Method and systems for anticipatorily updating a remote repository

Abstract

Method and systems for executing an interactive computer simulation of a simulated vehicle. A central repository comprises a synthetic natural environment database (SNEDB) that comprises data for a plurality of geographically-located terrain skin representations of a computer generated. A remote data management system maintains the remote repository comprising a subset of the SNEDB accessible to an interactive computer simulation station. The interactive computer simulation station sends, over the network, a data request for geographical locations from the SNEDB and allows users to interact in the interactive computer simulation for controlling the simulated vehicle. The remote data management system computes a plurality of expected geographical positions for the first simulation station and anticipatorily updates, via the network, the subset of the SNEDB stored in the remote repository with a supplemental subset of the SNEDB corresponding to one or more of the computed expected geographical positions.

1 . A remote data management system for supporting an interactive computer simulation system that executes an interactive computer simulation, comprising:
 a network interface module providing network access towards a central repository for storing a synthetic natural environment database that comprises data for a plurality of geographically-located terrain skin representations of a computer generated environment and towards a plurality of interactive computer simulation stations, each one of the plurality of interactive computer simulation stations allowing one or more users to interact in the interactive computer simulation for controlling a vehicle in the computer generated environment thereof;   a data storage system comprising a remote repository accessible through the network interface module for storing a subset of the synthetic natural environment database, wherein the remote repository is accessible to a first simulation station of the plurality of interactive simulation stations; and   a processor module that:
 computes a plurality of expected geographical positions for the first simulation station; and 
 anticipatorily updates, via the network interface module, the subset of the synthetic natural environment database stored in the remote repository with a supplemental subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to one or more of the computed expected geographical positions. 
   
     
     
         2 . The remote data management system of  claim 1 , wherein the supplemental subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponds to geographical positions missing therefrom. 
     
     
         3 . The remote data management system of  claim 2 , wherein the processor module further monitors remaining storage capacity of the remote repository and performs the anticipatory update until reaching a high-level remaining capacity threshold. 
     
     
         4 . The remote data management system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor module computes the plurality of expected geographical positions by, in non-real-time priority processing, computing a training schedule for the first simulation station having one or more associated training scenarios that include the plurality of expected geographical positions. 
     
     
         5 . The remote data management system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor module computes the plurality of expected geographical positions by:
 in real-time priority processing during execution of the interactive computer simulation, computing a vector from past update requests from the first simulation station before computing therefrom the plurality of expected geographical positions;   in real-time priority processing during execution of the interactive computer simulation, computing a training scenario for the interactive computer simulation that includes the plurality of expected geographical positions;   in real-time priority processing during execution of the interactive computer simulation, computing a vector from past update data-resolution-increase requests from the first simulation station before computing therefrom the plurality of expected geographical positions;   in non-real-time priority processing, computing updates to the computer generated environment at the plurality of expected geographical positions; and   in real-time priority processing, computing updates to the computer generated environment at the plurality of expected geographical positions.   
     
     
         6 . The remote data management system of  claim 1 , wherein the synthetic natural environment database further comprises navigation content related to more than one vehicles in the computer generated environment, the processor module computes the plurality of expected geographical positions considering the navigation content from the perspective of the first simulation station. 
     
     
         7 . The remote data management system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor module computes the plurality of expected geographical positions by further considering a subset of data types associated with a plurality of data consumers from the first simulation station. 
     
     
         8 . The remote data management system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor module updates the subset at the remote repository considering priority tags associated therewith. 
     
     
         9 . A method for supporting an interactive computer simulation system that executes an interactive computer simulation on a first simulation station allowing one or more users to interact in the interactive computer simulation for controlling a simulated vehicle in a computer generated environment thereof, comprising:
 providing access towards a central repository comprising a synthetic natural environment database that comprises data for a plurality of geographically-located terrain skin representations of the computer generated environment of the interactive computer simulation;   at a remote data management system, computing a plurality of expected geographical positions for the first simulation station; and   from the remote data management system, anticipatorily updating, via the network, a subset of the synthetic natural environment database stored in a remote repository accessible to the first simulation station with a supplemental subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to one or more of the computed expected geographical positions.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising monitoring remaining storage capacity of the remote repository, the supplemental subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to geographical positions missing therefrom, wherein anticipatorily updating is performed until reaching a high-level remaining capacity threshold. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the synthetic natural environment database further comprises navigation content related to more than one vehicles in the computer generated environment, wherein computing the plurality of expected geographical positions further comprises considering the navigation content from the perspective of the first simulation station. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the remote repository is further accessible to a second simulation station of the plurality of interactive simulation stations and computing the plurality of expected geographical positions is performed for the first and the second simulation stations. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a proximate repository, between the remote repository and the first simulation station, is dedicated to the first simulation station and accessible to the remote repository for storing a proximate subset of the synthetic natural environment database smaller than the subset stored in the remote repository, the method further comprising, from the remote repository, computing a plurality of proximate expected geographical positions for the first simulation station and anticipatorily updating the proximate subset with a supplemental proximate subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to one or more of the computed proximate expected geographical positions. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising executing a local interactive computer simulation application that strictly accesses the proximate repository via the network for displaying images in relation to the computer generated environment of the interactive computer simulation. 
     
     
         15 . A system, for executing an interactive computer simulation of a simulated vehicle, comprising a central repository, a remote data management system, a remote repository and an interactive computer simulation station interconnected via a network, wherein:
 the central repository comprises a synthetic natural environment database that comprises data for a plurality of geographically-located terrain skin representations of a computer generated environment of the interactive computer simulation; and   the remote data management system maintains the remote repository comprising a subset of the synthetic natural environment database accessible to the interactive computer simulation station;   the interactive computer simulation station:
 sends, over the network, a data request for one or more geographical locations from the synthetic natural environment database for rendering images for the interactive computer simulation; and 
 allows one or more users to interact in the interactive computer simulation for controlling the simulated vehicle in the computer generated environment considering the rendered images; and 
   the remote data management system of the interactive computer simulation system:
 computes a plurality of expected geographical positions for the first simulation station interactive computer simulation stations; and 
 anticipatorily updates, via the network, the subset of the synthetic natural environment database stored in the remote repository with a supplemental subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to one or more of the computed expected geographical positions. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the remote data management system further monitors remaining storage capacity of the remote repository, the supplemental subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to geographical positions missing therefrom, wherein the anticipatorily update is performed until reaching a high-level remaining capacity threshold. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising a second interactive computer simulation station having access to the remote repository via the network, wherein the remote data management system computes the plurality of expected geographical positions for the interactive computer simulation station and the second interactive computer simulation station. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising a proximate repository, between the remote repository and the interactive computer simulation station dedicated thereto, accessible to the remote repository for storing a proximate subset of the synthetic natural environment database smaller than the subset stored in the remote repository, wherein the remote repository further:
 computes a plurality of proximate expected geographical positions for the interactive computer simulation station; and   anticipatorily updates the proximate subset with a supplemental proximate subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to one or more of the computed proximate expected geographical positions.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising a second proximate repository, between the remote repository and the second interactive computer simulation station dedicated thereto, accessible to the remote repository for storing a second proximate subset of the synthetic natural environment database smaller than the subset stored in the remote repository, wherein the remote repository further:
 computes a plurality of second proximate expected geographical positions for the second interactive computer simulation station; and   anticipatorily updates the second proximate subset with a second supplemental proximate subset of the synthetic natural environment database corresponding to one or more of the computed second proximate expected geographical positions.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the proximate repository and the second proximate repository strictly access the remote repository via the network for respectively complementing the proximate subset and the second proximate subset and the remote repository strictly accesses the central repository for complementing the subset.