comprises controls for filtering display of events by event type, the method further comprising:
 in response to receiving, from the client computing device, input through said controls that specifies a particular event type, using digitally programmed logic of the application server, updating display of the event histogram to visually highlight a distribution of one or more of the events, of the particular event type, over the particular window of time.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein continuously updating the display of the map so that one or more of the events that occurred within the particular sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the particular sub-time window includes updating the display of the map so that only icons corresponding to events that occurred within the particular sub-time window are displayed and so that icons corresponding events that did not occur within particular sub-time window are not displayed. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 in response to receiving the input from the client computing device that drags the at least one boundary of the particular sub-time window from the first point to the second point,   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously generating, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, an expanding sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window, and   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously updating display of the map, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, so that one or more of the events that occurred within the expanding sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the expanding sub-time window.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 in response to receiving the input from the client computing device that drags the at least one boundary of the particular sub-time window from the first point to the second point,   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously generating, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, an contracting sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window, and   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously updating display of the map, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, so that one or more of the events that occurred within the contracting sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the contracting sub-time window.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 in response to receiving the input from the client computing device that drags the at least one boundary of the particular sub-time window from the first point to the second point,   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously generating, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, a sliding sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window, and   using digitally programmed logic of the application server, continuously updating display of the map, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, so that one or more of the events that occurred within the sliding sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the sliding sub-time window.   
     
     
         9 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of:
 causing display of a user interface on a client computing device comprising a map corresponding to a particular window of time including causing display of icons on said map corresponding to events that occurred within the particular window of time, each of the icons representing a location of one of the events, and without changing the particular window of time:   in response to receiving input from the client computing device that selects a particular sub-time window of said particular window of time, updating display of the map;   wherein updating display of the map includes causing one or more of the events that occurred within the particular sub-time window to be visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the particular sub-time window; and   in response to receiving input from the client computing device that drags at least one temporal boundary of the particular sub-time window from a first point to a second point:   continuously generating, as the at least one temporal boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, an expanding, contracting, or sliding sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window, and   continuously updating display of the map, as the at least one temporal boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point;   wherein continuously updating the display of the map includes causing one or more of the events that occurred within the expanding, contracting, or sliding sub-time window to be visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the expanding, contracting, or sliding sub-time window.   
     
     
         10 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein said user interface comprises controls for filtering display of events by event type, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause performance of:
 in response to receiving, from the client computing device, input through said controls that specifies a particular event type, updating display of the map so that one or more icons, corresponding to one or more of the events of the particular event type, are highlighted.   
     
     
         11 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein said user interface further comprises an event histogram corresponding to the particular window of time, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause performance of:
 causing the event histogram to display a distribution of the events over the particular window of time.   
     
     
         12 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein said user interface comprises controls for filtering display of events by event type, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause performance of:
 in response to receiving, from the client computing device, input through said controls that specifies a particular event type, updating display of the event histogram to visually highlight a distribution of one or more of the events, of the particular event type, over the particular window of time.   
     
     
         13 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein continuously updating the display of the map so that one or more of the events that occurred within the particular sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the particular sub-time window includes updating the display of the map so that only icons corresponding to events that occurred within the particular sub-time window are displayed and so that icons corresponding events that did not occur within particular sub-time window are not displayed. 
     
     
         14 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein:
 in response to the receiving input, from the client computing device, that drags the at least one boundary of the particular sub-time window from the first point to the second point,   continuously generating, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, an expanding sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window, and   continuously updating the display of the map, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, so that one or more of the events that occurred within the expanding sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the expanding sub-time window.   
     
     
         15 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein:
 in response to the receiving input, from the client computing device, that drags the at least one boundary of the particular sub-time window from the first point to the second point,   continuously generating, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, an contracting sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window, and   continuously updating display of the map, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, so that one or more of the events that occurred within the contracting sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the contracting sub-time window.   
     
     
         16 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 9 , wherein:
 in response to the receiving input, from the client computing device, that drags the at least one boundary of the particular sub-time window from the first point to the second point,   continuously generating, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, a sliding sub-time window of said particular window of time, based on the particular sub-time window, and   continuously updating display of the map, as the at least one boundary is being dragged from the first point to the second point, so that one or more of the events that occurred within the sliding sub-time window are visually distinguishable from one or more of the events that did not occur within the sliding sub-time window.