Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to the field of machine learning
and data interpretation. More particularly, embodiments of the disclosure relate
to a system, method and apparatus for validating geographic locations for an
address.
10
BACKGROUND
A geographical co-ordinate is an indicator of geographical location associated
with an entity such as a building, structure, open-area, or other geographical
region. Such entities are often also identified by a street address, postal codes,
15 zip codes etc, or their combination. Geocoding is the process that associates a
specific geographical location, such as a pair of latitude-longitude coordinates,
with the street address or other address identifier of the entity. Geographical coordinates help in enhancing our understanding of geographic relationships
between entities. Such understanding of geographic relationships is critical in
3
many areas, including telecommunications, postal delivery, route planning,
parcel delivery etc.
Various methods exist for generating highly accurate geographical co-ordinates.
5 For example, entities can be individually surveyed with GPS receivers and the
address for each entity may be mapped with the geographical location data
received by the GPS receiver. Such approach, however, is very expensive and
time-consuming to implement on a large scale. Accordingly, less expensive and
more efficient geocoding methods have been developed. These approaches,
10 however, often produce inaccurate geographical co-ordinates. For example, a
conventional technique may employ address interpolation to estimate
geographical co-ordinates of addresses. In one example, the address
interpolation technique may calculate the geographical co-ordinates of entities
along an entire street segment using knowledge of geographical co-ordinates for
15 just the endpoints of the street segment. Various drawbacks occur in such
system as address interpolation assumes that the street segments are relatively
straight, have uniformly spaced street addresses, have buildings of fairly
uniform size and are set back a fairly uniform distance back from the street.
Provided these assumptions are satisfied, address interpolation can accurately
20 estimate geographical co-ordinates for addresses along each street segment
from the segment's endpoint information by linear interpolation. Unfortunately,
4
the above assumptions often fail, and the resulting geographical co-ordinates
are inaccurate.
Postal codes and zip codes are another way of assigning location co-ordinates to
5 a group of entities. However, in some regions, the area covered under a postal
code may not be completely bounded by streets, or such area may not have an
easily identifiable boundary. In such cases, existing geocoding methods may
provide inaccurate results.
10 Hence, there is a need for a system and method of validating accuracy of
geographical locations for entities.
5
BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments according to the claimed subject matter are described below with
reference to the drawings. The detailed description references the
5 accompanying figures. The same numbers can be used throughout the drawings
to reference like features and components. As used herein, like terms refer to
like elements throughout the description. It should be noted that views of
exemplary embodiments are merely to illustrate selected features of the
embodiment. The views qualitatively illustrate exemplary features of some
10 embodiments and, therefore, should not be interpreted as being drawn to scale.
Fig 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a system according to some
embodiments of the present invention.
Fig. 2 illustrates a data storage module according to some embodiments of the
15 present invention.
Fig. 3 illustrates a directed acyclic graph corresponding to address data stored in
the data storage module according to some embodiments of the present
invention.
Fig. 4 illustrates an address-location verifying system, according to one
20 embodiment of the present invention.
6
SUMMARY
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic
understanding of one or more aspects of the invention. This summary is not an
extensive overview of the invention, and is neither intended to identify key or
5 critical elements of the invention, nor to delineate the scope thereof. Rather, the
primary purpose of the summary is to present some concepts of the invention in
a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented
later.
10 It is an object of the invention to provide improved methods for verifying
geographic locations of addressable entities.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a computer
system including one or more processing modules. The computer system
15 further comprises one or more data storage modules operably coupled to the
one or more processing modules. The computer system also comprises at least
one memory module operably coupled to the one or more processing modules.
The processing modules may be configured to select an address data
corresponding to an address of a first entity and a location data corresponding
20 to a location of the first entity; select a location data corresponding to a location
of a second entity; compute a first correlation between the location data
7
corresponding to a location of the first entity and the location data
corresponding to a location of the second entity; and update a verification score
corresponding to a correlation between address data and location data of the
first entity.
5
The independent claims define the invention in various aspects. The dependent
claims state selected elements of embodiments according to the invention in
various aspects.
10 This summary is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to
interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. This summary is not
intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject
matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the
claimed subject matter. Other methods, apparatus and systems are also
15 disclosed. Those skilled in the art will recognise additional features and
advantages upon reading the following detailed description, and upon viewing
the accompanying drawings.
8
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may be
5 evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practised without
these specific details. Also, in some instances, well-known features are omitted
or simplified to clarify the description of the exemplary implementations. In
some other instances, well-known features or units or circuits have been shown
in block diagram form in order avoid clutter due to unnecessary detailing.
10 Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the present invention in
detail. The implementations herein are described in terms of exemplary
embodiments. However, it should be appreciated that individual aspects of the
implementations may be separately claimed and one or more of the features of
the various embodiments may be combined.
15
Fig 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a system according to some
embodiments of the present invention. As shown, the system may comprise at
least one processing module, at least one data storage module operably coupled
to the at least one processing module and at least one memory module operably
20 coupled to the at least one processing module. The system may further include a
networking interface, allowing the system to operate in a networked
9
environment supporting connections to one or more remote computers, such as
mobile devices and computing devices. The networking interface may include a
modem and a local area network (LAN) interface. The modem and LAN
interface may connect to external communication devices, such as mobile
5 phone, computer system and laptops etc. via internet, WAN or other
communication modes.
The memory module may be configured to store software used by the system
such as an operating system, applications program and associated database. The
10 memory module may further be configured to store instructions, executable by
the processing module, for enabling the system to perform various functions.
The system may also include an input-output interface which may include, but
not limited to, an interface for display, keyboard, mouse, keypad, speaker,
15 haptic device, microphone, camera or other input-output techniques well known
in the art.
Referring the Fig. 2, there is shown a data storage module according to some
embodiments of the present invention. The data storage module may be
20 configured to store address data corresponding to an address of an entity. The
address data may include nationality, state, city, town, locality, sub-locality,
10
street, landmark, building, floor number, identification number, postal code, zip
code or any other address identifying parameter. The data storage module may
also be configured to store location data corresponding to an entity. The
location data may include geocodes, geographic coordinates such as latitude,
5 longitude or elevation, natural area code, grid references, or the like. Further,
the data storage module may be configured to store verification score
corresponding to a correlation between address data and location data of an
entity. The verification score reflects the genuineness or trustworthiness of the
correlation between address data and location data of the entity. Hence a higher
10 verification score indicates that the location data defines the actual, physical
location of the address data of the entity with high accuracy.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the storage of address data of
entities in the data storage module may be implemented in form of a directed
15 acyclic graph. Referring to Fig.3, the directed acyclic graph corresponding to
address data stored in the data storage module is shown. The graph may include
a plurality of hierarchical addressing blocks corresponding to at least one of:
nationality, state, city, town, locality, sub-locality, street, landmark, building,
floor number, identification number, postal code, zip code or any other address
20 identifying parameter well known in the art. A first addressing block may be
connected to at least one second addressing block via a parent-child
relationship.
11
Each hierarchical addressing block may link to one or more entities whose
address data map on to the hierarchical addressing block. Hence, the
hierarchical addressing block named ‘Delhi’ shall list all the entities which have
5 ‘Delhi’ as city in their address data. Similarly, the hierarchical addressing block
named ‘Janpath’ shall list all the entities which have ‘Janpath’ as street name
in their address data.
Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown an address-location verifying system,
10 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
A first address data and a first location data of a first entity is selected by
processing module in accordance with the instructions stored in memory
module. The first address data and the first location data of the first entity may
15 be received by the processing module in real time from a remote
communication device (not shown) or it may be pre-stored in data storage
module.
The processing module may identify a plurality of hierarchical addressing
20 blocks from the first address data of the first entity. The hierarchical addressing
12
blocks may typically be: Country1, State1, City1, Locality1, Sub-Locality1,
Street1, Building1, House-Number1 and so on.
The identification of plurality of hierarchical addressing block may be
5 performed using data processing techniques such as, but not limited to, machine
learning, artificial intelligence, fuzzy learning, pattern matching or other
techniques known in the art.
The processing module selects at least one addressing block from the list of the
10 addressing blocks stored as the directed acyclic graph in the data storage
module. The processing module may select the addressing block based on the
plurality of addressing blocks identified from the address data of the first entity.
Hence, the processing module may select the addressing block corresponding to
City 1, or Locality 1 or Building 1 and so on. The processor may select the
15 addressing block based on rules such as, but not limited to, addressing block
having lower hierarchy in the directed acyclic graph, addressing block having
linkage to maximum number of entities or having linkage to maximum number
of entities whose verification score is more than a threshold limit or any
combination thereof. The processor may also select the addressing block
20 randomly. The selected addressing block may link to one or more entities
whose address data map on to the selected addressing block. Hence, the
13
selected addressing block may represent an area that is bounded by roads, water
bodies, parks, open spaces, or any such boundaries.
The processing module may be instructed to select at least one second entity
5 from the list of entities corresponding to the addressing block selected by the
processing module. The second entity may be selected randomly, or based on
rules such as, but not limited to, entity having verification score more than a
threshold limit, entity which may serve as a landmark (a monument or the like)
or any combination thereof.
10
The processing module retrieves a second location data corresponding to a
location of the selected second entity from the data storage module.
The processing module calculates a correlation between the second location
15 data corresponding to the location of the selected second entity and the first
location data corresponding to the location of the first entity. The correlation
may be calculated based on the proximity of the first and second location data
to each other.
14
In an embodiment of the invention, the processing module may render a
terrestrial map of at least a portion of the geographical area corresponding to at
least the selected hierarchical addressing block. The map data may be generated
by the processor in real time, or it may be stored in the data storage module,
5 remote repository or the like. The map data may also be received by the
processing module from external sources such as Google Maps, Open Street
Maps or other third party services. Hence, if the selected hierarchical addressing
block is ‘Janpath’, then the processing module renders a map of at least a
portion ‘Janpath’. The processing module may overlay the location data of the
10 first entity and the location data of the second entity on the rendered map. The
processing module may then calculate the correlation between the second
location data and the first location data. The correlation may be proximity based
such as, but not limited to, aerial proximity or ground proximity or the like.
15 The processing module may compute a verification score based on the
correlation calculated between the first location data and the second location
data. Hence, if the first location data and the second location data are highly
correlated i.e. they are in close proximity to each other, it may suggest a highly
genuine relation between the address data and the location data of the first
20 entity. Similarly, if the first location data and the second location data are
highly uncorrelated i.e. they are geographically apart from each other, it may
15
suggest that a less genuine relation between the address data and the location
data of the first entity.
The processing module may update the verification score for the first entity in
5 the data storage module.
The processing module may repeat the above procedure by selecting a third
entity, a fourth entity and so on, to calculate a highly dependable verification
score.
10
It may be noted here that the above description is only an exemplary working of
the invention. Other techniques may also be employed for selecting the second
entity for calculating the correlation score and verification score. For example,
the processing module may select a second entity randomly from the list of
15 entities stored in the data storage module. Or the processing module may use
text processing, pattern matching, string matching or the like to select the
second entity. Hence, the above description serves only to highlight an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which is in no way, limiting to
the invention.
20
16
The disclosure is operational with numerous other general purpose or special
purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well
known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be
suitable for use with the disclosure include, but are not limited to, personal
5 computers, server computers, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor
systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and
distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or
devices, and the like.
10
As used herein, the wording "entity" means any geographical area which may
include, but not limited to, buildings, structures, monuments, landmarks, open
areas such as parks, grounds, forests or water bodies etc.

We claim:

1. A system comprising:
5 one or more processing modules;
one or more data storage modules, operatively coupled to the
one or more processing modules, wherein the one or more data
storage modules are configured to store at least one of:
an address data corresponding to an address of at least
10 one entity;
a location data corresponding to a location of at least one
entity; and
a verification score corresponding to a correlation
between address data and location data of at least one
15 entity;
at least one memory module operatively coupled to the one or
more processing modules, wherein the at least one memory
module stores instructions which, when executed by the one or
more processing modules, causes the one or more processing
20 modules to,
18
select an address data corresponding to an address of a
first entity and a location data corresponding to a location
of the first entity;
select a second location data corresponding to a location
5 of at least one second entity;
compute a first correlation between the location data
corresponding to a location of the first entity and the
location data corresponding to a location of the second
entity; and
10 update the verification score corresponding to the
correlation between address data and location data of the
first entity.
2. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location data
15 corresponding to the location of the second entity is selected from a set
of location data corresponding to location of one or more entities,
wherein the one or more entities lie within a first bounded area.
3. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the address data
20 corresponding to the address of the first entity and the location data
19
corresponding to the location of the first entity is received by the
processing module in real time from a remote communication device.
4. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the address data
5 corresponding to an address of at least one entity is stored in the data
storage module in form of a directed acyclic graph.
5. The system, as claimed in claim 4, wherein the directed acyclic graph
includes a plurality of hierarchical addressing blocks corresponding to at
10 least one of: nationality, state, city, town, locality, sub-locality, street,
landmark, building, floor number, identification number, postal code,
zip code or other address identifying parameter.
6. The system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processing
15 modules identifies a plurality of hierarchical addressing blocks from the
first address data of the first entity.
7. The system, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the one or more processing
modules selects at least one addressing block from the list of the
20 addressing blocks stored as the directed acyclic graph in the data storage
module based on the plurality of addressing blocks identified from the
address data of the first entity.
20
8. The system, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one or more processing
modules further:
renders a terrestrial map of at least a portion of the geographical
area corresponding to at least the selected hierarchical
5 addressing block; and
overlays the location data of the first entity and the location data
of the second entity on the rendered map.
9. A method of validating accuracy of location data for an address data of a
10 first entity, the method comprising:
selecting an address data corresponding to an address of a first
entity and a location data corresponding to a location of the
first entity;
selecting a location data corresponding to a location of a second
15 entity;
computing a first correlation between the location data
corresponding to a location of the first entity and the location
data corresponding to a location of the second entity; and
updating a verification score corresponding to the correlation
20 between address data and location data of the first entity.
10. A method of validating accuracy of location data for an address data
of a first entity, the method comprising:
21
identifying a plurality of hierarchical addressing blocks from the
address data of the first entity:
selecting, from a list of hierarchical addressing blocks, at least
one hierarchical addressing block corresponding to the at least
5 one of the identified plurality of hierarchical addressing blocks;
selecting a second entity from a list of entities corresponding to
the selected hierarchical block;
correlating a location data of the first entity and a location data
of the second entity; and
10 generating a verification score corresponding to a correlation
between the address data and the location data of the first entity.