WO2009112088A1

WO2009112088A1 - Device, method, and system for displaying data recorded with associated position and direction information

Info

Publication number: WO2009112088A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/062167
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jonas Magnus Andersson
Original assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ab
Priority date: 2008-03-14
Filing date: 2008-09-12
Publication date: 2009-09-17
Also published as: TW200939062A; EP2253130A1; US8174561B2; US20090234473A1; CN101971606A; JP2011519192A

Abstract

A system for presenting recorded data comprising an electronic device and a database connectable to the electronic device over a communications network, wherein the electronic device comprises a recording unit arranged to record data from a first direction, a positional arrangement configured to determine positional data of the electronic device, a directional arrangement arranged to determine directional data indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the position data, a memory comprising a first application stored thereon, and a control unit arranged to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data and to transmit the recorded data with the associated positional and directional data to the database when the application is executed thereon; the database comprises a receiving arrangement configured to receive the recorded data, a memory with a third application stored thereon and a database control unit arranged to execute the third application wherein the recorded data is presented based on the associated positional and directional data.

Description

DEVICE , METHOD , AND SYSTEM FOR DISPLAYING DATA RECORDED WITH ASSOCIATED POSITION AND DIRECTION INFORMATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to electronic devices and especially electronic devices recording data.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices and especially mobile phones are today provided with more and more functions. Examples of such functions provided to an electronic device are MP3 players and cameras.

In the fast growing use of Internet multiple services, functions and features are added to increase the experience of different features on the Internet. Today, blogging and Internet communities are fast growing phenomena with an increasing amount of users. The opportunities, both business as well as functional, around these services are huge and it is therefore important to add as much as possible value to the users of different services over the Internet.

Today there exists services over the Internet wherein a user may view an image taken from different sites/locations of the world as a user clicks on a map or similar. The images may be taken by portable devices and sent to a server on the Internet that displays the images.

However, there is a desire to enhance the feature of displaying data in a service adding more value to the user of such a service.

SUMMARY

There is an object with embodiments to provide a possibility to enhance the presentation of recorded material.

There is an object with embodiments to enhance services presenting recorded material.

Some embodiments disclose an electronic device comprising a recording unit arranged to record data in a direction, a positional arrangement configured to determine positional data of the electronic device, a directional arrangement arranged to determine directional data indicating the orientation of the electronic device, a memory comprising a first application stored thereon, and a control unit arranged to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data upon execution of the first application.

Some embodiments disclose a computer comprising a memory with a third application stored thereon and a control unit arranged, upon execution of the third application, to receive recorded data with associated directional data and positional data, to compare positional data of previously stored, on the computer, recorded data with associated positional and directional data, to determine positional data of the recorded data to be similar as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, and to process the recorded data with the recorded data of similar positional data by stitching the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data together.

Such a computer may be a server, a database or the like.

Some embodiments disclose a system for presenting recorded data comprising an electronic device and a database connectable to the electronic device over a communications network, wherein the electronic device comprises a recording unit arranged to record data from a first direction, a positional arrangement configured to determine positional data of the electronic device, a directional arrangement arranged to determine directional data indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the position data, a memory comprising a first application stored thereon, and a control unit arranged to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data and to transmit the recorded data with the associated positional and directional data to the database when the application is executed thereon; the database comprises a receiving arrangement configured to receive the recorded data, a memory a memory with a third application stored thereon and a database control unit arranged to execute the third application wherein the recorded data is presented based on the associated positional and directional data. Some embodiments disclose a method in an electronic device for processing recorded data comprising the steps of: recording data of an area, associating positional data to the recorded data, associating directional data received from a directional unit in the electronic device indicating the direction to the recorded data, and storing the recorded data with the positional and directional data at a data storage.

Some embodiments comprise a computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer program logic stored therein to enable a control unit of an electronic device to perform the steps of: receiving recorded data, associating positional data of the electronic device to the recorded data, associating directional data received from a directional unit in the electronic device indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the positional data, and storing the recorded data with the positional and directional data at a data storage.

Some embodiments comprise a computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer program logic stored therein to enable a control unit of a electronic device to perform the steps of: receiving recorded data with associated positional and directional data, comparing the positional data with positional data of previously stored on the computer device, determining positional data of the recorded data with previously stored recorded data to be similar as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, and processing the recorded data with the previously stored recorded data of similar positional data by stitching the data together.

This enables enhancement of existing recording tools that provides an enhanced functionality to the electronic devices/services of today. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic overview of a user recording images of different directions from the same positional spot,

Figure 2 shows a schematic overview of a mobile device, Figure 3 shows a schematic overview of a system according to an embodiment, Figure 4 shows a schematic overview of a database, Figure 5 shows a schematic overview of a method to process recorded data, Figure 6 shows a schematic overview of a user recording images with different tilt angles of the recording device,

Figure 7 shows a schematic overview of an embodiment, and Figure 8 shows a schematic flow chart of an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" "comprising," "includes" and/or "including" when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The present invention is described below with reference to block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus (systems) and/or computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It is understood that several blocks of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, and/or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer- implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer- readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

The present invention relates to handling of data in electronic devices, for the purpose of storing data, accessing data or communicating data. The electronic device as such may take the shape of e.g. a personal computer, a digital camera, a media player, or a PDA. However, as a best mode of the invention presently known, the invention will mainly be described herein as incorporated in the field of telecommunications, and the electronic device will therefore occasionally be referred to as a mobile phone. It should be noted, though, that the borders between what can be considered a mobile phone, a portable camera, a portable laptop computer, a PDA, becomes less and less clear since many electronic devices include corresponding functions, even though focus is on different functionalities in the different categories of electronic devices.

In figure 1 , different views of an electronic device 10, for example, a mobile phone with a camera feature, based on the direction of the line of recording, LoR, of the camera lens are shown. The LoR may also be denoted as line of view LoV when recording an image or moving image. In the illustrated example, the electronic device 10 is positioned at a position (x,y,z) and as the electronic device is aimed in different directions the LoR of the recording unit in the electronic device changes. This results in that recorded images from the electronic device 10 at a certain position (x,y,z) differs depending on the direction the electronic device is aimed. In the illustrated example, an electronic device aimed in the north direction records a first image 4, aimed in the east direction a second image 6 and in a south direction a third image 2.

5 This may be used in order to provide an added value service of a site on the Internet or the like. For example, recorded data of an electronic device with attached data indicating a direction is stored in a data storage and an application stitches together recorded data with the same/similar positional data but with different directional data. Similar means positional data that differs within a predetermined range, such as a circle area with a 10 radius of 10m or the like. These stitched up data may then be presented/displayed to a user of the application in such a manner that the user experiences a panoramic view from the position (x,y,z).

Directional data as well as positional data are applied to the recorded data. The positional 15 data may be retrieved from a GNSS-system, such as GPS, and directional data may be retrieved from an electronic compass, which detects the magnetic directions without requiring moving parts, arranged in the electronic device.

A benefit of adding a compass direction to a geographical tag of an image is that it will 20 become more convenient to place the images together on a map and view in the full context. Hence, the tag includes both positional data of the recording device and directional data from the position towards the recorded data.

In figure 2, an electronic mobile communications device 10 is shown. The mobile device 25 10 comprises a housing structure including a chassis and a cover, directly or indirectly supporting the other components of the terminal. Mobile device 10 is further devised with a user input interface 110 comprising a keypad and may also comprise a microphone (not shown). In addition, the user input interface 1 10 may also comprise a touch-sensitive display in addition to or instead of a keypad. Furthermore, a user output interface 108 is 30 arranged in the mobile device and may comprise a display and also a speaker (not shown). The mobile device also comprises a tranceiving unit 112 arranged to transmit and receive data. The tranceiving unit 112 may include a satellite positional receiver or this may be a separate unit. The mobile device 10 further comprises a control unit 102, such as, a μprocessor, CPU, FPGA or the like, connected to a memory 104 containing, for example, applications arranged to be executed on the control unit 102. The mobile device 10 also includes a data recording arrangement 106 configured to record data, such as, images, audio, and/or other recordable data . The recording arrangement may be, for example, a camera, a video camera, a microphone, and/or the like. The recording arrangement comprises an input area facing a certain direction, for example, a direction of a line of view of a camera or the like.

In addition, to determine the direction of the input of the recording and, consequently, the line of recording or the like, a directional unit 114 is arranged in the mobile device 10. The directional unit may be an electronic compass, a mechanical compass with a digital reader or any device to determine a direction.

In an embodiment the directional unit 114 may further comprise a tilting unit comprising a tilting function to determine the tilting of the electronic device, denoted as 116 in a dotted box. This tilting angle may also be included in the data tag applied to the recorded image. The tilting unit measures the tilting angle relative an original position of the electronic device, such as a position where the LoR pf the recording unit is parallel to the ground. The tilting unit 116 may comprise tilt and/or inclinometers, such as an accelerometer, a plurality of accelerometers, gyros or the like. The tilting unit may further be arranged to measure the pitch and roll of the electronic device, and this data may as well be included into the tag information.

When data is recorded in the device positional data is tagged to the recorded data received from the tranceiving unit 112 as well as directional data read from the directional unit 114, and optionally also tilting data, using an application stored on the memory 104 and executed on the control unit 102.

In figure 3, a schematic overview of a system for presenting recorded data is shown. The system comprises an electronic device 10 arranged to record data in a direction. The recorded data is associated with positional data of the electronic device and directional data indicating the direction from the electronic device toward the recorded data relative the magnetic field of the earth. The recorded data along with its associated positional and directional data is transmitted over a network 80, such as Internet, WLAN, or the like, to a computer unit 50, such as a database, a server, or the like. In an embodiment the computer unit 50 comprises an application arranged to compare the positional data of the received recorded data with other positional data of previously stored recorded data and arranging recorded data of similar positions together. The arranged recorded data may then be stitched together enabling the recorded data of similar positional data to be presented in a panoramic way. In an application running on a server a virtual reality environment may be created using said recorded data.

In figure 4, a schematic overview of a computer unit, such as a web server, database, or the like, is shown. The computer unit 50 comprises a control unit 52, a memory arrangement 54 and a connecting arrangement 56. The memory unit 54 comprises an application and the like, stored thereon. In an embodiment, the control unit 52 is arranged to process recorded data from a user/another computer unit or the like received on the connecting arrangement 56 when an application is executed thereon.

The processed recorded data may be presented as stitched up recorded data of similar positional data but with different directional data, presenting a panoramic view or a virtual reality environment placing a person surrounded by the stitched up recorded data adding a three dimensional experience to a service.

In figure 5, a method of storing recorded data tagged with geographical and directional data is shown.

In step 32, a user records data, such as a still image, moving images, audio or the like, by using an electronic device. The electronic device may be a mobile phone or the like. The electronic device comprises a recording unit enabled to record data in a direction. That is, the recording unit has an input arranged to receive data from a position or a plurality of positions relative the position of the input .

In step 34, the electronic device receives positional data indicating the position of the electronic device. The positional data may be received from a GNSS-system, such as GPS or the like. The positional data may comprise any position data, such as longitude latitude, altitude and/or the like. In step 36, the electronic device retrieves directional data from a directional unit, such as an electronic compass or the like. The directional data may be indicated as point of the compass plus/minus an angle or the like.

In step 38, a processor/control unit of the electronic device associates, tags, the directional data, the positional data and/or additional data, such as date, time, tilt, pith, roll and/or the like, to the recorded data upon execution of an application thereon. An example of such a tag may be:

<Time=12:04, Date: 2007-09-31, Camera Model: "SEMC Cyber shot" etc... >

<Latitude: "#value", Longitude: #value>

<Direction: "North + #Εast> <lmage data end>

In step 40, the recorded data is stored with the associated data in a memory. The memory may be a local memory of the device or an external memory of a different device. The recorded data along with its associated data tag may be transmitted to a database over a network, such as the Internet, for viewing/be presented from a web site or the like.

The recorded data may then be used in different services, such as providing images taken by users and placing them on a map or the like. If several images are used and stitched together to a panoramic view places may be viewed in a three dimensional manner.

It should also here be noted if the recorded data is audio information a user may experience a virtual surround using a surround system rendering the audio of different direction but of similar position. This would, for example, add the feeling of really visiting a location in a virtual environment. This may also be used in noise studies to emulate real noise levels.

An application stored locally on the electronic device may be arranged to make the control unit to stitch images together only knowing the direction the camera was held and position at the time for taking the image, resulting in a panoramic view of the recorded data. With the direction added to the different images the need to position the camera in exact the same spot is omitted. An application may compensate for the deviation of the different positions by zooming in/out of the image and stitch the images together in a more accurate manner. An application may be able to stitch images together taken within, for example, 100 meters from each other depending on parameters such as distance to objects in the recorded data and so on.

It should be noted that the application/s may be stored and executed on a remote database as well as a home computer, a handheld electronic device or the like.

An additional feature may be to stitch images taken from different users together into a panoramic image or collage. Images may be uploaded to a central server wherein an application stitches them together. This stitching of images enables the feature of the showing big parts of the world in a three dimensional manner.

It should be noted that an application may be implemented that searches images, stored all over the Internet, from the world using positional data, directional data and/or additional data, and stitches them together enabling the panoramic view of different places from a certain web site, using images from other websites as well as locally stored images.

An application compensates images taken by different users using different electronic devices of the same object but from different positions and from different angles. One could call this step to normalize images to one common place and direction. For example, two taken images may be normalized to be illustrating the view from a position in between the different positions. In a similar manner, a first user that has taken a first photo may extend the recorded photo in a first direction by adding data from an image taken by a different user from a different position but of the same view, wherein the image of the different user has recorded parts of an area not recorded by the first user.

An electronic device may be tilted upward, with an angle to the ground plane or the like. Implementing an arrangement detecting the tilting of the electronic device enables an application of presenting positions, locations, streets and the like in a spherical manner. It should also be noted that the roll of the electronic device may be measured and added to the tag information. Referring to figure 6, by implementing the feature of tagging tilt data to the recorded data, in the illustration an image, the panoramic view may also reach around and above an electronic device 10 recording data. That is, the electronic device 10 with the same direction, however, with different tilt angles may record different data, images 2, 8 and 9.

In an application these images 2, 8 and 9 may be stitched together with additional images and when presented to a user, an enhanced three dimensional virtual reality environment may be experienced by the user.

In figure 7, an additional feature of an embodiment is shown. An embodied application function may be to create a view of an object 20, such as a statue, building, or the like, by retrieving/receiving images taken from different electronic devices12, 14, 16 /or one and the same electronic device of different positions, (x1 ,y1); (x2,y2); (x3,y3), but directed toward the same spot or the same object 20. An application may create a three dimensional view of an object from the recorded images directed toward the object calculating a cross point of the lines of view of the electronic devices. Recorded data of different positions but aimed toward the same area, certain directions toward a certain object, may be compiled to result in an illustration of the object 20' on a screen 60 wherein the object 20' is illustrated in a three dimensional manner. The user may "walk" around the object viewing it from different angles.

In figure 8, a method is shown in an electronic device for processing recorded data comprising the steps of:

- recording data of an area, denoted as step 201 ,

- associating positional data to the recorded data, denoted as step 203,

- associating directional data indicating the direction to the recorded data received from a direction unit in the electronic device, denoted as step 205,

- optionally transmitting the recorded data with associated data to a database, denoted as step 207,

- storing the recorded data with the positional and directional data at a data storage, denoted as step 209,

- optionally comparing the positional data of the recorded data with positional data of previously stored recorded data, denoted as step 211 , - optionally processing different recorded data with a positive match of positional data by stitching the data together, denoted as step 213 and

- optionally displaying the stitched data in a service such as disclosing an experience of a user being surrounded by the stitched recorded data, a panoramic

5 representation or the like, denoted as step 215.

The method may alternatively be preformed just in the electronic device.

A positive match between positional data is considered positional data being in a range of 10 50 meters of each other.

The method may further comprise the step of associating tilting data to the recorded data from a tilting arrangement in the electronic device and that the recorded data is stored with positional, directional, and tilting data. The optional process of stitching recorded data 15 together may further comprise to stitch data of different directional data together to form a panoramic representation and recorded data of different tilting data together to form a spherical view.

The method may be performed using an electronic device comprising a 20 - recording unit arranged to record data in a direction,

- a positional arrangement configured to determine positional data of the electronic device,

- a directional arrangement arranged to determine directional data indicating the orientation of the electronic device,

25 - a memory comprising a first application stored thereon, and

- a control unit arranged to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data upon execution of the first application.

In some embodiments the directional data indicates the direction of the recorded data 30 relative the positional data.

in some embodiments the directional arrangement comprises an electronic compass. In some embodiments the electronic device further comprises a tilting arrangement configured to determine a tilting angle of the electronic device, wherein the control unit is also arranged to associate the tilting angle to the recorded data.

In some embodiments the tilting arrangement comprises at least a first accelerometer.

In some embodiments the electronic device comprises an output arrangement and wherein a second application is stored on the electronic device and the control unit is arranged to present the recorded data on the output arrangement by executing the second application.

In some embodiments the control unit is arranged to display the recorded data on the output arrangement by processing the associated directional and positional data.

Furthermore, the control unit may be arranged to store the recorded data and the associated directional and positional data and to compare the positional data of the stored recorded data with positional data of previously stored recorded data and to process the stored recorded data with the previously stored recorded data upon the positional data being similar, as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, by stitching the recorded data with the previously stored recorded data and to display the stitched data on the output arrangement presenting a panoramic representation of the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data.

Some of the steps of the method may be performed by a computer comprising a memory with a third application stored thereon and a control unit arranged, upon execution of the third application, to receive recorded data with associated directional data and positional data, to compare positional data of previously stored, on the computer, recorded data with associated positional and directional data, to determine positional data of the recorded data to be similar as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, and to process the recorded data with the recorded data of similar positional data by stitching the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data together.

In some embodiments of the computer the control unit is further arranged to present the stitched data to a user as a panoramic representation of the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data. In some embodiments of the computer the control unit is further arranged to present the stitched data to a user as a three dimensional representation of the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data.

Some embodiment relate to a system for presenting recorded data comprising an electronic device and a database connectable to the electronic device over a communications network, wherein the electronic device comprises a recording unit arranged to record data from a first direction, a positional arrangement configured to determine positional data of the electronic device, a directional arrangement arranged to determine directional data indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the position data, a memory comprising a first application stored thereon, and a control unit arranged to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data and to transmit the recorded data with the associated positional and directional data to the database when the application is executed thereon; the database comprises a receiving arrangement configured to receive the recorded data, a memory with a third application stored thereon and a database control unit arranged to execute the third application wherein the recorded data is presented based on the associated positional and directional data.

In some embodiments the database is arranged to stitch the recorded data with recorded data with associated positional and directional data previously stored thereon upon a positive match between positional data of two different data recordings.

In some embodiments a positive match is set to be positions that differ within a predetermined range.

In some embodiment the stitched data is displayed in a virtual reality environment providing a three dimensional environment.

In some embodiments the electronic device further comprises a tilting arrangement to register the tilting angle of the recording unit relative the gravity axis of the electronic device when the image is taken. Some embodiments relate to a computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer program logic stored therein to enable a control unit of an electronic device to perform the steps of: receiving recorded data, - associating positional data of the electronic device to the recorded data,

- associating directional received from a directional unit in the electronic device indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the positional data, and

- storing the recorded data with the positional and directional data at a data storage.

In some embodiments the control unit is enabled to perform the step of associating tilting data of the electronic device wherein the recorded data is stored with the tilting data in addition to the positional and directional data.

Some embodiments relate to a computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer program logic stored therein to enable a control unit of an electronic device to perform the steps of: receiving recorded data with associated positional and directional data, comparing the positional data with positional data of previously stored on the computer device, determining positional data of the recorded data with previously stored recorded data to be similar as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, and processing the recorded data with the previously stored recorded data of similar positional data by stitching the data together.

In some embodiments an electronic device comprises a wireless communications device.

In some embodiments the electronic device comprises a database/server.

In some embodiments a computer program product is further configured to perform the steps of: searching recorded data on a network by using first positional data as a search term, and retrieving recorded data with positional data being in a set range of the first positional data.

In some embodiments the stitched recorded data and the previously stored recorded data is arranged to be displayed as a panoramic or a three dimensional representation experienced from a position.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention. However, many variations and modifications can be made to these embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present invention. Accordingly, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a

- recording unit (106) arranged to record data in a direction, - a positional arrangement (112) configured to determine positional data of the electronic device,

- a directional arrangement (114) arranged to determine directional data indicating the orientation of the electronic device,

- a memory (104) comprising a first application stored thereon, and - a control unit (102) arranged to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data upon execution of the first application.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the directional data indicates the direction of the recorded data relative the positional data.

3. An electronic device according to any of the claims 1-2, wherein the directional arrangement comprises an electronic compass.

4. An electronic device according to any of the claims 1-3, further comprising a tilting arrangement configured to determine a tilting angle of the electronic device, wherein the control unit is also arranged to associate the tilting angle to the recorded data.

5. An electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the tilting arrangement comprises at least a first accelerometer.

6. An electronic device according to any of the claims 1-5, comprising an output arrangement and wherein a second application is stored on the electronic device and the control unit is arranged to present the recorded data on the output arrangement by executing the second application.

7. An electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is arranged to display the recorded data on the output arrangement by processing the associated directional and positional data.

8. An electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit is arranged to store the recorded data and the associated directional and positional data and to compare the positional data of the stored recorded data with positional data of previously stored recorded data and to process the stored recorded data with the previously stored recorded data upon the positional data being similar, as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, by stitching the recorded data with the previously stored recorded data and to display the stitched data on the output arrangement presenting a panoramic representation of the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data.

9. A computer comprising a memory (54) with a third application stored thereon and a control unit (52) arranged, upon execution of the third application, to receive recorded data with associated directional data and positional data via a connecting arrangement (56) over a wired network, to compare positional data of previously stored, on the computer, recorded data with associated positional and directional data, to determine positional data of the recorded data to be similar as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, and to process the recorded data with the recorded data of similar positional data by stitching the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data together.

10. A computer according to claim 9, wherein the control unit is further arranged to present the stitched data to a user as a panoramic representation of the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data.

11. A computer according to claim 9, wherein the control unit is further arranged to present the stitched data to a user as a three dimensional representation of the recorded data and the previously stored recorded data.

12. A system for presenting recorded data comprising an electronic device (10) and a database (50) connectable to the electronic device over a communications network (80), wherein the electronic device (10) comprises a recording unit arranged to record data from a first direction, a positional arrangement configured to determine positional data of the electronic device, a directional arrangement arranged to determine directional data indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the position data, a memory comprising a first application stored thereon, and a control unit arranged to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data and to transmit the recorded data with the associated positional and directional data to the database when the application is executed thereon; the database (50) comprises a receiving arrangement configured to receive the recorded data, a memory with a third application stored thereon and a database control unit arranged to execute the third application wherein the recorded data is presented based on the associated positional and directional data.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the database is arranged to stitch the recorded data with recorded data with associated positional and directional data previously stored thereon upon a positive match between positional data of two different data recordings.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein a positive match is set to be positions that differ within a predetermined range.

15. A system according to any of the claims 13-14, wherein the stitched data is presented in a virtual reality environment providing a three dimensional environment.

16. A system according to any of the claims 12-15, wherein the electronic device further comprises a tilting arrangement to register the tilting angle of the recording unit relative the gravity axis of the electronic device when the image is taken.

17. A method in an electronic device for processing recorded data comprising the steps of:

- recording data of an area,

- associating positional data of the electronic device to the recorded data,

- associating directional data of the electronic device indicating the direction to the recorded data received from a directional unit in the electronic device, and - storing the recorded data with the positional and directional data at a data storage.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises the step of associating tilting data from a tilting arrangement in the electronic device to the recorded data and that tilting data is also stored along with the recorded data.

19. A method according to any of the claims 17-18, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: comparing the positional data of the recorded data with positional data of previously stored recorded data, and processing different recorded data with a positive match of positional data by stitching the data together.

20. A method according to claim 19, a positive match is positional data that differs less than 50 meters in latitude and/or longitude.

21. A method according to any of the claims 19-20, wherein the comparing step and the processing step are performed in the electronic device.

22. A method according to any of the claims 19-20, wherein the comparing step and the processing step are performed in an external computer.

23. A method according to any of the claims 19-22, wherein the stitched data is presented in a service disclosing an experience of a user being surrounded by the stitched recorded data.

24. A computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer program logic stored therein to enable a control unit of an electronic device to perform the steps of: receiving recorded data,

- associating positional data of the electronic device to the recorded data, associating directional data received from a directional unit in the electronic device indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the positional data, and - storing the recorded data with the positional and directional data at a data storage.

25. A computer program product according to claim 24, wherein the control unit is further enabled to perform the step of associating tilting data of the electronic device wherein the recorded data is stored with the tilting data in addition to the positional and directional data.

26. A computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer program logic stored therein to enable a control unit of an electronic device to perform the steps of: receiving recorded data with associated positional and directional data,

- comparing the positional data with positional data of previously stored on the computer device, - determining positional data of the recorded data with previously stored recorded data to be similar as the positional data being within a predetermined range of each other, and processing the recorded data with the previously stored recorded data of similar positional data by stitching the data together.

27. A computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the electronic device comprises a wireless communications device.

28. A computer program product according to any of the claims 26-27, wherein the electronic device comprises a database/server.

29. A computer program product according to any of the claims 26-28, further configured to perform the steps of:

- searching recorded data on a network by using first positional data as a search term, and

- retrieving recorded data with positional data being in a set range of the first positional data.

30. A computer program product according to any of the claims 26-29, wherein the stitched recorded data and the previously stored recorded data is arranged to be displayed as a panoramic or a three dimensional representation experienced from a position.