JP6767840B2 - Information processing equipment, information processing methods, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and the like.

In the conventionally popular systems for providing map information and navigating, it is common that information on facilities such as restaurants and convenience stores is displayed on the map.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a navigation device that simply displays facility information around the current location. In the navigation device described in Patent Document 1, the navigation ECU reads the map data around the current location together with the current location from the map database and displays it on the display. When a facility display request is input from the operation unit, the navigation ECU sequentially displays detailed information on the facility on the display in order of proximity to the current location. Also, highlight the icon of the facility where the detailed information is displayed on the map data. Detailed information on the facility will be recorded in HTML format, and the photo data will be displayed together with the text data.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-266550

A conventional system such as the navigation device described in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to grasp the location and distribution of facilities. On the other hand, in the conventional system, since the potential availability of the facility by the user is not known, it is not possible to grasp the situation such as excess or deficiency of the facility and whether or not it is properly distributed.

Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to make it possible to visually recognize the potential availability of a user for any facility on a map.

The information processing device according to the present invention associates the position information of the terminal when the terminal sends a facility search request requesting location information for a facility belonging to an arbitrary category with the category of the facility for which the location information is requested. A search history storage unit that stores information processing, a totaling unit that aggregates the number of searches for facilities belonging to a predetermined category for each mesh that divides the map into a predetermined size based on the stored location information of the terminal, and a predetermined totaling unit. The specific part that specifies the range of the trade area corresponding to the category and the number of searches for each aggregated mesh are displayed, and the trade area is displayed on the map based on the range of the trade area specified centering on the facilities belonging to the predetermined category. It is provided with an output unit for displaying.

In the present specification and the like, the “part” does not simply mean a physical configuration, but also includes a case where the function of the configuration is realized by software. Further, the functions of one configuration may be realized by two or more physical configurations, or the functions of two or more configurations may be realized by one physical configuration.

According to the present invention, the potential availability of a user can be visually recognized on a map for any facility.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the system structure of the system in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the statistical information output by the information processing apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block of the search terminal and the information processing apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the category DB, facility information DB and search history information DB in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the processing flow of a map providing system. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of the search terminal, the display terminal and the information processing apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, one of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. It should be noted that the following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited only to the embodiments thereof. Further, the present invention can be modified in various ways as long as it does not deviate from the gist thereof. Further, those skilled in the art can adopt an embodiment in which each element described below is replaced with an equal one, and such an embodiment is also included in the scope of the present invention. Further, in the following, in order to facilitate understanding, an embodiment in which the present invention is realized by using an information processing device will be described as an example, but as described above, the present invention is not limited thereto.

<1. System overview>
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the system 10 including the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 is configured by connecting the information processing device 100, the search terminal 200, and the display terminal 300 to each other via the network N.

The network N is composed of a wireless network and a wired network. Examples of communication networks include mobile phone networks, PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) networks, wireless LAN (Local Area Network), 3G (3rd Generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), and 4th Generation. There are networks compliant with (registered trademark), infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), wired LAN, telephone line, power line network, IEEE1394, and the like.

In the system 10 according to the present embodiment, the information processing device 100 has a function of providing map information and a facility search service to the search terminal 200 and the display terminal 300, and information indicating whether the distribution of facilities is appropriate (hereinafter,). , Also called "statistical information"). Statistical information is information that makes it possible to grasp on which mesh on the map it is appropriate to open a new store.

An example of statistical information displayed on the display terminal 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of statistical information provided by the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment to the display terminal 300. Facilities A to H shown by the squares in FIG. 2 indicate the locations of facilities of any type (restaurants, convenience stores, etc.). The circles a to h displayed around the facilities A to H indicate the trade areas of the facilities A to H.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the statistical information according to the present embodiment, the map is divided into meshes and displayed. In each mesh, the number of times the search terminal 200 has performed a facility search in the mesh is displayed.

User of display terminal 300 (Hereinafter, the user who uses the search terminal 200 is referred to as a "user", and when simply referred to as a "user", the user who uses the display terminal 300 is referred to.) Refer to the statistical information and mesh. By checking the positional relationship between the number of searches displayed in and the trade area, for example, a mesh that is not included in any trade area even though the number of searches is large has a high potential use by the user. It can be judged that it is an area. For example, when a user is considering opening a new facility, such an area can be determined to be suitable as a store opening candidate. In addition, if a mesh with a large number of searches is included in the trade area of a facility, the recognition of the facility is considered to be low. In this case, if the user is the owner of the facility, it can be understood that it is necessary to appeal the location of the facility by advertising or the like.

<2. Configuration>
The configuration of the system 10 that outputs the above-mentioned statistical information will be described.

<2-1. Functions of search terminal 200>
The functional configuration of the search terminal 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3A. The search terminal 200 is an information processing device having a function of intermittently acquiring position information by, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like and transmitting the position information to the information processing device 100 via the network N. Specifically, as the search terminal 200, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a tablet, a wearable terminal, a game machine, a car navigation device, and the like are assumed. It is not limited to these. For example, the search terminal 200 may be a terminal device such as a desktop PC that does not have portability.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the search terminal 200 includes a main control unit 220 including a CPU and a memory, a communication unit 240 for connecting to a network N, and an input unit 210 such as a touch panel for receiving operations from a user. It is preferable to include a display unit 250 for displaying a screen, a positioning unit 260 for positioning current position information, and the like.

By installing a map application (hereinafter referred to as a map application) on the search terminal 200, the user can acquire map information from the information processing device 100 and display the map, or can use the facility search service. desirable. The facility search service refers to a service provided by the information processing device 100 that searches for the location of a facility of any type (category) and provides information to the user.

When the user uses the facility search service, the user uses the search terminal 200 to transmit the facility information request to the information processing device 100. The facility information request to be transmitted includes the category of the facility to be searched (restaurants, convenience stores, restaurants, etc., details will be described later) and the location information of the current location of the search terminal 200. It is preferable to have.

<2-2. Functions of display terminal 300>
The display terminal 300 is a computer connected to the network N, and like the search terminal 200, it does not have, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PC, a PDA, a tablet, a wearable terminal, a game machine, a car navigation device, or portability. A desktop PC or the like is assumed. The display terminal 300 may be configured to be included in the search terminal 200.

The display terminal 300 is an information processing device having at least a function of communicating with the information processing device 100 and a function of displaying statistical information provided by the information processing device 100. As an example, the display terminal 300 may have the same configuration as the search terminal 200. When the user wants to display the statistical information on the display terminal 300, the user operates the display terminal 300 to transmit the statistical information request to the information processing device 100. The statistical information request preferably includes a category of facilities for displaying statistical information and a range for displaying statistical information on a map (hereinafter, referred to as "display range").

<2-2. Functions of information processing device 100>
The functional configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3B. The information processing device 100 is a computer connected to the network N, and examples thereof include a PC and a server device. As shown in FIG. 3B, the information processing apparatus 100 includes, for example, map information DB131, category DB132, facility information DB133, search history information DB134, search unit 101, aggregation unit 102, and output unit 103 as functional units. Have.

In the map information DB 131, data of contents in various maps such as vector data, raster data, and note (comment) data for drawing a map are stored in association with latitude / longitude information. The content data stored in the map information DB131 includes, for example, roads, railroads, rivers, mountains, commercial facilities, financial institutions, houses, signs, event information, store information, facility information, traffic regulation information, icons, and note information. It has certain attributes such as.

Information about the category of the facility is stored in the category DB 132. The facility category indicates the type of facility, such as fast food, family restaurant, ramen, convenience store, supermarket, department store, shopping mall, gas station, parking lot, and the like. It is preferable that the facility categories are classified hierarchically. For example, in the above categories, fast food, family restaurants and ramen are in the larger category "gourmet", convenience stores, supermarkets, department stores and shopping malls are in the larger category "shopping", gas stations and parking lots. Is categorized into the larger category "Traffic". Further, one facility may be configured to belong to a plurality of categories. In addition, the category may be the name of an affiliated store or a chain store.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of category DB 132. As shown in FIG. 4A, the category DB 132 stores the category identifier, the trade area size, the display mesh size, the icon, and the like in association with each other.

The trade area size is information used when the output unit 103, which will be described later, displays statistical information on a map. The output unit 103 can determine the size of the trade area of each facility to be displayed on the statistical information (hereinafter, also referred to as “display trade area”) based on the trade area size registered in the category DB 132. The trade area size is preferably set based on the primary mode of transportation to facilities belonging to the corresponding category. For example, the trade area size is set wide because the main means of transportation to the shopping mall is assumed to be a car, and the trade area size is set narrow because the main means of transportation to the convenience store is assumed to be walking. Will be done. In the example of FIG. 4A, the trade area size is stored with the size of the radius centered on the location of the facility, but the size is not limited to this. For example, the trade area size may be stored as travel time on foot from the facility. Further, the trade area size may be arbitrarily set by the user.

The display mesh size is the size of the mesh used by the output unit 103, which will be described later, when displaying statistical information on the map. The display mesh size is set according to the category. The display mesh size may be set according to the trade area size. Specifically, the display mesh size is set so that a plurality of meshes are included in one trade area.

The icon is used to indicate the position of a facility belonging to the corresponding category on the map, and is displayed on the map at the coordinates corresponding to the position of the facility.

Information about the facility is stored in the facility information DB 133. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of facility information DB 133. As shown in FIG. 4 (B), in the facility information DB 133, the facility name, the facility category (in this example, the category name is registered, but the category identifier may be used), and the facility identifier. Position information and the like are associated and saved.

The search history information DB 134 stores a history of facility search requests transmitted from the search terminal 200 to the information processing device 100. FIG. 4C is a diagram showing an example of the search history information DB 134. As shown in FIG. 4C, the search history information DB 134 contains the location information when the search terminal 200 makes a facility search request, the search mesh code, the category of the facility targeted by the facility search request, and the search. Information such as the date and time is associated and saved.

The search mesh code is a mesh code including the position of the search terminal 200 that has sent the facility search request. The search history information DB 134 preferably, but is not limited to, a code that identifies the mesh assigned to the mesh of the smallest size that can be displayed in the system 10 is registered as the search mesh code. In the search history information DB 134, mesh codes of all mesh sizes may be registered as search mesh codes.

The search date and time is the date and time when the information processing apparatus 100 receives the facility search request.

The search history information DB 134 may be configured in which information about the search terminal 200 that has transmitted the facility search request is further associated and stored. The information about the search terminal 200 includes, for example, information such as a user ID, user attribute information, a terminal identifier of the search terminal 200, and an OS (Operating System) type.

When the search unit 101 receives the facility search request transmitted from the search terminal 200, the search unit 101 refers to the facility information DB 133 and extracts the location information of the facility corresponding to the category included in the facility search request, and the search terminal 200 Send to. In this case, the search terminal 200 can display the location of the facility on the map based on the received location information.

Further, the search unit 101 updates the search history information DB 134 when receiving the facility search request. Specifically, the search unit 101 identifies the search mesh code from the location information included in the received facility search request. Next, the search unit 101 registers the specified search mesh code, the category included in the facility search request, the location information of the search terminal 200, the search time, and the like in the search history information DB 134.

When the statistical information request is received, the aggregation unit 102 refers to the search history information DB 134 and performs an aggregation process for totaling the number of searches for each mesh. Specifically, the aggregation unit 102 refers to the search history information DB 134, and aggregates the number of searches corresponding to each mesh code for the categories included in the statistical information request. The aggregation unit 102 may be configured to save the result of the aggregation process. In this case, the aggregation unit 102 can execute the above-mentioned aggregation process on a predetermined day of the week, a predetermined time, or the like, and save the execution result. At this time, when the aggregation unit 102 receives the statistical information request, the tabulation unit 102 may be configured to transmit the saved execution result to the display terminal 300.

The aggregation unit 102 may be configured to perform aggregation processing based on the search date and time with reference to the search history information DB 134. For example, the aggregation unit 102 aggregates records including the search date and time within a predetermined period (for example, within one year, within one week, etc.) from the time when the aggregation process is performed (for example, the date and time when the statistical information request is received). It can be the target of processing. Further, the aggregation unit 102 may be configured to perform aggregation processing based on the attributes of the user, the type of the search terminal 200 (OS), and the like.

The output unit 103 causes the display terminal 300 to display statistical information based on the total result of the total unit 102. Specifically, the output unit 103 refers to the category DB 132 and extracts the trade area size for the category included in the statistical information request. Further, the output unit 103 refers to the facility information DB 133 and extracts records of facilities in the category included in the statistical information request. When the statistical information request includes a display range, the output unit 103 preferably selects a record whose display range includes the location information of the facility from the extracted records.

The output unit 103 creates statistical information based on the extracted record and trade area size and the aggregation result of the aggregation unit 102, and transmits the statistical information to the display terminal 300. As a result, the display terminal 300 can display the received statistical information on the map (see FIG. 2).

At this time, the output unit 103 can set the above-mentioned display trade area based on the size of the trade area, the terrain in which the facility is located, the population density, and the like. For example, the output unit 103 can set the display trade area as a circle whose radius is the trade area size acquired from the category DB 132 centering on the facility. Further, for example, the output unit 103 can set the display trade area along the way centered on the facility. The output unit 103 displays the displayed trade area by converting the trade area size into a road, so that the river or railroad track is included in the trade area, and the river is different from the distance set in the trade area size. The trade area can be displayed on the display statistical information except for the range divided by the railroad tracks.

The emphasis unit 104 displays (for example, emphasizes) a predetermined mesh so that it can be identified based on the statistical information output by the output unit 103. For example, the emphasis section 104 is a mesh that is not included in the trade area of any facility, and the number of searches is larger than a predetermined threshold value, or the number of searches is a predetermined magnification or more (for example, 1.5 times) of the surrounding average. It is preferable to highlight the mesh (above) as an area with high potential availability.

Further, the emphasis unit 104 refers to a mesh in which the number of searches is larger than a predetermined threshold value or a mesh in which the number of searches is greater than or equal to a predetermined magnification than the surrounding average, even though the mesh is included in the trade area of any facility. , It is also preferable to highlight it to call attention. This is because there is a high possibility that the facilities corresponding to the trade area including such a mesh have low recognition.

<3. Processing flow>
The flow of the map display processing of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. It should be noted that each processing step included in the processing flow described below can be arbitrarily changed in order or executed in parallel as long as there is no contradiction in the processing contents, and other processing steps can be executed. You may add the step of. Further, the steps described as one step for convenience can be executed by being divided into a plurality of steps, while those described as one step can be grasped as one step for convenience.

When the user operates the search terminal 200 to transmit the facility search request and the search unit 101 receives it (S101: YES), the search unit 101 refers to the facility information DB 133 and includes the category included in the facility search request. Extract the record of the facility corresponding to. The search unit 101 extracts the location information of the facility from the extracted records and transmits it to the search terminal 200. At this time, the search unit 101 updates the search history information DB 134 (S102).

Next, when the aggregation unit 102 receives the statistical information request transmitted by the user operating the display terminal 300 (S103: YES), the aggregation unit 102 performs the aggregation process (S104). The output unit 103 creates statistical information based on the aggregation result of the aggregation unit 102. When the statistical information created by the output unit 103 includes a mesh to be highlighted (S105: YES), the highlighting unit 104 controls so that the corresponding mesh is highlighted (S106). When the output unit 103 outputs the statistical information, the search terminal 200 displays the statistical information on the map (S107).

In this way, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can make the potential availability of the user visible by outputting the statistical information. Specifically, the user of the display terminal 300 refers to the statistical information, and although the number of searches is large, the mesh that is not included in any of the trade areas is an area where the potential use of the user is high. Can be determined to be. For example, when a user is considering opening a new facility, such an area can be determined to be suitable as a store opening candidate. In addition, if a mesh with a large number of searches is included in the trade area of a facility, the recognition of the facility is considered to be low. In this case, if the user is the owner of the facility, it can be understood that it is necessary to appeal the location of the facility by advertising or the like.

<Hardware configuration>
Hereinafter, an example of the hardware configuration in the case where the search terminal 200 and the information processing device 100 described above are realized by the computer 800 will be described with reference to FIG. The function of each device can be realized by dividing it into a plurality of devices.

As shown in FIG. 6, the computer 800 includes a processor 801 and a memory 803, a storage device 805, an input I / F unit 807, a data I / F unit 809, a communication I / F unit 811 and a display device 813.

The processor 801 controls various processes in the computer 800 by executing a program stored in the memory 803. For example, the search unit 101, the aggregation unit 102, the output unit 103, the emphasis unit 104, the main control unit 220 of the search terminal 200, and the like of the information processing device 100 are temporarily stored in the memory 803, and then mainly the processor 801. It can be realized as a program that runs on.

The memory 803 is a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like. The memory 803 temporarily stores the program code of the program executed by the processor 801 and the data required when the program is executed.

The storage device 805 is a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The storage device 805 stores an operating system and various programs for realizing each of the above configurations. In addition, the storage device 805 can also store the map information DB 131, the category DB 132, the facility information DB 133, the search history information DB 134, and the like. Such programs and data are referred to by the processor 801 by being loaded into the memory 803 as needed.

The input I / F unit 807 is a device for receiving an input from a user or a user. Specific examples of the input I / F unit 807 include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, various sensors, a wearable device, and the like. The input I / F unit 807 may be connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The data I / F unit 809 is a device for inputting data from the outside of the computer 800. Specific examples of the data I / F unit 809 include a drive device for reading data stored in various storage media. It is also conceivable that the data I / F unit 809 is provided outside the computer 800. In that case, the data I / F unit 809 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as USB.

The communication I / F unit 811 is a device for performing data communication via the Internet N by wire or wirelessly with an external device of the computer 800. It is also conceivable that the communication I / F unit 811 is provided outside the computer 800. In that case, the communication I / F unit 811 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as USB.

The display device 813 is a device for displaying various information. Specific examples of the display device 813 include a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Lumisensence) display, a display of a wearable device, and the like. The display device 813 may be provided outside the computer 800. In that case, the display device 813 is connected to the computer 800 via, for example, a display cable or the like.

Each of the embodiments described above is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not for limiting the interpretation of the present invention. The present invention can be modified / improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention also includes an equivalent thereof. In addition, each embodiment is an example, and it goes without saying that partial substitutions or combinations of the configurations shown in different embodiments are possible, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as the features of the present invention are included. ..

10 System 100 Information processing device 101 Search unit 102 Aggregation unit 103 Output unit 104 Emphasis unit 131 Map information DB
132 Category DB
133 Facility information DB
134 Search history information DB
200 Search terminal 210 Input unit 220 Main control unit 230 Storage unit 240 Communication unit 250 Display unit 260 Positioning unit N network

Claims (7)

A search history storage unit that stores the location information of the terminal when the terminal sends a facility search request for requesting location information for a facility belonging to an arbitrary category in association with the category of the facility for which the location information is requested. ,
Based on the stored location information of the terminal, a totaling unit that totals the number of searches for facilities belonging to a predetermined category for each mesh that divides the map into a predetermined size,
A specific part that specifies the range of the trade area corresponding to the predetermined category, and
An output unit that displays the total number of searches for each mesh and displays the trade area on a map based on the range of the trade area specified centering on the facilities belonging to the predetermined category.
Equipped with a,
The output unit selects a predetermined mesh based on the number of searches for each mesh and the range of the trade area, and displays it in an identifiable manner.
Information processing device. The output unit
Among the meshes displayed on the map that do not have an area included in the trade area, the meshes whose number of searches is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value are identifiablely displayed.
The information processing device according to claim 1. The output unit
Among the meshes having an area included in the trade area displayed on the map, the meshes whose number of searches is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value are identifiablely displayed.
The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The output unit
The size of the trade area displayed on the map is changed according to the terrain around the facility.
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The output unit
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the size of the trade area and the size of the mesh displayed on the map are changed according to the category. The computer
A step of associating and storing the location information of the terminal when the terminal sends a facility search request requesting location information for a facility belonging to an arbitrary category and the category of the facility for which the location information is requested, and
Based on the stored location information of the terminal, a step of totaling the number of searches for facilities belonging to a predetermined category for each mesh in which the map is divided into a predetermined size, and
Steps to identify the range of trade areas corresponding to the predetermined category,
A step of displaying the total number of searches for each mesh and displaying the trade area on the map based on the range of the trade area specified centering on the facilities belonging to the predetermined category.
Is an information processing method that executes
The display step includes a step of selecting a predetermined mesh based on the number of searches for each mesh and the range of the trade area and displaying it in an identifiable manner.
Information processing method. On the computer
A step of associating and storing the location information of the terminal when the terminal sends a facility search request requesting location information for a facility belonging to an arbitrary category and the category of the facility for which the location information is requested, and
Based on the stored location information of the terminal, a step of totaling the number of searches for facilities belonging to a predetermined category for each mesh in which the map is divided into a predetermined size, and
Steps to identify the range of trade areas corresponding to the predetermined category,
A step of displaying the total number of searches for each mesh and displaying the trade area on the map based on the range of the trade area specified centering on the facilities belonging to the predetermined category.
A program for executing,
The display step includes a step of selecting a predetermined mesh based on the number of searches for each mesh and the range of the trade area and displaying it in an identifiable manner.
program.