Abstract: Events may be identified by storing information in response to activating an event stamp function. As a result of activating the event function, the information collected may immediately be compared to event information in a database. Alternatively, the information collected may later be compared to event information in a database. One or more candidates for the event of interest may be automatically or manually retrieved, and the user may decide whether a candidate event of the one or more candidates correspond to the event of interest. Alternatively, a purchase of an item related to the event may be automatically made in response to activating the event stamp.

Abstract: A system for information acquisition includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for determining a current location, a search module connected to the GPS receiver, and a configuration module connected to the search module. At least one request item is stored in the configuration module. The search module is configured for requesting and acquiring associated information with the current location according to the request item to and from an information center through the Internet.

Abstract: A multi-dimensional spatial index includes at least two dimensions that define physical boundaries of the features represented by the indexed data. In addition, the multi-dimensional spatial index includes at least one additional dimension that represents another property. The other property is an orthogonal, non-spatial property. The other property may be a property of the features represented by the indexed data or the other property may be a property of the data. The other property represented by the additional dimension may include: granularity, distance, altitude, scale bounds within which each spatial entity is significant, or other property. The multi-dimensional spatial index is applicable to the storage, retrieval, visualization and traversal of spatial data sets.