Suggesting pickup locations for transport service coordination

Abstract

A network system coordinates transport service between service providers and service requestors operating client devices in a system environment. Service requestors request transport service from a requestor location to a destination location. Service providers provide transport service to service requestors using a transportation vehicle. Network system can suggest a pickup location nearby the requestor location. The suggested pickup location can be on a road segment that is nearby the requestor location, on a navigable road segment, address matched to the requestor location, and on an accessible road segment. Nearby road segments are less than a threshold distance from the requestor location. Navigable road segments have a navigable road type. Address matched road segments are have an alphanumeric location name similar to that of the requestor location. A network system provides the suggested pickup location to a service requestor to facilitate transport service.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-executed method for determining a suggested pickup location, the method comprising:
 receiving a request for transport service from a service requestor, the request including a requestor location coordinate;   determining a set of nearby road segments of a plurality of road segments, the set of nearby road segments within a threshold distance from the requestor location coordinate;   determining a set of accessible road segments of the set of nearby road segments, the set of accessible road segments having less than a number of edge crossings, the number of edge crossings representing the number of times the service requestor crosses a road segment when travelling to a nearby road segment;   selecting a road segment of the set of accessible road segments as a pickup location; and   transmitting a route from the pickup location to a destination location to a service provider.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising filtering the set of nearby road segments, the filtering comprising:
 for each nearby road segment, determining whether the road segment is a navigable road segment including a pickup location where a transportation vehicle of the service provider providing transport service can stop; and   wherein the set nearby road set comprises only navigable road segments.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request for transport service further comprises a requestor location name, and further comprising filtering the set of nearby road segments, the filtering comprising:
 for each nearby road segment, determining whether the road segment is an address matched road segment having a location name similar to the requestor location name; and   wherein the set nearby road set comprises only navigable road segments.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting a road segment of the set of accessible road segments as the suggested pickup location further comprises:
 transmitting the set of accessible road segments to the service requestor; and   receiving the pickup location from the service requestor, the pickup location an accessible road segment selected from the set of accessible road segments.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting a road segment of the set of accessible road segments as the suggested pickup location further comprises:
 transmitting a set of suggested pickup locations located on a nearest road segment of the set of accessible road segments to the service requestor; and   receiving the pickup location from the service requestor, the pickup location suggested pickup location from the selected from the set of suggested pickup locations.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the number of edge crossings is one or fewer. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the accessible road segments are nearer the requestor location coordinate than a set of bounding road segments surrounding the requestor location coordinate. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining accessible road segments further comprises, for each nearby road segment:
 determining an edge representing the nearby road segment in space;   determining a path from the requestor location coordinate to the nearby road segment;   determining the number of edge crossings for the path, the number of edge crossings indicating the number of times the path intersects an edge of any other nearby road segment;   selecting nearby road segments having less than the number of edge crossings as accessible road segments.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein each path reflects a walking path of a service requestor from the requestor location coordinate to the address matched road segment. 
     
     
         10 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, the computer instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 receive a request for transport service from a service requestor, the request including a requestor location coordinate;   determine a set of nearby road segments of a plurality of road segments, the set of nearby road segments within a threshold distance from the requestor location coordinate;   determine a set of accessible road segments of the set of nearby road segments, the set of accessible road segments having less than a number of edge crossings, the number of edge crossings representing the number of times the service requestor crosses a road segment when travelling to a nearby road segment;   select a road segment of the set of accessible road segments as a pickup location; and   transmit a route from the pickup location to a destination location to a service provider.   
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the computer instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to filter the set of nearby road segments, and wherein the filtering causes the one or more processors to:
 for each nearby road segment, determine whether the road segment is a navigable road segment including a pickup location where a transportation vehicle of the service provider providing transport service can stop; and   wherein the set nearby road set comprises only navigable road segments.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the request for transport service further comprises a requestor location name, and the computer instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to filter the set of nearby road segments, and wherein the filtering causes the one or more processors to:
 for each nearby road segment, determine whether the road segment is an address matched road segment having a location name similar to the requestor location name; and   wherein the set nearby road set comprises only navigable road segments.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the computer instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to select a road segment of the set of accessible road segments as the suggested pickup location further causes the one or more processors to:
 transmit the set of accessible road segments to the service requestor; and   receive the pickup location from the service requestor, the pickup location an accessible road segment selected from the set of accessible road segments.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the computer instructions, when executed, that cause the one or more processors to select a road segment of the set of accessible road segments as the suggested pickup location further causes the one or more processors to:
 transmit a set of suggested pickup locations located on a nearest road segment of the set of accessible road segments to the service requestor; and   receive the pickup location from the service requestor, the pickup location suggested pickup location from the selected from the set of suggested pickup locations.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the number of edge crossings is one or fewer. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the accessible road segments are nearer the requestor location coordinate than a set of bounding road segments surrounding the requestor location coordinate. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the computer instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to determine accessible road segments further causes the one or more processors to, for each nearby road segment:
 determine an edge representing the nearby road segment in space;   determine a path from the requestor location coordinate to the nearby road segment;   determine the number of edge crossings for the path, the number of edge crossings indicating the number of times the path intersects an edge of any other nearby road segment;   select nearby road segments having less than the number of edge crossings as accessible road segments.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein each path reflects a walking path of a service requestor from the requestor location coordinate to the address matched road segment. 
     
     
         19 . A system for executing a method, the system comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by one or more processors to perform steps comprising:
 receiving a request for transport service from a service requestor, the request including a requestor location coordinate; 
 determining a set of nearby road segments of a plurality of road segments, the set of nearby road segments within a threshold distance from the requestor location coordinate; 
 determining a set of accessible road segments of the set of nearby road segments, the set of accessible road segments having less than a number of edge crossings, the number of edge crossings representing the number of times the service requestor crosses a road segment when travelling to a nearby road segment; 
 selecting a road segment of the set of accessible road segments as a pickup location; and 
 transmitting a route from the pickup location to a destination location to a service provider. 
   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the number of edge crossings is one or fewer.