Abstract: A communications server apparatus for a distributed sharding database related to a transportation service comprising a processor and a memory, the communications server apparatus being configured, under control of the processor, to execute instructions stored in the memory to: determine whether rebalancing of a plurality of shard replicas stored on a plurality of server instances is required based on two or more quantitative metrics; if rebalancing is required, select a plurality of candidate rebalancing plans; and rank the candidates, and execute a selected rebalancing plan from the ranking if two or more quantitative metrics criteria are met for the selection.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems for adaptively identifying an optimal route. In some examples, there is provided a method comprising: determining, by a processor, one or more pick up points based on historical data relating to a starting location, the starting location being one that is indicated in a request for a ride from the starting location to a destination location; determining, by the processor, one or more routes between each of the determined one or more pick up points and the destination location indicated in the ride request; and adaptively identifying, by the processor, an optimal route from the one or more routes based on at least one of a cheapest route, fastest route, shortest route and shortest walking distance.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems for determining a priority level of a road. In some examples, there is provided a method comprising: determining, by a processor, a position associated with a road relative to one or more roads based on a total number of one or more vehicles that travelled on the road and a speed of the one or more vehicles on the road; and determining, by the processor, a priority level of the road based on whether a position associated with a priority level relative to one or more priority levels for the one or more roads matches the position associated with the road.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of annotating map data, in particular for navigation of vehicles, the method including: receiving the map data including a graph of a road network including a plurality of vertices and edges; pre-processing the graph to produce a planar graph including a plurality of polygons; grouping the plurality of polygons to form a plurality of geofences, each of the plurality of geofences including a number of POIs which may be within a pre-determined POI range, and each of the plurality of geofences having a road traversal length that may be within a pre-determined length range; storing geofence data of the plurality of geofences in a memory of a computer; and annotating each of the plurality of geofences.

Abstract: A communications server apparatus for a distributed sharding database related to a transportation service comprising a processor and a memory, the communications server apparatus being configured, under control of the processor, to execute instructions stored in the memory to: determine whether rebalancing of a plurality of shard replicas stored on a plurality of server instances is required based on two or more quantitative metrics; if rebalancing is required, select a plurality of candidate rebalancing plans; and rank the candidates, and execute a selected rebalancing plan from the ranking if two or more quantitative metrics criteria are met for the selection.