JPH03244081A - Map retrieval system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable stepwise retrieval from wide-range outline information to narrowed-down range detailed information by holding map images which differ in scale as data and controlling those data hierarchically with a control table. CONSTITUTION:At the start of a mapping system, an uppermost layer map 21 is displayed on a display part 15 and when an intermediate-layer map 22 is retrieved, a place in a map displayed on the display part 15 is specified at an input part 14 by using a mouse. A mesh information file 13 is referred to according to coordinate information on the place to obtain a mesh number including the specified position and the number of the corresponding map is obtained with the number. This map number is used as a key to search the control table 12 and corresponding map data is read out of a storage part 11 according to address information on a control table record and displayed on the display part 15. When a lowermost-layer map 23 is retrieved and displayed successively, the map is displayed similarly. Consequently, the stepwise retrieval from the wide-range outline information to the narrowed-down range detailed information becomes possible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a map search method, and particularly to a map search method in which maps of different scales are selected and displayed on a screen in order to search for information on a map.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of map search method divides a map of a certain scale into certain area units, assigns a map number as one piece of map data, and stores address information on the data file in a management table using that number as a key. By holding it, you can specify the map number and display the corresponding map on the screen. Additionally, if you want to search a wide area on the screen at once, you can use the zoom-out function, and if you want to narrow down your search, you can use the zoom-in function.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional map search method described above, when using the reduction function, several colored maps are displayed on one screen.
It takes a long time to display the map. Diagrams may become too detailed and difficult to read.

There are problems such as the text being too small to read.

Also, when using the enlargement function, the font size becomes larger than necessary. There are problems such as the amount of information about a certain place does not change even if the range is narrowed. Therefore, it has the disadvantage that it does not meet the search purpose.

[Means to solve the problem]

The map search method of the present invention selects maps of different scales and displays them on the screen in order to search for information on the map. A map data file storing all map data with a map expressed at a different scale is in a relationship where the area occupied by one of said small scale maps is equal to the area occupied by a plurality of large scale maps. As you can see, map management manages maps hierarchically from small scale to large scale using map numbers assigned to all the maps and address information on the map data file of the map data using this map number as a key. and mesh information for converting the section position on the map displayed on the screen into the map number, and display the next large scale map by specifying the section position on the small scale map. Composed by [tags.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a mapping system to which the present invention is applied, including a storage unit 11 storing map data, a management table 12 managing map data, and a table 12 necessary for selecting a lower level map. It is comprised of a mesh information table 13 that stores mesh information, a display section 14 that displays a map, an input section 15 that provides information necessary for map search, and a processing section 16 that controls processing.

FIG. 2 is a hierarchical diagram of map data in the present invention. The top layer map 21 is a small-scale schematic map, and the middle layer map 2
2 corresponds to 51 Mechs on the top layer map 21. The lowest level map 23 is a large-scale map at the residential map level, and provides detailed information at the building level. This level map is middle level map 2
This corresponds to one mesh of No. 2. If more detailed information than the middle level map 22 is desired, the lowest level map 23 is used for searching.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a map management system according to the present invention. The first line 31 is a number line that manages the top layer map 21,
The second line 32 is a line with a number that manages the middle level map 22, and the third line 33 is a line with a number that manages the lowest level map 23. The first line 31, second line 32 and third line 33 together form the map number.

A method of managing maps using the map numbers shown in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, the top layer map 21 is numbered. That is, the first line is numbered 31, and the second line is numbered 31.
Line 32 and third line 33 are all 0 numbers xxx
It is 000000. The middle level map 22 and bottom level map 23 under one map of the top level map 21 are all the first map.
Line 31 is the same as the top layer map. Next, numbers are assigned to the middle level map 22. This numbering is 001,00 in order from the top left on the mesh drawn in the top layer map 21.
A number is assigned as 2,003....

Since this one mesh corresponds to one drawing of the middle layer map 22, the number of the map in this layer is determined as xxxnnnooo by the first line 31+the second line 32.

In the case of the lowest level map 23, the mesh drawn on the middle level map 22 has 001,002... By assigning a number such as . . . , this number becomes the map number of the lowest layer map 23 under the middle layer map 22. That means xxx
It is attached like nnnmmmm. In this way, map hierarchy management is performed, and this map number is stored in the management table 12.
be the key. The management table 12 has as data the storage start address and end address of the map in the storage section 11, so that the map to be displayed can be directly accessed.

Next, the method for searching map data in FIG. 1 will be explained. When the mapping system is started, the top layer map 21 is displayed on the display unit 15.

If the user wishes to search the middle level map 22, the user uses the input unit 14 to specify a location on the map displayed on the display unit 15 using the mouse. Based on the coordinate information, the mesh information file 13 is referred to, and the mesh number that includes the specified position is obtained, and from that number, the corresponding map number xxx
Obtain nnnQ00. Using this map number as a key, the management table 12 is searched, and the corresponding map data is read out from the storage section 11 based on the address information of the corresponding management table record and displayed on the display section 15. Continue to the bottom map 23
If you want to search for and display it, it will be displayed in the same way as above. Conversely, when searching and displaying an upper layer map from a lower layer map, for example, in the middle layer map 23xxxxnnnmmmm, if you specify the upper layer from the input section 14,
The management table 12 is searched using the map number xxxnnnQQO with all rows 33 set to O's as a key, address information of the corresponding map is obtained, and the corresponding map is read from the storage section 11 using the address and displayed on the display section 15. When searching the top layer map 21 from the number xxxnnno00 of the middle layer map 22, search in the same manner as above using the map number xxxQQ0000 with the second line 32 set to 0 as a key, and display the corresponding map on the display section 15. to be displayed. Further, displaying the top layer map 21 from the bottom N map 23 is also executed in the same manner as described above.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention stores map images of different scales as data and manages these data hierarchically in a management table, thereby converting general information from a wide range to detailed information narrowed down to a narrow range. You can perform a step-by-step search. Furthermore, it is possible to perform a wide range of searches depending on the type of map, such as geographical searches using small-scale maps and point searches using large-scale maps, depending on the type of map.

Furthermore, since each layer of maps is stored as data in a file, it is possible to reduce the amount of information in a single map to be too small.
The map can be displayed appropriately without being too rough, and the map can be displayed quickly. Furthermore, since there is no need to specify an extreme magnification for enlargement or reduction, there is an effect that quick display can be performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a mapping system to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a hierarchical diagram of map data in the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a map management system according to the present invention. 11...Storage unit, 12...Management table, 13...Mesh information file, 14...
...Input section, 15 each...Display section, 16...
...Processing section, 21...Top layer map, 22.
...Middle layer map, 23...Lowest layer map.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a map search method that selects maps of different scales and displays them on the screen in order to search for information on a map, a small-scale map and a map that represents the parts included in this small-scale map at multiple scales are used. A map data file that stores all of the map data, and a map data file that stores all of the maps so that it can be seen that the area occupied by one of the small-scale maps is equal to the area occupied by multiple large-scale maps. The assigned map number and
A map management means that manages the map hierarchically from small scale to large scale using address information on the map data file of the map data using this map number as a key, and A map search method characterized by having mesh information that is converted into a map number and displaying the next large-scale map by specifying a division position on a small-scale map.