There is provided an approach for using street view images, captured from a selected geographical area, to obtain one or more of a landmark saliency score and a street crossing simplicity score, with each score reflecting a degree to which a computer-implemented circuit (including image recognition engines and a visual element matching module) can recognize and identify a landmark in at least one of the street view images. In turn, a navigational plan for a selected geographical area, including travel directions, is generated with the one or more of the landmark saliency score and the street crossing simplicity score.

A navigation method and a navigation apparatus are provided. The method includes: generating a navigation route based on a navigation start-point position and a navigation end-point position; acquiring a navigation scenario of a terminal device in a process of performing a navigation based on the navigation route; acquiring, in response to determining that the navigation scenario is a preset target navigation scenario, special effect data of a virtual navigator matching the target navigation scenario; and presenting the special effect data of the virtual navigator through the terminal device.

A computer-implemented method for providing landmark-assisted navigation guidance by selectively utilizing database information includes receiving navigation requests from one or more mobile computing devices, each of the requests being associated with a respective starting point, destination, and travel mode. For each navigation request, a corresponding route to be depicted in a corresponding digital map is determined. For each navigation request associated with a first travel mode, corresponding points of interest (POIs) are determined from among a plurality of POIs stored in a database. The corresponding POIs are determined based on at least a zoom level of the corresponding map and whether the corresponding POIs are associated with any landmark category. For each navigation request associated with a second travel mode, corresponding POIs are determined based on at least a zoom level of the corresponding map, but irrespective of whether the corresponding POIs are associated with any landmark categories.

Described is a travel-based geo-paired information system. The system includes a server having a memory storing geo-paired information that includes content regarding or related to a point of interest. The system also includes a user computing device coupled to the server. The server may be programmed to receive location information from the user computing device. The server may also be programmed to automatically process the location information and determine whether a location of the user computing device is within a predetermined distance from a point of interest geolocation. Then the server may automatically find and retrieve geo-paired information corresponding to or paired to the point of interest geolocation and automatically deliver to the user computing device, for presenting, the content related to the point of interest corresponding to the location of the user computing device.

Concepts for generating navigation instructions for a driver of a vehicle are presented. One example, includes obtaining a current location of the vehicle, a route for the vehicle from the current location to a target destination, and a captured image of the surrounding environment of the vehicle, the image having a field of view comprising at least part of a field of view of the driver. An object is identified in the captured image. Navigation instructions for the driver are generated based on the current location of the vehicle, the route for the vehicle and the object identified in the captured image.

A hands-free pedestrian navigation method includes mounting on a user's head (i) a display for projecting a visual image in front of the user's gaze, and (ii) an IMU, obtaining from a GPS unit carried by the user an approximate user location for locating the user in a computerized map. Confirmation is obtained from the user that the user's gaze is directed to a specified landmark in sight of the user and azimuth is computed between the user location and the landmark location extracted from the computerized map. Vocal prompts are provided and ancillary visual prompts are projected on the display to navigate the pedestrian. In a system, the user wears a head-mounted device containing the IMU and display and carries a GPS unit and a portable computing device coupled to the device and GPS unit and programmed to carry out the method.

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and apparatus for operating a computational network are provided. The apparatus may obtain a set of navigational instructions describing a route to a destination. The apparatus may obtain first image data through a first camera that is oriented toward the route, the first image data depicting a first scene associated with the route. The apparatus may determine a first field of view associated with a user that is navigating the route to the destination based on a first sensor that is oriented toward the user. The apparatus may identify at least one salient object represented in the first scene based on the first field of view. The apparatus may output instructional information describing a first navigational instruction of the set of navigational instructions with reference to the at least one salient object.

The server includes an infrastructure cooperation section determination unit that determines an infrastructure cooperation section indicating a range in which an in-vehicle device performs a cooperative operation with an infrastructure sensor and performs traveling support of the host vehicle, and transmits cooperative operation information for the in-vehicle device to start or stop the cooperative operation with the infrastructure sensor to the in-vehicle device based on the infrastructure cooperation section determined by the infrastructure cooperation section determination unit. The in-vehicle device sets or cancels the cooperative operation mode by the mode setting unit based on the cooperative operation information transmitted from the server.

In a moving path guide providing method, device, system, and computer program, an information point easily recognizable around a path where a user moves is selected and the moving path is provided to the user on the basis of the selected information point, so as to allow the user to more conveniently and easily move via the path according to the guide.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for determining a location of a device, for example, by receiving, from a client device, a rendering of an image captured by the client device. The systems and methods compare the received rendering to entries in a database of renderings, each respective entry including a respective rendering and a respective associated location, and determine, from the comparing whether the received rendering matches a respective rendering included in a respective entry in the database of renderings. The systems and methods, in response to determining that the received rendering matches the respective rendering included in the respective entry, determine the location associated with the matching rendering, and transmit the location to the client device.