JP2009187031A - Map information processing device, navigation system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide appropriate information by automatically detecting user's operation sequences on a map. <P>SOLUTION: The map information processing device comprises: a map information storage section storing map information as information on a map; a reception section receiving a map browsing operation as an operation to browse the map; an operation information sequence acquisition section acquiring operation information as information of the operation corresponding to the map browsing operation; a keyword acquisition section acquiring one or more keywords from the map information by use of the operation information; a retrieving section retrieving information by use of the one or more keywords; and an information output section outputting the information retrieved by the retrieving section. Appropriate information can be automatically provided according to the map browsing operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a map information processing apparatus and the like for searching for information corresponding to a map browsing operation.

  In a map information processing apparatus such as a conventional car navigation system, a function of presenting related information for an area on a map presented on a screen is realized. For example, there is a function of searching for a gas station within a certain distance from the current location.

  In addition, the online second map on the Web, which is the second conventional technology, also provides a function for presenting information about the currently presented area (restaurant information, transportation, etc.) as supplementary information (for example, non-display). Patent Document 1).

  In addition, as a third conventional technique, there is a technique that allows a user to easily change a map screen area to be viewed and a scale by an operation on an online map (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2).

  Further, as a fourth conventional technique, there is a technique that enables a web search from a geographical point of view by providing a geographical structure to the contents of an existing Web page and associating it with the geographical coordinates of a real space (non-contained) (See Patent Documents 3 and 4).

  In addition, as a fifth conventional technique, there is a technique that visually expresses an information distribution by pasting an image sent to a server by a user on a map based on the added position information (non-) (See Patent Document 5).

  In addition, as a conventional sixth technique, keywords in the blog are divided into “objects” that many people use for travel and “experience” of people based on the co-occurrence of place names / landmarks and particles. Thus, the Blog search is made more efficient (see Non-Patent Document 6).

  As a conventional seventh technique, there is a technique in which a user can passively browse regional information on the Web along a route by drawing the route on a map. Web pages displayed in a system that implements this technology are determined by the geographical importance calculated in advance. Further, the degree of detail of information to be presented is changed by the user zooming in and zooming out operations on the map. If the user performs a zoom-out operation, a Web page including keywords with high geographical importance is displayed. If the user performs a zoom-in operation, the user wants more detailed information about the area, and Web pages containing keywords with low importance are displayed (see Non-Patent Documents 7 and 8). In this technique, a user's intention is estimated only from a single user operation on a map, and information is searched.

  Further, as a conventional eighth technique, there is a system that presents a different map screen for each individual operation from a single map operation by the user (see Non-Patent Document 9).

  Further, as a related technique, there is an MBR (Minimum Bounding Rectangle) technique described later (see Non-Patent Document 10).

Always guide, Internet <URL: http: //www.its-mo.com/> Satoru Takagi, 1 other person, “Information Search Using Map Information”, Information Processing, 2000, Vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 357-362 Satoshi Hiramatsu, 1 other, “Extended Web Space for Regional Information Services”, Transactions of Information Processing Society of Japan, Database, 2000, Vol. 41, no. SIG6 (TOD7), pp. 81-90 Satoshi Hiramatsu and two others, “Extension of Web Search Based on Spatio-temporal Structure”, The 1st Artificial Intelligence Society Semantic Web and Ontology Study Group, 2002, No. SIG-SWO-A201-08 Japan Society for Artificial Intelligence Daiki Uematsu, 4 others, “Place log: Proposal for using location information in Weblog environment”, 6th Semantic Web and Ontology Study Group, 2004, No. SIG-SWO-A401-07 Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence Ken Kurashima and two others, "Proposal of experience expression extraction from town Blog and its spatial presentation method", Information Processing Society of Japan Research Report, 2005, Vol. 2005, No. 67, 2005-DBS-137, pp. 47-53 Taro Tezuka and 1 other, "Trajectory-based Presentation of Heterogeneous Spatio-temporal Content", Web and Wireless Geographical Information Systems-W2GIS2005, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 3833, pp.235-245, Springer-Verlag Taro Tezuka and 1 other, "Query-free regional information browsing based on landmark extraction from the web" DBSJ Letters, 2005, Vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 141-144 Joe Weakliam and two others, "Implicit interaction profiling for recommending spatial content" ACM GIS 2005, pp.285-294 Ma Qiang, two others, “Locality detection of web content based on page content and location information and its application”, Information Processing Society of Japan Research Report, 2002, Vol. 2002, no. 67, 2002-DBS-128-69, pp. 515-522

  However, in a map information processing apparatus such as a conventional car navigation system or an online map, only related information (related web pages, etc.) included in the currently displayed map area is presented.

  Moreover, in the prior art in Non-Patent Document 2 to Non-Patent Document 9, the user's intention of map operation is estimated from a map browsing operation sequence that is a plurality of map browsing operations, and related information cannot be obtained. Therefore, it was not possible to present appropriate information according to the user's map operation.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to automatically detect an operation sequence on a map of a user and provide appropriate information.

  The map information processing apparatus of the first aspect of the invention includes a map information storage unit that can store map information that is information about a map, a map browsing operation sequence that is a plurality of operations for browsing the map, and a reception unit, An operation information sequence acquisition unit that acquires an operation information sequence that is information of a plurality of operations corresponding to the map browsing operation sequence, and a keyword acquisition unit that acquires one or more keywords from the map information using the operation information sequence And a map information processing apparatus comprising: a search unit that searches for information using the one or more keywords; and an information output unit that outputs information searched by the search unit.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically detect an operation sequence for a user's map and provide appropriate information.

  In the map information processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, in contrast to the first aspect, the reception unit also receives an instruction to output the map, and the reception unit receives an instruction to output a map. A map output unit that reads out the map information and outputs a map; and a map output change unit that changes a map output in response to the map browsing operation when the receiving unit receives a map browsing operation. A map information processing apparatus.

  With this configuration, the map output can be changed.

  Further, in the map information processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, in contrast to the second aspect of the invention, the keyword acquisition unit is search range information that is information about an operation information sequence and a range of keywords to be acquired on the map. Search range management information storage means storing two or more sets of search range management information that is a pair of the search information, and search range information corresponding to an operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit. Map information comprising search range information acquisition means acquired from the search range management information storage means, and keyword acquisition means for acquiring one or more keywords from the map information according to the search range information acquired by the search range information acquisition means It is a processing device.

  With this configuration, it is possible to define a keyword search range that matches the pattern of the operation information sequence, and to provide information that appropriately matches the user's intention to operate the map.

  In the map information processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in contrast to the third aspect, the map browsing operation includes a zoom-in operation (symbol [i]), a zoom-out operation (symbol [o]), and a movement operation (symbol [o]). Symbol [m]) and a centering operation (symbol [c]), the operation information sequence is an operation sequence of m * c + i + ([*] is repeated 0 times or more, [+] is repeated 1 or more times). A single-point specifying operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence that specifies an arbitrary point, and an information that indicates an operation sequence of m + o +, and a plurality of operation information sequences that specify any two or more points This is information indicating a point designation operation information sequence and an operation sequence i + c [c * m *] *, and includes a selection designation operation information sequence which is an operation information sequence for selecting a plurality of points in sequence, and an operation sequence c + m * o +. Is an operation information string for examining the positional relationship of a plurality of points. Information indicating a side designation operation information sequence and an operation sequence of o + m +, either a wide area designation operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence for moving a plurality of points, or a combination of the five types of operation information sequences This is a map information processing apparatus.

  With this configuration, it is possible to provide information that appropriately matches the user's intention to operate the map.

  Further, the map information processing apparatus of the fifth aspect of the invention is based on the fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the combination of the five types of operation information sequences is a single point designation operation information sequence followed by a single point designation operation information sequence, Thereafter, a refinement search operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence having a selection designation operation information sequence in which a part of the subsequent single point designation operation information sequence overlaps, and a multipoint designation operation information after the selection designation operation information sequence A selection specifying operation after a comparison search operation information sequence, which is an operation information sequence having a wide area specifying operation information sequence, and a peripheral specifying operation information sequence. The map information processing apparatus is one of route search operation information sequences that are operation information sequences followed by an information sequence.

  With this configuration, it is possible to provide information that more appropriately matches the user's intention to operate the map.

  Further, the map information processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is the fifth aspect of the invention, wherein the search range management information storage means receives a narrowing search operation information sequence and a centering operation after a zoom-in operation or zoom-in At least search range information having a pair of refined search target information, which is information indicating that a keyword of a destination point that is in the vicinity of the center point of the map that is output when a moving operation is received after the operation is paired The search range information acquisition unit stores the search information when the operation information sequence that is two or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit corresponds to the search operation information sequence. A map for acquiring at least a keyword of a destination point corresponding to the refinement search target information acquired by the search range information acquiring unit; Boric processing apparatus.

  With this configuration, it is possible to acquire information that matches the intention of the refined search.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is the map information processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the narrowing search target information includes a center point of a map that is output when a centering operation is received before a zoom-in operation. Including information indicating that a keyword of a landmark point that is a nearby point is acquired, the keyword acquisition unit also acquires a keyword of a landmark point corresponding to the refinement search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit A map information processing apparatus.

  With this configuration, it is possible to acquire information that matches the intention of the refined search.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is the fifth aspect of the invention, wherein the search range management information storage means includes a comparison search operation information sequence, a map area output after the zoom-out operation, Stores at least search range information having a pair of comparison search target information, which is information indicating a difference area between map areas output before the zoom-out operation, and the search range information acquisition unit acquires the operation information sequence. When the operation information sequence that is two or more operation information acquired by the section is determined to correspond to the comparison search operation information sequence, the comparison search target information is acquired. The map information processing apparatus acquires at least a keyword corresponding to the acquired comparison search target information.

  With this configuration, information that matches the intention of the comparison search can be acquired.

  In the map information processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect of the invention, in contrast to the fifth aspect of the invention, the search range management information storage means moves from the comparison search operation information sequence and the map area output after the move operation. Stores at least search range information having a pair of comparison search target information, which is information indicating an area excluding the map area output before the operation, and the search information acquisition means includes the operation information sequence acquisition unit. When it is determined that the operation information sequence that is two or more acquired operation information corresponds to the comparison search operation information sequence, the comparison search target information is acquired, and the keyword acquisition unit is acquired by the search range information acquisition unit The map information processing apparatus acquires at least a keyword corresponding to comparison search target information.

  With this configuration, information that matches the intention of the comparison search can be acquired.

  In the map information processing apparatus according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in contrast to the eighth aspect of the invention, the information searched by the search unit is a plurality of Web pages on the Internet, and the keyword acquisition means includes the search range. When only one keyword is acquired when the keyword keyword corresponding to the comparison search target information acquired by the information acquisition unit is acquired, the keyword having the maximum co-occurrence with the one keyword is further selected from the plurality of Web pages. It is a map information processing device that retrieves and acquires from.

  With this configuration, information that matches the intention of the comparison search can be acquired.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect of the invention relates to the fifth aspect of the invention when the search range management information storage means receives a route search operation information sequence and a zoom-in operation or a zoom-out operation. The search range information acquisition means stores at least search range information having a pair of route search target information, which is information for acquiring a keyword of a destination point that is in the vicinity of the center point of the output map, When the operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit is determined to correspond to a route search operation information sequence, the route search target information is acquired, and the keyword acquisition means The map information processing apparatus acquires at least a keyword of a destination point corresponding to the route search target information acquired by the search range information acquiring means.

  With this configuration, it is possible to acquire information that matches the intention of the route search.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention is the map information processing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the route search target information is a center point of a map that is output when a centering operation is received before a zoom-in operation. And the keyword acquisition unit also acquires the keyword of the landmark point corresponding to the route search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit. A map information processing apparatus.

  With this configuration, it is possible to acquire information that matches the intention of the route search.

  In the map information processing apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, the operation information sequence acquisition unit acquires an operation information sequence that is a series of two or more pieces of operation information, and a predetermined information. When the above condition is met, one operation information sequence to be automatically acquired is terminated, and the keyword acquisition unit uses the one operation information sequence to acquire one or more keywords from the map information. Information processing apparatus.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically acquire a map operation segment of the user and to perform more appropriate information retrieval.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the map information processing apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein the predetermined condition is that a moving distance in a moving operation is greater than a predetermined threshold. It is.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically acquire a map operation segment of the user and to perform more appropriate information retrieval.

  The map information processing apparatus of the fifteenth aspect of the invention is a map information processing apparatus in which the search target information of the search unit is one or more Web pages on the Internet.

  With this configuration, appropriate information can be retrieved from an information storage device on the Web.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the sixteenth aspect of the invention relates to the twelfth aspect of the invention, wherein the search target information is one or more Web pages on the Internet, When the reception unit receives a narrow search operation information sequence, the map information processing apparatus searches for a Web page having the keyword of the destination point in the title and the keyword of the landmark point in the page. .

  With this configuration, an appropriate web page can be acquired.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the seventeenth aspect of the invention relates to the twelfth aspect of the invention, wherein the map information indicates map symbol information indicating a map symbol, a term on the map, and a position of the term. It has term information having position information, and the search target information of the search unit is one or more Web pages on the Internet, and the search unit has both the keyword of the mark point and the keyword of the mark point. One or more included Web pages are acquired, two or more terms are detected from each of the acquired one or more Web pages, and two or more position information indicating the positions of the two or more terms are obtained from the map information. And acquiring geographical range information, which is information indicating the geographical range of the description of the Web page, for each Web page using the two or more pieces of position information. We showing To at least get the page

  With this configuration, an appropriate web page can be acquired.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the eighteenth aspect of the invention is directed to the seventeenth aspect of the invention, in which the search unit includes at least one Web page including both the keyword at the landmark and the keyword at the landmark. To acquire one or more Web pages having at least one of the keywords in the title of the Web page

  With this configuration, a more appropriate web page can be acquired.

  According to the map information processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to automatically detect an operation sequence for a user's map and provide appropriate information.

The figure which shows the map information processing system in embodiment Block diagram of the map information processing system A flowchart for explaining the operation of the map information processing apparatus A flowchart for explaining the operation of the keyword acquisition process A flowchart for explaining the operation of the search range information acquisition process A flowchart for explaining the detailed operation of the keyword acquisition process A flowchart for explaining the detailed operation of the keyword acquisition process Flow chart explaining the search process The figure which shows the map design information Diagram showing the same term information Figure showing the atomic operation chunk management table Figure showing the same composite operation chunk management table The figure which shows the output example of the map information processing apparatus The figure which shows the example of transition of the same map output The figure which shows the data structure example in the same buffer The figure which shows the data structure example in the same buffer The figure which shows the example of the information which the search part searched The figure which shows the data structure example in the same buffer The figure explaining the field which acquires the keyword The figure which shows the output example of the map information processing apparatus The figure explaining the field which acquires the keyword The figure which shows the data structure example in the same buffer The figure which shows the output example of the map information processing apparatus Overview of the computer system that implements the map information processing device Block diagram of a computer system for realizing the map information processing apparatus

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the map information processing apparatus and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again.

  (Embodiment)

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a map information processing system in the present embodiment. The map information processing system includes a map information processing device 11 and one or more information storage devices 12.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the map information processing system in the present embodiment. The map information processing apparatus 11 includes a map information storage unit 1101, a reception unit 1102, a map output unit 1103, a map output change unit 1104, an operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105, a keyword acquisition unit 1106, a search unit 1107, and an information output unit 1108. To do.

  The keyword acquisition unit 1106 includes search range management information storage means 11061, search range information acquisition means 11062, and keyword acquisition means 11063.

  The information storage device 12 stores information that can be searched by the map information processing device 11, reads information according to a request from the map information processing device 11, and transmits the information to the map information processing device 11. The information is, for example, a Web page or a record stored in a database, and the data type and format are not limited. The information storage device 12 is a Web server holding a Web page, a database server having a database, or the like.

  The map information storage unit 1101 can store map information that is information about the map. The map information stored in the map information storage unit 1101 may be information acquired from another device, or may be information stored in advance in the map information processing device 11. The map information includes, for example, term information including map symbol information indicating a map symbol and position information indicating a term and a position of the term on the map. The map symbol information is, for example, a bitmap or graph data constituting the map. The term has a character string such as a place name written on a map, a building, a scenic spot, or a place name. The position information is information having longitude and latitude on the map, X and Y coordinate values on a two-dimensional plane, and the like. The map information may be an ISO kiwi map data format. The map information preferably includes map symbol information and term information for each scale. The map information storage unit 1101 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium.

  The accepting unit 1102 accepts various instructions and operations from the user. The various instructions and operations include, for example, an instruction to output a map and a map browsing operation that is an operation to browse the map. The map browsing operation includes a zoom-in operation (the zoom-in operation may be represented by the symbol [i] hereinafter), a zoom-out operation (the zoom-out operation may be represented by the symbol [o]), Moving operation (the moving operation may be represented by the symbol [m] hereinafter), centering operation (the centering operation may be represented by the symbol [c] hereinafter), and the like. A plurality of map browsing operations are referred to as a map browsing operation sequence. The input means for various instructions and operations may be anything such as a keyboard, mouse, menu screen, or touch panel. The accepting unit 1102 can be realized by a device driver for input means such as a mouse, menu screen control software, or the like.

  When the receiving unit 1102 receives an instruction to output a map, the map output unit 1103 reads the map information from the map information storage unit 1101 and outputs the map. Needless to say, the map output unit 1103 may read and output only the map symbol information. Here, output is a concept including display on a display, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, and the like. The map output unit 1103 may or may not include an output device such as a display or a speaker. The map output unit 1103 can be implemented by output device driver software, or output device driver software and an output device.

  The map output changing unit 1104 changes the output of the map according to the map browsing operation when the receiving unit 1102 receives the map browsing operation. “Changing the output of the map” includes instructing the map output unit 1103 to change the output of the map.

  More specifically, the map output change unit 1104 zooms in on the output map when the reception unit 1102 receives a zoom-in operation, and is output when the reception unit 1102 receives a zoom-out operation. Zoom out on the map. Also, the map output changing unit 1104 moves the output map according to the operation when the receiving unit 1102 receives the moving operation. Further, the map output changing unit 1104 moves the screen so that, when the receiving unit 1102 receives a centering operation, the point indicated on the output map is at the center of the screen. Since the process of the map output changing unit 1104 is a known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted. The map output changing unit 1104 may perform processing for writing information for specifying the map after the change (for example, the scale of the map and the position information of the center point of the output map) in the buffer. The information for specifying the map after the change is appropriately referred to as “output map specifying information”.

  The map output changing unit 1104 is usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the map output changing unit 1104 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 acquires an operation information sequence that is operation information corresponding to the map browsing operation sequence. The operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 acquires an operation information sequence that is a series of two or more pieces of operation information, and terminates one operation information sequence that is automatically acquired when a predetermined condition is met. Examples of the operation information sequence include the following. First, as an example of the operation information sequence, there is information indicating an operation sequence of “m * c + i +”, and there is a single point designating operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence for designating an arbitrary point. Here, [*] means zero or more repetitions, and [+] means one or more repetitions. Further, as an example of the operation information sequence, there is a multi-point specifying operation information sequence which is information indicating an operation sequence of “m + o +” and is an operation information sequence for specifying any two or more points. Further, as an example of the operation information sequence, there is information indicating an operation sequence of “i + c [c * m *] *”, and there is a selection designation operation information sequence which is an operation information sequence for selecting a plurality of points in order. Further, as an example of the operation information sequence, there is information indicating an operation sequence of “c + m * o +”, and there is a peripheral designation operation information sequence which is an operation information sequence for examining the positional relationship between a plurality of points. Further, as an example of the operation information sequence, there is information indicating an operation sequence of “o + m +”, and there is a wide area designation operation information sequence which is an operation information sequence for moving a plurality of points. Furthermore, there is an operation sequence that is a combination of the above five types of operation information sequences (single-point specifying operation information sequence, multiple-point specifying operation information sequence, selection specifying operation information sequence, peripheral specifying operation information sequence, and wide area specifying operation information sequence). .

  As examples of combinations of five types of operation information sequences, the following narrowed search operation information sequence, comparison search operation information sequence, route search operation information sequence, and the like can be given as examples. The narrow search operation information sequence is a single point designation operation information sequence followed by a single point designation operation information sequence, and then a selection designation operation information sequence in which a part of the subsequent single point designation operation information sequence overlaps. It is an operation information sequence. The comparison search operation information sequence is an operation information sequence having a wide area designating operation information sequence in which a plurality of point designating operation information sequences are followed by a selection designating operation information sequence, and then a part of the multipoint designating operation information sequence overlaps. is there. The route search operation information sequence is an operation information sequence in which a selection designation operation information sequence follows a periphery designation operation information sequence.

  Further, in the example of the predetermined condition indicating the division of one operation information sequence in the above, the moving distance in the moving operation may be larger than a predetermined threshold value. An example of the predetermined condition is that the receiving unit 1102 has not received an operation for a certain period of time. An example of the predetermined condition is that the reception unit 1102 has received an instruction to end a map operation (including power-off) from the user.

  The operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The keyword acquisition unit 1106 acquires one or more keywords from the map information using the operation information sequence. The keyword acquisition unit 1106 acquires one or more keywords from the map information in the map information storage unit 1101 using the one operation information sequence acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105. The keyword acquisition unit 1106 normally acquires terms from the term information included in the map information. Terms and keywords are equivalent. Details of an example of an algorithm for acquiring a keyword from the operation information sequence will be described later. The keyword acquisition unit 1106 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the keyword acquisition unit 1106 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The search range management information storage unit 11061 includes two or more sets of search range management information that are pairs of an operation information sequence that is two or more pieces of operation information and search range information that is information about a range of keywords to be acquired on a map. Storing. The search range information may be information specifying a keyword to be acquired or information indicating a keyword acquisition method. The search range management information is, for example, a refined search operation information sequence, a point that is in the vicinity of the center point of the map that is output when a centering operation is received after the zoom-in operation or a move operation is received after the zoom-in operation This is information having a pair of narrowed search target information, which is information indicating that a keyword for a destination point is acquired. The search range management information is, for example, information indicating a comparison search operation information sequence, a difference area between a map area output after the zoom-out operation and a map area output before the zoom-out operation. This is information having a pair of comparison search target information. The search range management information is, for example, a comparison search operation information sequence and information indicating a region obtained by excluding a map region output before the moving operation from a map region output after the moving operation. This is information having search target information in pairs. The search range management information includes, for example, a route search operation information sequence and a keyword of a destination point that is a point near the center point of the map that is output when a zoom-in operation or a zoom-out operation is accepted. This is information having a pair of route search target information, which is information to the effect. In addition, the search target information acquires the keyword of the destination point, which is a point near the center point of the map that is output when a centering operation is received after the zoom-in operation or a movement operation is received after the zoom-in operation It is information to do. The refinement search target information may include information indicating that a keyword at a landmark point indicating a place name of a map output when a centering operation is received before a zoom-in operation is acquired. The destination point is a point that the user wants to search on the map. The mark point is a point that serves as a mark until reaching the destination point.

  The search range management information storage unit 11061 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium.

  The search range information acquisition unit 11062 acquires from the search range management information storage unit 11061 search range information corresponding to an operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105. More specifically, the search range information acquisition unit 11062 narrows down when it is determined that the operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 corresponds to the search operation information sequence. Get search target information. Also, the search range information acquisition unit 11062 acquires comparative search target information when it is determined that the operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 corresponds to the comparative search operation information sequence. . Furthermore, the search range information acquisition unit 11062 acquires route search target information when it is determined that the operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 corresponds to the route search operation information sequence. . For example, when the search range information acquisition unit 11062 is realized by software, the narrowing search target information may be a function name for performing the narrowing search. Similarly, the comparison search target information may be a function name for performing the comparison search. Similarly, the route search target information may be a function name that performs route search.

  The search range information acquisition unit 11062 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the search range information obtaining unit 11062 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires one or more keywords from the map information according to the search range information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit 11062. The keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires at least the keyword of the destination point corresponding to the narrowing search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit 11062. The keyword acquisition unit 11063 also acquires a place name that is a keyword of a landmark point corresponding to the narrowed search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit 11062. The keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires at least a keyword corresponding to the comparison search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit 11062. The keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires at least the keyword of the destination point corresponding to the route search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit 11062. The keyword acquisition unit 11063 also acquires a place name that is a keyword of a landmark point corresponding to the route search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit 11062. Details of a specific example of the keyword acquisition process of the keyword acquisition unit 11063 will be described later. The keyword of the destination point is a keyword that can identify the destination point. The keyword of the mark point is a keyword that can identify the target mark point.

  The keyword acquisition unit 11063 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the keyword acquisition unit 11063 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The search unit 1107 searches for information using one or more keywords. Here, the information is preferably a Web page on the Internet. The information may be information in a database. For example, when the reception unit 1102 receives the narrow search operation information sequence, the search unit 1107 searches for a Web page having the keyword of the destination point in the title and the keyword of the landmark point in the page. Is preferred. The search unit 1107 acquires one or more Web pages that include both the keyword at the landmark and the keyword at the landmark, and detects two or more terms from each of the acquired one or more Web pages. Two or more pieces of position information indicating the positions of the above terms are acquired from the map information, and using the two or more pieces of position information, geographical range information that is information indicating the geographical range of the description of the Web page is obtained for each Web page. It is preferable to acquire at least a web page indicating the geographical range where the geographical range information is the narrowest. When the search unit 1107 acquires one or more Web pages including both the destination point keyword and the landmark point keyword, the search unit 1107 acquires at least one Web page having at least one of the keywords in the Web page title. It is preferable to do. For example, the search unit 1107 may acquire a Web page, pass a keyword to a so-called Web search engine, start the Web search engine, and accept a search result of the Web search engine.

  The search unit 1107 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the search unit 1107 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The information output unit 1108 outputs the information searched by the search unit 1107. Here, the output is a concept including display on a display, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, accumulation in a recording medium, and the like. The information output unit 1108 may be considered as including or not including an output device such as a display or a speaker. The information output unit 1108 can be realized by output device driver software or output device driver software and an output device.

  Next, the operation of the map information processing apparatus will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  (Step S301) The receiving unit 1102 determines whether an instruction has been received from the user. If an instruction is accepted, the process goes to step S302, and if no instruction is accepted, the process returns to step S301.

  (Step S302) The map output unit 1103 determines whether or not the instruction received in step S301 is a map output instruction. If it is a map output instruction, the process proceeds to step S303, and if it is not a map output instruction, the process proceeds to step S305.

  (Step S303) The map output unit 1103 reads map symbol information constituting the map information from the map information storage unit 1101.

  (Step S304) The map output unit 1103 outputs the map symbol information read in step S303.

  (Step S305) The map output unit 1103 determines whether or not the instruction received in step S301 is a map browsing operation. If it is a map browsing operation of the map, go to step S306, and if it is not a map browsing operation of the map, go to step S313.

  (Step S306) The operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 acquires operation information corresponding to the map browsing operation received in step S301.

  (Step S307) The map output changing unit 1104 changes the output of the map according to the map browsing operation.

  (Step S308) The map output changing unit 1104 stores the operation information acquired in Step S306 and the output map specifying information, which is information specifying the map output in Step S307, in pairs in the buffer. The output map specifying information includes, for example, a scale ID that is an ID indicating the scale of the map, and position information (for example, information on longitude and latitude) indicating the center point of the output map. The output map specifying information may be a scale ID, position information on the upper left of the output map rectangle, and position information on the lower right. The map output changing unit 1104 may store the operation information and the output map specifying information in pairs in the buffer. The output map specifying information may be, for example, information for specifying the scale of the map and position information of the center point of the output map, or may be a bitmap of the output map and position information of the center point of the output map. There may be.

  (Step S309) The keyword acquisition unit 1106 performs keyword acquisition processing. Details of the keyword acquisition processing will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  (Step S310) The search unit 1107 determines whether or not a keyword has been acquired in step S309. If the keyword can be acquired, the process returns to step S311, and if the keyword cannot be acquired, the process returns to step S301.

  (Step S311) The search unit 1107 searches for information from the information storage device 12 using the keyword acquired in step S309. Details of an example of such search processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S312) The information output unit 1108 outputs the information searched in step S311.

  (Step S313) The map output unit 1103 determines whether or not the instruction received in step S301 is an end instruction to end the process. If it is an end instruction, the process goes to step S314, and if it is not an end instruction, the process goes to step S301.

  (Step S314) Information such as keywords and operation information in the buffer is cleared. The process ends.

  Next, the keyword acquisition process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S401) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 reads the operation information sequence from the buffer in which the operation information sequence is stored.

  (Step S402) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 performs a search range information acquisition process, which is a process of acquiring search range information, using the operation information sequence read out in step S401. The search range information acquisition process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S403) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 determines whether or not the search range information has been acquired in step S402. If the search range information can be acquired, the process goes to step S404. If the search range information cannot be acquired, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S404) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 executes processing for acquiring a keyword using the search range information acquired in Step S402. Such keyword acquisition processing will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Return to upper function.

  Next, the search range information acquisition process of step S402 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S501) The search range information acquiring unit 11062 substitutes 1 for the counter i.

  (Step S502) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 determines whether or not the i-th search range management information exists in the search range management information storage unit 11061. If the i-th search range management information exists, the process goes to step S503, and if the i-th search range management information does not exist, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S503) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 reads the i-th search range management information from the search range management information storage unit 11061.

  (Step S504) The search range information acquiring unit 11062 substitutes 1 for the counter j.

  (Step S505) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 determines whether or not the j-th operation information exists in the operation information sequence buffer. If the j-th operation information exists, the process proceeds to step S506, and if the j-th operation information does not exist, the process proceeds to step S511.

  (Step S506) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 reads the j-th operation information from the operation information sequence buffer.

  (Step S507) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 determines whether or not the j-th operation information sequence matches the operation sequence pattern indicated by the i-th search range management information.

  (Step S508) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 goes to step S509 if the j-th operation information sequence matches, and goes to step S510 if not.

  (Step S509) The search range information acquiring unit 11062 increments the counter j by 1. The process returns to step S505.

  (Step S510) The search range information acquiring unit 11062 increments the counter i by 1. The process returns to step S502.

  (Step S511) The search range information acquisition unit 11062 acquires i-th search range management information. Return to upper function.

  Next, processing for acquiring a keyword using the search range information in step S404 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  (Step S601) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether or not the search range information is information for a narrow search operation information sequence (whether or not it is a narrow search). If the condition is satisfied, the process goes to step S602. If the condition is not satisfied, the process goes to step S610.

  (Step S602) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether or not the operation information sequence in the buffer is an operation information sequence indicating that the centering operation [c] has been performed after the zoom-in operation [i]. If this condition is met, the process goes to step S603, and if not, the process goes to step S609.

  (Step S603) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 reads map information corresponding to the centering operation [c].

  (Step S604) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires position information of the central point of the map symbol information included in the map information read in Step S603. The keyword acquisition unit 11063 may read out the position information of the central point stored in a pair with the operation information included in the operation information sequence, or information indicating the area of the map symbol information (for example, the upper left position of the map symbol information) The position information of the center point may be calculated from the information and the position information on the lower right).

  (Step S605) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 uses the term paired with the position information closest to the position information of the central point acquired in Step S604 as the keyword of the destination point from the term information included in the map information read in Step S603. get.

  (Step S606) The keyword obtaining unit 11063 obtains the previous operation information from the operation information string in the buffer, and the map information at the time of the recent centering operation [c].

  (Step S607) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires position information of the central point of the map symbol information included in the map information acquired in Step S606.

  (Step S608) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 uses the term paired with the position information closest to the position information of the central point acquired in Step S607 as the keyword of the mark point from the term information included in the map information read in Step S606. get. Return to upper function.

  (Step S609) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether or not the operation information sequence in the buffer is an operation information sequence indicating that the move operation [m] has been performed after the zoom-in operation [i]. If this condition is met, the process goes to step S603, and if not, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S610) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 determines whether or not the search range information is information for a comparative search operation information sequence. If the condition is satisfied, the process goes to step S611. If the condition is not satisfied, the process goes to step S621.

  (Step S611) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether or not the last operation information included in the operation information sequence in the buffer is a zoom-out operation [o]. If this condition is met, the process proceeds to step S612, and if not, the process proceeds to step S618.

  (Step S612) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires map information immediately after the zoom-out operation [o] indicated by the last operation information from the information in the buffer.

  (Step S613) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires the map information immediately before the zoom-out operation [o] from the information in the buffer.

  (Step S614) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires information indicating a difference area between the area indicated by the map information acquired in Step S611 and the area indicated by the map information acquired in Step S612.

  (Step S615) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires the keyword in the area identified by the information indicating the area acquired in Step S614 from the term information in the map information storage unit 1101. Details of the in-region keyword acquisition processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S616) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 determines whether there is one keyword acquired in step S615. If there is only one keyword, the process goes to step S617, and if there is not one keyword, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S617) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 extracts, from the information storage device 12, the keyword having the highest degree of co-occurrence with the one keyword acquired in Step S615. Usually, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 extracts the keyword having the highest co-occurrence with the one keyword acquired in step S615 from a plurality of Web pages stored in one or more information storage devices 12. Here, since a technique for extracting a keyword having the highest degree of co-occurrence with a certain keyword from a plurality of files (for example, Web pages) is a known technique, detailed description thereof is omitted. Return to upper function.

  (Step S618) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires the map information immediately after the moving operation [m] indicated by the last operation information from the information in the buffer.

  (Step S619) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires the map information immediately before the moving operation [m] indicated by the last operation information from the information in the buffer.

  (Step S620) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires information indicating an area where the keyword can exist from the area indicated by the map information acquired in Step S618 and the area indicated by the map information acquired in Step S619. A description will be given later of the keyword area when the move operation [m] is a trigger for the comparison search. Go to step S615.

  (Step S621) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether the search range information is information for a route search operation information sequence. If the condition is satisfied, the process goes to step S622. If the condition is not satisfied, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S622) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires screen information immediately after the zoom-in operation [i] after the zoom-out operation [o].

  (Step S623) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 acquires position information of the central point of the map symbol information included in the screen information acquired in Step S622.

  (Step S624) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 uses the term information included in the map information read in Step S622 to find the term that is paired with the position information closest to the position information of the central point acquired in Step S623. Get keywords.

  (Step S625) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires the keyword at the mark point as a keyword in the closest past search from the zoom-in operation [i] after the zoom-out operation [o]. Return to upper function.

  Next, the in-region keyword acquisition process in step S615 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S701) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 substitutes 1 for the counter i.

  (Step S702) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether or not the i-th term exists in the term information included in the corresponding map information. If the i-th term exists, the process proceeds to step S703, and if the i-th term does not exist, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S703) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 substitutes 1 for the counter j.

  (Step S704) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether or not the j-th region exists. If the jth term exists, the process goes to step S705, and if the jth term does not exist, the process goes to step S708. Each area is usually a rectangular area.

(Step S705) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 determines whether or not the i-th term is a term existing in the j-th region. For example, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 reads position information (for example, (a _i , b _i )) that is paired with the i-th term, and the position information is the j-th area ((a _x , b _x )). , (A _y , b _y )) is a point in the region ((a _x , b _x ) is the upper left point of the rectangle, and (a _y , b _y ) is the lower right point of the rectangle) Judging. That is, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 determines that the i-th term exists in the j-th region if “a _x ≦ a _i ≦ a _y ” and “b _x ≦ b _i ≦ b _y ” are satisfied. If the above is not satisfied, it is determined that the i-th term exists outside the j-th region.

  (Step S706) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 goes to step S707 if the i-th term exists in the j-th region, and goes to step S709 if the i-th term does not exist in the j-th region.

  (Step S707) The keyword acquisition unit 11063 registers the i-th term as a keyword. Here, registration means storing in a predetermined memory. Go to step S708.

  (Step S708) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 increments the counter i by 1. The process returns to step S702.

  (Step S709) The keyword acquiring unit 11063 increments the counter j by 1. The process returns to step S704.

  Next, details of an example of the search process in step S311 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S801) The search unit 1107 determines whether or not the search range information is information for a narrow search operation information sequence (whether or not it is a narrow search). If the condition is satisfied, the process goes to step S802. If the condition is not satisfied, the process goes to step S808.

  (Step S802) The search unit 1107 assigns 1 to the counter i.

  (Step S803) The search unit 1107 searches the one or more information storage devices 12 and determines whether or not the i-th information (for example, Web page) exists. If the i-th information exists, the process goes to step S804. If the i-th information does not exist, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S804) The search unit 1107 acquires the keyword of the destination point and the keyword of the landmark point existing in the memory, and the i-th information puts the keyword of the destination point in the title (for example, in the <title> tag). In addition, it is determined whether or not the keyword at the mark point is included inside (for example, in the <body> tag).

  (Step S805) If it is determined that the determination result in step S804 matches the condition, the search unit 1107 goes to step S806, and if it does not match, the search unit 1107 goes to step S807.

  (Step S806) The search unit 1107 registers the i-th information as information to be output.

  (Step S807) The retrieval unit 1107 increments the counter i by 1. The process returns to step S803.

  (Step S808) The search unit 1107 determines whether the search range information is information for a comparative search operation information sequence. If the condition is satisfied, the process goes to step S809, and if the condition is not satisfied, the process goes to step S817.

  (Step S809) The search unit 1107 assigns 1 to the counter i.

  (Step S810) The search unit 1107 searches one or more information storage devices 12 and determines whether or not the i-th information (for example, a Web page) exists. If the i-th information exists, the process goes to step S811, and if the i-th information does not exist, the process goes to step S816.

  (Step S811) The search unit 1107 acquires two keywords existing in the memory, and the i-th information includes one keyword in the title (for example, in the <title> tag) and the other keyword inside ( For example, it is determined whether it is included in the <body> tag).

  (Step S812) If it is determined that the determination result in step S810 matches the condition, the search unit 1107 goes to step S813, and if it does not match, the search unit 1107 goes to step S815.

  (Step S813) The search unit 1107 acquires the MBR of the i-th information. MBR (Minimum Bounding Rectangle) is a search for two or more terms included in term information from the i-th information (for example, Web page), and the i-th information from two or more position information of the searched two or more terms. For example, the information is a rectangular area composed of the two most distant position information of the two or more position information corresponding to the searched two or more terms. In this case, the MBR is information of a rectangular area identified by two points (for example, upper left position information and lower right position information). Note that MBR is described in Non-Patent Document 10 above.

  (Step S814) The search unit 1107 registers the i-th information and MBR (for example, position information of two points).

  (Step S815) The search unit 1107 increments the counter i by one. The process returns to step S810.

  (Step S816) The search unit 1107 reads the registered information (existing in the memory) and MBR pair, acquires information with the smallest MBR, and registers it as output information. When MBR is a rectangular area specified by position information of two points, the size of the area of the rectangular area is compared, and information (for example, a Web page) that is paired with the MBR having the smallest area is acquired. Since the technology is a known technology, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

  (Step S817) The search unit 1107 determines whether the search range information is information for the route search operation information sequence. If the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S818. If the condition is not satisfied, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S818) The retrieval unit 1107 assigns 1 to the counter i.

  (Step S819) The search unit 1107 searches the one or more information storage devices 12 and determines whether or not the i-th information (for example, Web page) exists. If the i-th information exists, the process goes to step S820. If the i-th information does not exist, the process goes to step S823.

  (Step S820) The search unit 1107 acquires the MBR of the i-th information.

  (Step S821) The search unit 1107 registers the i-th information and MBR (for example, position information of two points).

  (Step S822) The retrieval unit 1107 increments the counter i by 1. The process returns to step S819.

  (Step S823) The search unit 1107 acquires screen information immediately after the zoom-in operation [i] immediately after the zoom-out operation [o] in the operation information sequence buffer.

  (Step S824) The search unit 1107 acquires position information of the center point of the map indicated by the map symbol information included in the screen information acquired in step S823.

  (Step S825) The search unit 1107 acquires position information of the center point of the map indicated by the map symbol information included in the screen information in the previous route search.

  (Step S826) The search unit 1107 acquires the location information of the point acquired in step S824, the MBR composed of the location information of the location acquired in step S825, and information having the closest MBR, and registers it as information to be output. To do. In this case, the search unit 1107 searches for a set of MBR and information pairs registered in step S821, and includes the location information of the point acquired in step S824 and the location information of the location acquired in step S825. And information having the closest MBR is acquired.

  The details of the example of the search process have been described in the flowchart of FIG. However, the search process may be performed only by passing a keyword to a so-called well-known Web search engine and executing the search engine.

  Further, the search unit 1107 may perform a process of constructing a SQL sentence from the keywords acquired by the keyword acquisition unit 11063 and searching the database using the SQL sentence. It should be noted that the method of combining keywords (using AND and OR) is not limited in the construction of the SQL sentence.

  Hereinafter, a specific operation of the map information processing apparatus 11 in the present embodiment will be described. A conceptual diagram of a map information processing system having the map information processing apparatus 11 is shown in FIG. Here, the map information processing apparatus 11 can automatically acquire Web information suitable for the operation intention of the map without being aware of the search, by the user operating the map. In this specific example, a meaningful operation sequence of map operations is called a chunk.

First, the map information storage unit 1101 holds the map symbol information shown in FIG. The map symbol information is stored in pairs with information (scale A, scale B, etc.) for identifying the map scale.
Further, the map information storage unit 1101 holds the term information shown in FIG. That is, the map information storage unit 1101 stores map symbol information for each difference in scale and term information for each difference in scale.

  The search range management information storage means 11061 stores the atomic operation chunk management table shown in FIG. 11 and the composite operation chunk management table shown in FIG. An atomic operation chunk is a minimum unit of an operation sequence for extracting a user's intention. The atomic operation chunk management table has attributes of “ID”, “intention identification information”, “user operation”, and “symbol”. “ID” is information for identifying a record and exists for record management in the table. “Intention identification information” is information for identifying five types of atomic operation chunks. There are five types of atomic operation chunks: single point designation, multiple point designation, selection designation, peripheral designation, and wide area designation. Single point designation is an operation of uniquely determining a target and zooming in so as to search for accommodation facilities at a travel destination. The multiple point designation is an operation of zooming out from a specific target so as to find where the souvenir shop around the accommodation facility is. The selection designation is an operation of centering a plurality of points so as to sequentially select tourist destinations as travel destinations. The peripheral designation is an operation of zooming out so that a plurality of points can be displayed on one screen so as to examine the positional relationship between the sightseeing spots to be visited. The wide area designation is an operation of moving a plurality of points so as to check the distance between the town where the user lives and the travel destination. “User operation” indicates an operation information string when the user performs a map browsing operation. The “symbol” is a symbol for identifying an atomic operation chunk.

  Moreover, in the map information processing apparatus 11 here, the search of the information including the user's intention is realized by identifying the composite operation chunk in which the atomic operation chunks are combined. The composite operation chunk management table is a management table for realizing such retrieval. The composite operation chunk management table has attributes of “ID”, “intention identification information”, “atom operation chunk combination”, “trigger”, and “user operation”. “ID” is information for identifying a record and exists for record management in the table. “Intention identification information” is information for identifying three types of composite operation chunks. “Combination of atomic operation chunks” is information on a method of combining atomic operation chunks. There are three types of atomic operation chunk coupling methods here. “Overlaps” is a connection method in which the operations of the connecting portions are equal. “Meets” is a connection method in which the operation of the connecting portion is different. “After” is a combination method indicating that other operations may be included during the operation. “Trigger” indicates a trigger for finding a keyword. “A include_in B” means operation a included in chunk B. “A just_after b” means an operation a performed immediately after the operation b. That is, “a just_after b” indicates that the operation a performed immediately after the operation b is a trigger. “User operation” indicates an operation information sequence when the user performs a map browsing operation. Here, the operation information sequence stored in the search range management information storage unit 11061 is, for example, “user operation” in FIG. 12, and the search range information is “intention identification information” in FIG. Note that the keyword acquisition unit 11063 of the map information processing apparatus 11 acquires a keyword by executing a function corresponding to the value of “intention identification information”, for example.

  There are three types of search for compound operation chunks: refined search, comparative search, and route search. The refined search is the most basic search in which an arbitrary point is defined as a search target. The comparison search is a search for determining a relationship between arbitrary points, for example, when searching for the positional relationship between the accommodation facility at the travel destination and the nearest station. The route search is a search in which the user follows the route, for example, when searching for what is in the way from the nearest station to the accommodation facility and how to go.

  Further, it is assumed that the one or more information storage devices 12 constituting the map information processing system store a large number of Web pages.

  In the above situation, a specific operation example from acquiring a keyword used for information search from a map browsing operation sequence which is a plurality of operations for browsing a map and searching a Web page will be described.

  (Specific example 1)

  In specific example 1, information retrieval and output in the case of a refined search will be described. In the refinement search, the user performs a zoom-in operation to determine a search point. Therefore, the keyword acquisition trigger is, for example, a zoom-in operation [i]. In the refined search, the movement operation [m] and the centering operation [c] after the zoom-in operation are, for example, a keyword acquisition trigger.

  First, processing for extracting a user's operation intention from a map browsing operation sequence, which is processing up to keyword acquisition, will be described. The map browsing operation includes a zooming operation (zoom-in operation [i], zoom-out operation [o]) and a movement operation (movement operation [m], centering operation [c]), and the user performs a map operation with an intention. In this case, it is possible to detect an operation sequence determined to some extent. For example, to display Shuri Castle on a map when you want to travel to Okinawa, first move the map screen so that Okinawa is in the center of the screen, then display Shuri Castle by zooming in and moving operation. Go. In order to find the nearest station of Shuri Castle on the map screen, it is considered that the nearest station is searched from Shuri Castle by zoom-out operation and the found station and Shuri Castle are displayed on one screen.

  First, the user activates the map information processing apparatus 11 and inputs a map output instruction. Then, the reception unit 1102 receives a map output instruction, and the map output unit 1103 reads the map information from the map information storage unit 1101 and outputs the map information as shown in FIG. The map information may be originally stored in the information storage device 12 or another device, or may be held by the map information processing device 11. The right side of the screen in FIG. 13 is a map of Kyoto Prefecture. Further, the left side of FIG. 13 is an area where information searched by the search unit 1107 is output. In FIG. 13, there are a “zoom in” button, a “zoom out” button, and up, down, left and right arrow buttons. Operation information [i] is generated when the “zoom-in” button is pressed, operation information [o] is generated when the “zoom-out” button is pressed, and operation information [m] is generated when the up, down, left, and right arrow buttons are pressed, It is assumed that the operation information [c] for centering to the pressed position is generated by pressing the arbitrary position of the map information.

  Next, it is assumed that the user has operated the map one after another by pressing the “zoom-in” button, “centering” operation, pressing the “zoom-in” button, and pressing the “zoom-in” button. Such a situation is shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, the map output changes from (a) to (e) in the order of the arrows. In FIG. 14, the information ([i] or [c]) next to the arrow is operation information.

  And when a user performs map operation as shown in FIG. 14, the operation information sequence acquisition part 1105 acquires the operation information corresponding to the received map browsing operation, and stores it temporarily in a buffer. Further, the map output changing unit 1104 changes the output of the map according to the map browsing operation. Then, the map output changing unit 1104 obtains the map information after the change (for example, information for identifying the scale of the map to be output and position information of the center point of the output map) and stores it in the buffer. Then, a buffer as shown in FIG. 15 is obtained. In the buffer, “operation information”, “map information”, “center position”, “search”, and “keyword” are stored in association with each other. “Search” is the user's intention as described above, and any of “restricted search”, “comparison search”, and “route search” can be entered. In the “keyword”, a keyword acquired by the keyword acquisition unit 11063 can be entered.

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 1106 tries to acquire a keyword every time the reception unit 1101 receives a map operation from the user. However, the operation information sequence does not match the keyword acquisition trigger, and the keyword cannot be acquired so far.

  Then, it is assumed that the user further performs a centering operation [c]. Next, the map output changing unit 1104 changes the output of the map according to the map browsing operation. Then, the map output changing unit 1104 obtains the map information after the change (for example, information for identifying the scale of the map to be output and position information of the center point of the output map) and stores it in the buffer. Next, the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 obtains an operation information sequence of [icic].

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 searches the table of FIG. 12 from the operation information string [icic], and determines that it matches the “narrow search”. That is, here, the operation information sequence matches the keyword acquisition trigger. Then, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires the scale ID “scale D” and the center position information (XD2, YD2) corresponding to the last [c].

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires information (XD2, YD2) on the center position. Then, it is assumed that the keyword obtaining unit 11063 retrieves the term information corresponding to the scale ID “scale D” and obtains the term “Kitano Tenmangu” closest to the position information (XD2, YD2).

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires the previous operation information, the scale ID “scale B” and the center position (XB2, YB2) at the time of the recent centering operation [c], from the operation information sequence in the buffer. To do.

  Next, the keyword acquiring unit 11063 searches for term information corresponding to “scale B” and acquires the term “Kyogyo Ward” closest to the position information (XB2, YB2).

  Through the above processing, the keyword acquiring unit 11063 can acquire the keyword “Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Kamigyo Ward”. The keyword “Kitano Tenmangu” is a keyword for a destination point, and “Kamikyo Ward” is a keyword for a landmark. Note that the keyword acquisition unit 11063 writes the search “narrow search” and the keyword “Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Kamigyo Ward” in the buffer. Data in such a buffer is shown in FIG. In FIG. 16, (1) of the keyword “(1) Kitano Tenmangu” indicates that the keyword is the destination point, and (2) of the keyword “(2) Kamigyo-ku” is the keyword of the landmark.

  Next, processing for searching for a Web page using the keyword “Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Kamigyo Ward” will be described. The search unit 1107 determines that the search range information has a narrow search operation information sequence (a narrow search), and includes “Kitano Tenmangu” in the title of the web page (in the <title> tag). The information output unit 1108 outputs the homepage of “Kitano Tenmangu” on the right side of the screen, as shown in FIG.

  (Specific example 2)

  In specific example 2, information retrieval and output in the case of comparison retrieval will be described. In the comparison search, the user may perform zoom-out [o] or move operation [m] and present a plurality of arbitrary points on the screen. Therefore, the keyword acquisition trigger is usually zoom-out [o] or The move operation [m] is performed.

  It is assumed that the user continuously performs the movement operation [m] and the zoom-out operation [o] from the buffer state in FIG.

  Next, the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 acquires operation information corresponding to the received map browsing operation and temporarily stores it in the buffer. Further, the map output changing unit 1104 changes the output of the map according to the map browsing operation. Then, the map output changing unit 1104 obtains the map information after the change (for example, information for identifying the scale of the map to be output and position information of the center point of the output map) and stores it in the buffer.

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 searches the table of FIG. 12 from the operation information string “icicmo” and determines that it matches the “comparison search”. Then, the scale ID “Scale C” and the center position information (XC2, YC2) corresponding to the last [o] are acquired.

Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires the scale ID “scale D” and the center position information (XD3, YD3) before the zoom-out operation [o]. The keyword acquiring unit 11063 may map information ( "scale C", (XC2, YC2)) area indicated by the _{[O last]} and map information ( "scale D", (XD3, YD3)) area indicated by the _{[O last −1} ] is acquired, the information indicating the region [R (o)] of the difference is acquired. Such a conceptual diagram is shown in FIG. In FIG. 19, the shaded portion, which is the difference area between the area after zoom-out and the area before zoom-out, is the area [R (o)] where the keyword can exist. That is, “[R (o)] = [O _last ] − [O _last−1 ]”.

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 determines whether there is a point included in the region [R (o)] among the points specified by the position information included in the term information of the map information storage unit 1101. . And the keyword acquisition means 11063 acquires the term corresponding to the position information of the point as a keyword. Here, it is assumed that the keyword acquisition unit 11063 has acquired the keyword “Kinkakuji”.

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 acquires the keyword “Kitano Tenmangu” of the destination point acquired previously.

  As described above, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 can acquire the keyword “Kinkakuji, Kitano Tenmangu” in the comparative search.

  Next, the search unit 1107 searches the information storage device 12 for a Web page that includes the keywords “Kinkakuji” and “Kitano Tenmangu” and has the smallest MBR. Then, the information output unit 1108 outputs the Web page searched by the search unit 1107 as shown in FIG.

In the comparison search, when the last operation information is a movement operation [m], if the map information after the last movement operation is (m _last ) and the map information before the movement is (m _last-1 ), The map range (R (m)) containing at least one keyword is “R (m) = m _last − (m _last ｍ m _last−1 ). It is considered that the keyword to be compared exists in the region of “R (m0) = R (m) ∪R (m ′)” from the user psychology that he wants to do. Here, R (m ′) indicates a range obtained by inverting R (m) from the center on the map. When this map range is represented by a diagram, it becomes {shaded portion A∩hatched portion B} in FIG. These map ranges are ranges where keywords exist. FIG. 21 shows that the output map has moved from the large rectangle on the left side to the large rectangle on the right side. The region of R (m) is “A” in FIG. 21, and the region of R (m ′) is “B” in FIG. The region where the keyword can exist (R (m0)) is the region “A” or “B”.

  (Specific example 3)

In specific example 2, information search and output in the case of route search will be described. In the route search, it is considered that the user performs the zoom-in operation [i] while confirming the general route by the zoom-out operation [o], and moves while keeping the centering [c] the route to be followed. The centering operation [c] after (the zoom-in operation [i] after the zoom-out operation [o] becomes the confirmation operation) is usually a keyword acquisition trigger.
Become

  It is assumed that the user continuously performs the centering operation [c], the zoom-out operation [o], the zoom-in operation [i], and the centering operation [c] from the buffer state in FIG.

  Next, the operation information sequence acquisition unit 1105 acquires operation information corresponding to the received map browsing operation and temporarily stores it in the buffer. Further, the map output changing unit 1104 changes the output of the map according to the map browsing operation. Then, the map output changing unit 1104 acquires the map information after the change (for example, information for identifying the scale of the map to be output or position information of the center point of the output map) and stores it in the buffer.

  Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 searches the table of FIG. 12 from the operation information string [icicocic], and acquires that it matches “route search”. Then, the scale ID “Scale C” and the center position information (XC5, YC5) corresponding to the last [c] are acquired.

  Next, the keyword obtaining unit 11063 also obtains information on the center position (XC5, YC5) among the points specified by the position information included in the term information corresponding to the scale ID “scale C” in the map information storage unit 1101. The term “Kitano Shiraumecho” paired with the closest location information is acquired as a keyword. Next, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 also acquires the keyword “Kitano Tenmangu” as the destination point of the previous refinement search. Through the above processing, the contents of the buffer in FIG. 22 are obtained.

  As described above, the keyword acquisition unit 11063 can acquire the keywords “Kitano Shiraumecho, Kitano Tenmangu” in the route search.

  Next, the search unit 1107 acquires each piece of information in the information storage device 12 and calculates the MBR of each piece of acquired information.

  Next, the search unit 1107 calculates the MBR of the keyword from the keyword “Kitano Hakumeicho, Kitano Tenmangu”, and determines the information to output information having the MBR closest to the MBR of the keyword.

  Then, the information output unit 1108 outputs the information (Web page) acquired by the search unit 1107 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to automatically detect an operation sequence on a map of a user and provide appropriate information.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, atomic operation chunks and compound operation chunks are specifically defined as operation information sequences, and when they match a specific compound operation chunk, keywords are acquired at a good timing. The keyword can be acquired effectively, and the information desired by the user can be obtained.

  In addition, according to this Embodiment, the navigation system which comprises a map information processing apparatus can be comprised. According to such a navigation system, for example, desired information (such as a web page) can be automatically obtained during driving, and driving can be strongly supported.

  In the present embodiment, as a specific example of the operation information sequence, a single point designation operation information sequence, a multipoint designation operation information sequence, a selection designation operation information sequence, a peripheral designation operation information sequence, a wide area designation operation information sequence, or Shown are combinations of five types of operation information sequences (squeezed search operation information sequence, comparison search operation information sequence, route search operation information sequence). And in this Embodiment, the example of the trigger of the keyword acquisition with respect to each said operation information sequence was clarified. However, the operation information sequence and the keyword acquisition trigger for acquiring a keyword are not limited to those described above.

  In the present embodiment, the map information processing device is a device that simply processes the map browsing operation sequence and searches for information, and other devices may perform map display and display change. In this case, the map information processing apparatus includes a map information storage unit that can store map information that is information about a map, a reception unit that accepts a map browsing operation sequence that is a plurality of operations for browsing the map, and the map browsing An operation information sequence acquisition unit that acquires an operation information sequence that is information of a plurality of operations corresponding to the operation sequence; a keyword acquisition unit that acquires one or more keywords from the map information using the operation information sequence; A map information processing apparatus comprising: a search unit that searches for information using one or more keywords; and an information output unit that outputs information searched by the search unit. Moreover, in this map information processing apparatus, the map in the map information storage unit may exist in the external apparatus, and the map information processing apparatus may perform processing for acquiring map information from the external apparatus.

  Furthermore, the processing in the present embodiment may be realized by software. Then, this software may be distributed by software download or the like. Further, this software may be recorded and distributed on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. This also applies to other embodiments in this specification. In addition, the software which implement | achieves the map information processing apparatus in this Embodiment is the following programs. That is, this program accepts and accepts a map browsing operation sequence, which is a plurality of operations for browsing a map, and an operation for acquiring an operation information sequence, which is information of a plurality of operations corresponding to the map browsing operation sequence. An information sequence acquisition step, a keyword acquisition step of acquiring one or more keywords from stored map information using the operation information sequence, a search step of searching for information using the one or more keywords, A program for executing an information output step for outputting information searched in the search step.

  Further, in the above program, when the receiving step also receives an instruction to output the map, and when the computer receives an instruction to output the map at the receiving step, the map information is read and the map is output When a map browsing operation is received in the output step and the receiving step, the program is preferably a program for further executing a map output changing step for changing a map output in accordance with the map browsing operation.

Further, in the above program, two or more sets of search range management information that is a pair of an operation information sequence and search range information that is information about a range of keywords to be acquired on a map are stored. A search range information acquisition step for obtaining search range information corresponding to an operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired in the operation information sequence acquisition step;
It is preferable that the method includes a keyword acquisition step of acquiring one or more keywords from the map information according to the search range information acquired in the search range information acquisition step.

  In each of the above embodiments, each process (each function) may be realized by centralized processing by a single device (system), or by distributed processing by a plurality of devices. May be.

  FIG. 24 shows the external appearance of a computer that executes the program described in this specification and realizes the map information processing apparatus according to various embodiments described above. The above-described embodiments can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon. FIG. 24 is a general view of the computer system 340, and FIG. 25 is a block diagram of the computer system 340.

  24, a computer system 340 includes a computer 341 including a FD (Flexible Disk) drive and a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) drive, a keyboard 342, a mouse 343, and a monitor 344.

  25, in addition to the FD drive 3411 and the CD-ROM drive 3412, the computer 341 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 3413, a bus 3414 connected to the CPU 3413, the CD-ROM drive 3412, and the FD drive 3411, and a boot. A ROM (Read-Only Memory) 3415 for storing a program such as an up program and a RAM (Random Access Memory) connected to the CPU 3413 for temporarily storing application program instructions and providing a temporary storage space 3416 and a hard disk 3417 for storing application programs, system programs, and data. Although not shown here, the computer 341 may further include a network card that provides connection to the LAN.

  A program that causes the computer system 340 to execute the functions of the map information processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the CD-ROM 3501 or the FD 3502, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 3412 or the FD drive 3411, and further the hard disk 3417. May be transferred to. Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the computer 341 via a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 3417. The program is loaded into the RAM 3416 at the time of execution. The program may be loaded directly from the CD-ROM 3501, the FD 3502, or the network.

  The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third-party program that causes the computer 341 to execute the functions of the map information processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment. The program only needs to include an instruction portion that calls an appropriate function (module) in a controlled manner and obtains a desired result. How the computer system 340 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

  In each of the above embodiments, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. In addition, the software which implement | achieves the map information processing apparatus in each said embodiment is the following programs. In other words, this program

  In the above program, in the transmission step for transmitting information, the reception step for receiving information, etc., processing performed by hardware, for example, processing performed by a modem or an interface card in the transmission step (only performed by hardware). Not included) is not included.

  The program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, and a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like) is read out. May be executed.

  Further, the computer that executes the program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, it goes without saying that two or more communication means (such as an information transmission unit) existing in one apparatus may be physically realized by one medium.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the map information processing apparatus according to the present invention has an effect that it can automatically detect an operation sequence for a user's map and provide appropriate information, and is useful as a navigation system or the like. is there.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Map information processing apparatus 12 Information storage apparatus 1101 Reception part 1101 Map information storage part 1102 Reception part 1103 Map output part 1104 Map output change part 1105 Operation information sequence acquisition part 1106 Keyword acquisition part 1107 Search part 1108 Information output part 11061 Search range management Information storage means 11062 Search range information acquisition means 11063 Keyword acquisition means

Claims (21)

A map information storage unit that can store map information that is information about the map;
A reception unit that receives a map browsing operation sequence that is a plurality of operations for browsing the map;
An operation information sequence acquisition unit that acquires an operation information sequence that is information of a plurality of operations corresponding to the map browsing operation sequence;
A keyword acquisition unit that acquires one or more keywords from the map information using the operation information sequence;
A search unit for searching for information using the one or more keywords;
An information output unit for outputting the information searched by the search unit;
The operation information sequence acquisition unit
An operation information sequence that is a series of two or more pieces of operation information is acquired, and one operation information sequence that is automatically acquired is terminated when an operation for browsing the map received by the receiving unit matches a predetermined condition. And
The keyword acquisition unit
Search range management information storage means for storing two or more sets of search range management information that is a pair of search range information that is information about a range on the map of an operation information sequence and a keyword to be acquired;
Search range information acquisition means for acquiring search range information corresponding to the one operation information sequence acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit from the search range management information storage means;
A map information processing apparatus comprising keyword acquisition means for acquiring one or more keywords from the map information in accordance with search range information acquired by the search range information acquisition means. The reception unit also receives an instruction to output the map,
A map output unit that reads out the map information and outputs a map when the reception unit receives an instruction to output a map;
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a map output changing unit that changes a map output in response to the map browsing operation when the receiving unit receives a map browsing operation. The map browsing operation includes a zoom-in operation (symbol [i]), a zoom-out operation (symbol [o]), a movement operation (symbol [m]), a centering operation (symbol [c]),
The operation information sequence includes:
m * c + i + ([*] is 0 or more repetitions, [+] is 1 or more repetitions) information indicating a sequence of operations, a single-point designating operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence for designating an arbitrary point Or
This is information indicating an operation sequence of m + o +, a multiple-point specifying operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence specifying any two or more points, or
This is information indicating an operation sequence of i + c [c * m *] *, and a selection specifying operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence for selecting a plurality of points in order, or
c + m * o + is an information indicating an operation sequence, a peripheral designating operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence for examining a positional relationship between a plurality of points, or
This is information indicating an operation sequence of o + m +, a wide area specifying operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence for moving a plurality of points, or
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the map information processing apparatus is one of a combination of the five types of operation information strings. The combination of the five types of operation information sequences is as follows:
Refining search that is an operation information sequence that has a single-point specifying operation information sequence followed by a single-point specifying operation information sequence, followed by a selection specifying operation information sequence that overlaps a part of the subsequent single-point specifying operation information sequence An operation information column;
A comparison search operation information sequence, which is an operation information sequence having a wide area designation operation information sequence in which a part of the multiple point designation operation information sequence overlaps, followed by a selection designation operation information sequence, ,
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the map information processing apparatus is any one of a route search operation information sequence that is an operation information sequence in which a selection designation operation information sequence follows the periphery designation operation information sequence. The search range management information storage means includes
Narrow down search operation information string, and when the centering operation is received after the zoom-in operation or when the move operation is received after the zoom-in operation, the keyword of the destination point that is a point near the center point of the output map is acquired Storing at least search range information having a narrowed search target information that is information to the effect,
The search range information acquisition means includes
When it is determined that an operation information sequence that is two or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit corresponds to a narrow search operation information sequence, the narrow search search target information is acquired,
The keyword acquisition means includes
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least a keyword of a destination point corresponding to the refinement search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit is acquired. The narrowing search target information is
Including the information to acquire the keyword of the landmark point that is a point in the vicinity of the center point of the map that is output when the centering operation is accepted before the zoom-in operation,
The keyword acquisition means includes
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the map information processing apparatus also acquires a keyword at a landmark point corresponding to the refinement search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit. The search range management information storage means includes
A search range having a pair of a comparison search operation information column and comparison search target information that is information indicating a difference area between a map area output after the zoom-out operation and a map area output before the zoom-out operation. Store at least information,
The search range information acquisition means includes
When it is determined that an operation information sequence that is two or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit corresponds to a comparison search operation information sequence, the comparison search target information is acquired;
The keyword acquisition means includes
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least a keyword corresponding to the comparison search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit is acquired. The search range management information storage means includes
Search range information having a pair of a comparison search operation information column and comparison search target information which is information indicating an area obtained by removing a map area output before the moving operation from a map area output after the moving operation. Store at least,
The search range information acquisition means includes
When it is determined that an operation information sequence that is two or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit corresponds to a comparison search operation information sequence, the comparison search target information is acquired;
The keyword acquisition means includes
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least a keyword corresponding to the comparison search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit is acquired. The information searched by the search unit is a plurality of Web pages on the Internet,
The keyword acquisition means includes
When only one keyword is acquired when the keyword corresponding to the comparison search target information acquired by the search range information acquiring unit is acquired, the keyword having the maximum co-occurrence with the one keyword is further selected. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the map information processing apparatus is searched and acquired from a web page. The search range management information storage means includes
Route search operation information string and route search target information that is information indicating that a keyword of a destination point that is a point near the center point of the map that is output when a zoom-in operation or a zoom-out operation is received is acquired. Store at least search range information in pairs,
The search range information acquisition means includes
When it is determined that an operation information sequence that is one or more pieces of operation information acquired by the operation information sequence acquisition unit corresponds to a route search operation information sequence, the route search target information is acquired,
The keyword acquisition means includes
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least a keyword of a destination point corresponding to the route search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit is acquired. The route search target information is
Including the information to acquire the keyword of the landmark point that is a point in the vicinity of the center point of the map that is output when the centering operation is accepted before the zoom-in operation,
The keyword acquisition means includes
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the map information processing apparatus also acquires a keyword of a landmark point corresponding to the route search target information acquired by the search range information acquisition unit. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that a moving distance in a moving operation is larger than a predetermined threshold. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the reception unit has not received an operation for a certain period of time. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the reception unit has received an instruction to end a map operation from a user. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search target information of the search unit is one or more Web pages on the Internet. The search target information of the search unit is one or more Web pages on the Internet,
The search unit
13. The map according to claim 12, wherein, when the reception unit receives a narrow search operation information sequence, a map is searched for having a keyword of the destination point in a title and a keyword having the keyword of the landmark in the page. Information processing device. The map information includes map symbol information indicating a map symbol, term information including a term on the map and position information indicating a position of the term,
The search target information of the search unit is one or more Web pages on the Internet,
The search unit
One or more Web pages including both the keyword of the mark point and the keyword of the mark point are acquired, and two or more terms are detected from each of the acquired one or more Web pages, and the two or more terms Two or more pieces of position information indicating the position of the Web page are acquired from the map information, and using the two or more pieces of position information, geographical range information that is information indicating the geographical range of the description of the Web page is acquired for each Web page. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the map information processing apparatus acquires at least a web page indicating the narrowest geographical range. The search unit
When acquiring one or more Web pages including both the keyword at the mark point and the keyword at the mark point, one or more Web pages having at least one of the keywords in the title of the Web page are acquired. 17. The map information processing apparatus according to 17. A navigation system comprising the map information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18. On the storage medium,
Two or more sets of search range management information, which is a pair of operation information sequence and search range information that is information about a range of keywords to be acquired, are stored.
On the computer,
Accepting and accepting a map browsing operation sequence that is a plurality of operations for browsing the map;
An operation information sequence acquisition step of acquiring an operation information sequence that is information of a plurality of operations corresponding to the map browsing operation sequence;
A keyword acquisition step of acquiring one or more keywords from the stored map information using the operation information sequence;
A search step for searching for information using the one or more keywords;
A program for executing an information output step of outputting the information searched in the search step;
In the operation information sequence acquisition step,
An operation information sequence that is a series of two or more pieces of operation information is acquired, and one operation information sequence that is automatically acquired is terminated when an operation for browsing the map received by the receiving unit matches a predetermined condition. And
The keyword acquisition step includes:
A search range information acquisition substep for acquiring search range information corresponding to the one operation information sequence acquired in the operation information sequence acquisition step from the storage means;
A keyword acquisition substep for acquiring one or more keywords from the map information in accordance with the search range information acquired by the search range information acquisition means. On the storage medium,
Map information, which is information about the map,
Storing two or more sets of search range management information that is a pair of an operation information sequence and search range information that is information about a range of keywords to be acquired on a map;
A map information processing method realized using a reception unit, an operation information sequence acquisition unit, a keyword acquisition unit, a search unit, and an information output unit,
A reception step of receiving a map browsing operation sequence which is a plurality of operations for browsing the map by the receiving unit;
According to the above, an operation information sequence acquisition unit that acquires an operation information sequence that is information of a plurality of operations corresponding to the map browsing operation sequence,
A keyword acquisition step of acquiring one or more keywords from the map information using the operation information sequence by the operation information sequence acquisition unit;
A search step of searching for information using the one or more keywords by the search unit;
An information output step of outputting the information searched in the search step by the information output unit;
The operation information sequence acquisition step includes:
One operation information sequence that is automatically acquired when an operation information sequence that is a series of two or more operation information is acquired and an operation for browsing the map that is received in the reception step matches a predetermined condition. Exit
The keyword acquisition step includes:
A search range information acquisition substep for acquiring search range information corresponding to the one operation information sequence acquired in the operation information sequence acquisition step from the storage medium;
A map information processing method comprising: a keyword acquisition substep for acquiring one or more keywords from the map information in accordance with the search range information acquired by the search range information acquisition means.