A method for landmark-based localization of a vehicle involves forming a plurality of position hypotheses for a vehicle position based on a forming of associations between sensor landmark objects detected by sensor and map landmark objects stored in a digital map. A most likely vehicle position is ascertained as the localization result on the basis of a probabilistic filtering of the position hypotheses, and a guaranteed position area is ascertained, in which a predefined error upper limit is not exceeded. This is performed several times with different set-ups of the probabilistic filtering. The localization result with the smallest guaranteed position area is selected as vehicle position if the guaranteed position areas overlap fully in pairs.

A method for correlating a first item to a second item is disclosed. The method includes detecting a first identifier associated with the first item and detecting a second identifier associated with the second item. The method further includes simplifying the first identifier, and executing a matching procedure configured to match the first identifier to the second identifier and generating a match value, which includes comparing the first identifier to the second identifier and generating the match value between the first identifier and the second identifier. The method also includes reporting a correlation between the first item and the second item based on the match value. The method may be performed by a system that includes a controller, one or more processors, and memory.

Systems and methods for determining an electric vehicle score are provided. For example, a method for determining an electric vehicle score includes receiving mobility pattern data corresponding to an individual. The method also includes analyzing one or more characteristics associated with an area based on the mobility pattern data. The method also includes determining an electric vehicle score corresponding to the individual based on the analysis of the one or more characteristics associated with the area.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for displaying a map. The method provides a first display area to display a map, and a second display area to overlap a portion of the first display area to display (i) a field to receive a search parameter and (ii) a set of predicted locations to view on the map. The second display area is moveable over the first display area in order to decrease its size to allow a larger portion of the map to be displayed in the first display area, or to increase its size to allow a larger number of predicted locations to be displayed in the second display area. In some embodiments, the second display area overlaps a bottom portion of the first display area. In some embodiments, the method is implemented by a map application that executes on a mobile device. The set of predicted locations displayed in the second display area in some embodiments include addresses harvested from applications executing on the mobile device. Examples of such applications include electronic mail applications, text messaging applications, the map application, ticket applications, restaurant reservation applications, social media applications, real estate applications, etc. The set of predicted locations includes in some embodiments addresses associated with previous destinations traveled to by the mobile device.

Methods and apparatuses associated with updating a map using images are described. An apparatus can include a processing resource and a memory resource having instructions executable to a processing resource to monitor a map including a plurality of locations, receive, at the processing resource, the memory resource, or both, and from a first source, image data associated with a first location, identify the image data as being associated with a missing portion, an outdated portion, or both, of the map, and update the missing portion, the outdated portion, or both, of the map with the image data.

An apparatus for managing maps is provided. The apparatus includes a processor configured to estimate a usage frequency of each of maps stored in a memory included in a vehicle and used for automated driving control of the vehicle, based on section information indicating sections used for automated driving control in each of the maps; and delete, from the memory, a map whose usage frequency is less than a frequency threshold.

A map selection device having an acquisition device that acquires a traveling route from the current location of a vehicle to a destination, a storage device that stores multiple maps, and a processor configured to select one or more maps containing a traveling route from among the multiple maps stored in the memory, so as to include the region from the current location on the traveling route to the destination, and, when multiple map candidates exist containing a single zone included in the traveling route, to select a map candidate suitable for automatic control as the map to be utilized for traveling in the zone.

Systems, methods, and storage media for path validation are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may comprise identifying a target path for an activity, including a start and end point, as well as a buffer zone surrounding at least a portion of the target path, receiving a plurality of progressive checkpoints, each intersecting the target path and the buffer zone at one or more points, receiving a plurality of user activity data points associated with the activity, generating a user path corresponding to the plurality of user activity data points, and validating the user path in relation to the target path. In some implementations, the validation is based on determining whether the user path intersects the start and/or end point, a threshold number of progressive checkpoints, and/or whether a portion of user activity data points within the buffer zone is at or above a threshold.

A system accesses a three-dimensional map of a geographic region and generates a two-dimensional projection of the road based on the three-dimensional map. The two-dimensional projection comprises a plurality of points along the road and each point is assigned a score measuring a navigability of the point. Based on the navigability score of each point and history of vehicle positions on the road, the system identifies a plurality of navigable points on the two-dimensional projection of the road. Based on the plurality of navigable points, the system determines a navigable surface corresponding to a physical area over which a vehicle may safely navigate and navigable surface boundaries surrounding that area. The navigable surface area and boundaries on the two-dimensional projection are converted into a three-dimensional representation, which the system uses to generate an updated three-dimensional map of the geographic region.

In one embodiment, a method includes at a mapping server receiving from a plurality of regional servers a plurality of regional magnetic data sets; at the mapping server updating a geomagnetic map with one or more of the regional magnetic data sets, wherein the geomagnetic map comprises one or more of the geographic regions; and from the mapping server communicating one or more portions of the geomagnetic map as updated to one or more of the regional servers for distribution as geomagnetic map information to one or more of the magnetic navigation devices for localization or navigation.