Abstract: A pervasive search architecture that indexes personal content of a querying user and made accessible to the user by other users. A compute node of a personal content location facilitates index generation and serve of the index. The index is generated for personal content stored at the personal content location. For a given content location, the index may encapsulate content stored in a set of locations with access permissions. The indexing application runs periodically at the personal content location and incrementally indexes content that is added to the shared locations. The same application allows the user to configure locations with the desired access permissions for participation in the search.

Abstract: Architecture that aggregates realtime geo-referenced data over areas such as physical world geographical areas and virtually-defined areas such as by geofences to provide users with a quick overview and suggestion of activities to do across an area of interest in the spatial extent. The geo-referenced data can be supplied by a provider and/or user. When in combination, event listings can be obtained from providers and social data (e.g., check-in) can be obtained from social websites and/or businesses that make check-in data available freely or under subscription, for example. At least one advantageous outcome of the disclosed aggregation approach is that privacy issues, which currently exist in the industry by showing exact locations of user-contributed data, are overcome. While aggregating over larger spatial extents having high activity, the events supplied by provider listings are assigned scores that show trending and/or high-user activity volumes, and therefore, can be suggested to users.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for determining continuous scoring models that describe one or more features regarding a geographic area. The scoring models can be fit to incorporate information from both point sources as well as area information. Based on the scoring models, a user can obtain feature values for the one or more features at any desired location or for a desired geographic area. Because the features are represented by a continuous function, comparisons of feature values for arbitrary geographic areas and/or combinations of features to form secondary values can also be performed.

Abstract: The placement of one animated element in a virtualized three-dimensional environment can be accomplished with reference to a second animated element and a vector field derived from the relationship thereof. If the first animated element is “inside” the second animated element after the second one was moved to a new animation frame, an existing vector field can be calculated for the region where it is “inside”. The vector field can comprise vectors that can have a direction and magnitude commensurate with the initial velocity and direction required to move the first animated element back outside of the second one. Movement of the first animated element can then be simulated in accordance with the vector field and afterwards a determination can be made whether any portion still remains inside. Such an iterative process can move and place the first animation element prior to the next move of the second animation element.

Abstract: The present localization system determines a precise location for an address based on images. Some implementations identify the precise location using one image. Other implementations identify the precise location using multiple images. While still other implementations identify the precise location by interpolation, which uses precise locations of addresses nearby that were previously localized using one or more images. The images used in determining the precise locations have a visual feature associated with the address appearing in the image.

Abstract: Mechanical surface of rotational elements for motion compensation of a locomotive object. A single layer of rotational elements formed as a mechanical surface on which a human can stand and/or move, and which automatically compensates for diverse human locomotion such as translation in two dimensions and rotation. The surface can be used to actively sense and compensate for varying speeds of human motion while in locomotion on the surface. The layer allows a user to move freely within a confined area and to be maintained within the confined area via motion compensation. Thus, the surface is particularly suited for immersion visualization environments where user motion on the surface is translated into user navigation through a virtual environment such as for computer games and simulation without necessitating constraints on immersive scene projection or participant motion.

Abstract: A transaction server may enable users to purchase goods and services from vendors, and may receive and fulfill coupons applied to the transactions. In some scenarios, the transaction server may only accept one coupon per transaction, or may accept multiple coupons for a transaction that are separately and independently applied to the transaction. However, in other scenarios, a coupon may alter the effect of another coupon on the transaction (e.g., doubling a discount presented by another coupon). Accordingly, the transaction server may be configured to apply a base coupon to the transaction, and alter the effect of the base coupon on the transaction according to an auxiliary coupon. In many such scenarios, the transaction may involve individuals in a social network (e.g., a user presenting the base coupon, and an individual in the user's social network presenting the auxiliary coupon in order to participate in the same transaction).

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for web-scale visual search capable of using a combination of visual input modalities are provided. An edgel index is created that includes shape-descriptors, including edgel-based representations, that correspond to each of a plurality of images. Each edgel-based representation includes pixels that depicts edges or boundary contours of an image and is created, at least in part, by segmenting the image into a plurality of image segments and performing a multi-phase contour detection on each segment.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for validating and correcting map data using oblique images or aerial photographs taken at oblique angles to the earth's surface. Pixels within oblique images can be analyzed to detect, validate, and correct other sources of data used in generating maps such as vector data, elevation maps, projection parameters, and three-dimensional model data. Visibility and occlusion information in oblique views may be analyzed to reduce errors in either occluding or occluded entities. Occlusion of road segments due to foliage, z-ordering of freeways, tunnels, bridges, buildings, and other geospatial entities may be determined, validated, and corrected. A learning algorithm can be trained with image-based descriptors that encode visible data consistencies. After training, the algorithm can classify errors and inconsistencies using combinations of different descriptors such as color, texture, image-gradients, and filter responses.

Abstract: To reduce the amount of storage space and computing power required to render image data, particularly building image data, primary and secondary colors may be extracted from the image data. The image data may be re-rendered using only the primary and secondary colors. The re-rendered image may be evaluated for patterns, the patterns thresholded to bi-level data and a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), or equivalent, may be performed on the bi-level data. Low order coefficients may be discarded depending on level accuracy desired. DFT coefficients and color data for the primary and secondary colors may then be used to construct an abstraction of the original image data, using data that is, in some cases, three or four orders of magnitude smaller than the original image data.

Abstract: Sketches, notes and 2D computer drawings of a designed garment can be input into a computing device. The computing device can apply optical character recognition, shape inference, figure recognition, domain intelligence and inferred knowledge to automatically generate a garment construction specification from the input information. The garment construction specification can include a detailed description of each component of the garment, followed by step-by-step instructions, such as could be consumed by a computer-controlled device, regarding the joining of the components to create the garment. A virtual garment generation mechanism can create a 3D rendering of the garment by constructing each component and then joining them together to act as a single 3D piece. Material behavioral properties can also be applied to the 3D rendering.

Abstract: The placement of one animated element in a virtualized three-dimensional environment can be accomplished with reference to a second animated element and a vector field derived from the relationship thereof. If the first animated element is “inside” the second animated element after the second one was moved to a new animation frame, an existing vector field can be calculated for the region where it is “inside”. The vector field can comprise vectors that can have a direction and magnitude commensurate with the initial velocity and direction required to move the first animated element back outside of the second one. Movement of the first animated element can then be simulated in accordance with the vector field and afterwards a determination can be made whether any portion still remains inside. Such an iterative process can move and place the first animation element prior to the next move of the second animation element.

Abstract: A best-fit rigged body model can be generated for a user based on body measurements provided by the user. Existing, and already known, rigged body models can be filtered, such as via a Principal Component Analysis to eliminate body models that are very similar in a measurement space whose dimensions are comprised of body measurements that can be, or actually were, collected from the user. The body measurements provided by the user can be expressed, in measurement space, as a combination of fractions of one or more existing body models. Such a combination can be computed through a Least Square Error analysis. A best-fit rigged body model can be generated for a user by amalgamating existing rigged body models in accordance with this previously determined combination of fractions of the one or more existing body models.

Abstract: A method and a processing device may provide navigational information including non-photographic cues, such as, contextual color, texture, and structure cues, corresponding to physical entities visible to a party traveling along a determined route. In one embodiment, the non-photographic cues may be previously stored in a database. In another embodiment, non-photographic cues may be extracted from at least one provided image of a geographic area. In a third embodiment, a sequence of non-photographic cues may be automatically extracted from at least one image of a geographic area and, if the sequence of non-photographic cues was not previously saved, the sequence of non-photographic cues may be saved, along with related information, for later use when the sequence of non-photographic cues corresponds to a desired location. The provided navigational information may be presented in a number of ways including a simplified map, textual instructions, or generated speech.

Abstract: Labels of elements in images may be compared to known elements to determine a region from which an image was created. Using this information, the approximate image position can be found, additional elements may be recognized, labels may be checked for accuracy and additional labels may be added.

Abstract: Sketches, notes and 2D computer drawings of a designed garment can be input into a computing device. The computing device can apply optical character recognition, shape inference, figure recognition, domain intelligence and inferred knowledge to automatically generate a garment construction specification from the input information. The garment construction specification can include a detailed description of each component of the garment, followed by step-by-step instructions, such as could be consumed by a computer-controlled device, regarding the joining of the components to create the garment. A virtual garment generation mechanism can create a 3D rendering of the garment by constructing each component and then joining them together to act as a single 3D piece. Material behavioral properties can also be applied to the 3D rendering.

Abstract: In some aspects, locations of geospatial entities in a map image are identified. A record of entity model-to-tag mappings is accessed so that tag data corresponding to a geospatial entity in the map image can be identified. Both the tag data and an outline surrounding the location of the geospatial entity corresponding to the tag data is displayed on the map image. In other aspects, a user selection of a location on a map image is received. A record of entity models is accessed to identify an entity model corresponding to a geospatial entity at that location on the map image. An outline of the geospatial entity is displayed on the map image and tag data for the geospatial entity is identified. The tag data is also displayed on the map image, and a record mapping the tag data to the identified entity model is created.

Abstract: A method and system of creating an oblique display with additional detail such as texture and labels is disclosed. The footprint of objects on the image on a digital elevation map may be determined and an outline of the objects may be determined by creating object polygons that outline the bounds of the objects. The objects that are visible in the image and the objects that are occluded are determined using the footprint of the objects and the object polygons. The occluded object sections may be displayed in a modified form as part of the occluding object. Label display locations may be evaluated for objects to determine an optimal label display location based on a label criteria function and labels may be added to the objects in the image at the optimal label display location.

Abstract: Labels of elements in images may be compared to known elements to determine a region from which an image was created. Using this information, the approximate image position can be found, additional elements may be recognized, labels may be checked for accuracy and additional labels may be added.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for validating and correcting map data using oblique images or aerial photographs taken at oblique angles to the earth's surface. Pixels within oblique images can be analyzed to detect, validate, and correct other sources of data used in generating maps such as vector data, elevation maps, projection parameters, and three-dimensional model data. Visibility and occlusion information in oblique views may be analyzed to reduce errors in either occluding or occluded entities. Occlusion of road segments due to foliage, z-ordering of freeways, tunnels, bridges, buildings, and other geospatial entities may be determined, validated, and corrected. A learning algorithm can be trained with image-based descriptors that encode visible data consistencies. After training, the algorithm can classify errors and inconsistencies using combinations of different descriptors such as color, texture, image-gradients, and filter responses.