Abstract: Map multi-search architecture that enables users to multi-task on the mapping engine website. A card interaction model enables the creation of new cards for new tasks and from which users can retrieve previous results without needing to redo the search task. One or more cards can be retrieved by scrolling through and selecting the desires card(s). Point-of-interest (POI) capabilities of the architecture introduce different POI colors, POI sizes, and a decay model which enables users to differentiate between different sets of results and furthermore, enables users to see the proximity of different sets of results. The POI system enables differentiated POI sets for different sets of search results and/or detail cards.

Abstract: An information server may function as a centralized query broker that accepts queries from query clients, dispatches queries to potentially disparate data sources, and returns query results to query clients. An information server may centralize information access and security/control operations and may provide a set of uniform interfaces for accessing various types of data sources. A pluggable data source interface may be used for extending the data and actions that are available to an information server. The queries that arrive at the data sources are typically simple queries, which contain no sub-query addressing to a different data source. To make a data source pluggable, a data source may expose a standard interface and may store information about the data source's existence so that an information server will be able to determine, from the stored information, which data sources are available for responding to queries in the information server system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for defining at least one visual-display characteristic of at least one user-interface control are disclosed. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, a dialog template specifies at least one style selector for the at least one user-interface control. A transformation module extracts the at least one style selector from the dialog template. A style sheet defines at least one visual-display-characteristic value that is applicable to the at least one user-interface control and that is associated with the at least one style selector. A style sheet-parsing engine uses the at least one style selector to retrieve the at least one visual-display-characteristic value from the style sheet. And a user-interface-control-drawing module draws the at least one user-interface control in accordance with the at least one visual-display-characteristic value retrieved by the style sheet-parsing engine.