Abstract: A method of encoding a continuous path within a road network is described, the path being completely represented within a digital map and expressible as a path list of lines and/or segments existing in said digital map and consecutively ordered, wherein said lines and/or segments have one or more attributes associated therewith. The method involves storing a start position in a route search list, and determining a path from the start node of the start position and including said start position to an end node of the last line or segment in the path list within said digital map. The path is determined according to an algorithm utilizing an attribute of said lines or segments. The attribute may be a lowest functional road class (LFRC) of the path to be encoded or a part thereof.

Abstract: A method of processing data relating to an electronic map, the map comprising a plurality of segments representing navigable segments in the area covered by the map, the method comprising using a processing apparatus to generate segment data and comprising the steps of: collecting historic travel data for the segment; defining a jam condition for the segment, such that where the jam condition is satisfied the segment is classified as jammed and otherwise as not jammed; generating a jam probability for the segment according to the historic travel data and the jam condition definition; generating a jam speed for the segment using the historic travel data, the jam speed being indicative of the speed on the segment when the segment is considered jammed; and associating the jam probability and the jam speed with the segment in the electronic map.

Abstract: A method of generating expected average speeds of travel across one or more segments in the area covered by an electronic map, each segment representing a navigable segment in the area covered by the map and having associated therewith: an average speed of travel across that segment; segment data comprising at least one jam probability, the jam probability indicating the likelihood of a jam on that segment; and a jam speed indicative of the speed of travel on that segment when it is considered jammed. The method comprises using the segment data to predict whether a jam condition exists on at least one or each of the segments; and outputting the expected average speed of travel across these segments as: a) a first speed, where a jam condition is predicted to exist, the first speed being the jam speed for the relevant segment or a speed based thereon, or b) a second speed, where a jam condition is not predicted, the second speed being the average speed for the relevant segment or a speed based thereon.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein methods of operating a computing device, such as a server, to associate a hazard with a zone of a digital map. The method comprises the computing device: receiving data representative of a location of a hazard matched to a location on a digital map accessible to said computing device; and determining if the repository comprises data representative of a zone corresponding to a region of a digital map containing the location of the hazard, to which the hazard should be associated. If the repository does not comprise data representative of such a zone, the method further comprises generating data representative of a zone corresponding to a region of a digital map containing the location of the hazard, and storing the generated data representative of said zone in the data repository. There is also disclosed herein computing devices and software for carrying out these methods.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for probe data management that facilitate anonymity between a device providing probe data and the probe data. Some embodiments relate to the removal of an association between a device identifier and an assigned probe identifier if no position information is received from the probe device for a predetermined time period, e.g. between 10 and 20 minutes. Other embodiments relate to periodic extraction of probe objects from a data store, such that a probe object is stored for at most a predetermined time period, e.g. 24 hours, and the use of position information from probe objects having the same probe identifier to create a historic journey trace.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of resolving a point location from a location reference, the location reference comprising a plurality of location reference points, each location reference point being representative of a node in a first digital map and having attributes associated therewith from the first digital map, including geographic coordinates of the node, so as to define a path between a start location reference point and an end location reference point, the location reference further comprising an offset value representative of a distance along the path.