RouteInfo a navigation system with online access to LBS

Abstract

Most onboard navigation systems employ CD or DVD-based data storage for digital maps and points of interest. However, updating and retrieving such information is a major challenge for commercial information providers, and for drivers. In this master thesis, we propose a framework for a new generation of onboard navigation systems that utilize modern telecommunication and information retrieval approaches to access location-awareness information automatically via the Web. The aim is to build agents for searching and accessing online Location-Based Service (LBS) information. This research is part of the FII project (Construction of an Integrated Navigation Information Infrastructure) for Canadian Network Centers of Excellence on the Automobile of 21st Century (NCE Auto21). The work accomplished involves postal address extraction and an efficient road finding strategy. The postal address extraction segment applies an ontology-based conceptual information retrieval approach combined with a graph matching technique. The road finding strategy suggests hierarchical road network structures. We have developed a prototype system, named RouteInfo, that integrates positioning, LBS information search, address geo-coding and route finding to accomplish online LBS information search and provide a navigation guide for drivers. We have also evaluated our postal address algorithm on the basis of recall and precision measurements.