Comprehensive tsunami alert system via mobile devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9301088-B2
Application number	US-12052908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2008
Priority date	May 14, 2008
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to navigation in GPS-enabled mobile computing devices and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for location-based tsunami alerting navigational instructions in mobile computing devices. In an embodiment of the invention, a location-based tsunami alerting data processing system can be provided. The system can include a central processing unit coupled with a memory component, and a visual display along with location-based navigation logic that is enabled to compute a geographic zone of danger resulting from a tsunami, identify a geographic location for a mobile computing device corresponding to a subscriber, and render a set of personalized navigational instructions in the mobile computing device responsive to a determination that the subscriber is located in the geographic zone of danger.

First claim

I claim:

1. A location-based tsunami alerting method comprising:
receiving, by a processor of a mobile computing device, one or more sets of geographical coordinates, each set of geographical coordinates corresponding to a zone of danger resulting from a tsunami;
computing, by the processor of the mobile computing device, a geographic zone of danger based on the one or more sets of geographical coordinates;
determining, by the processor of the mobile computing device, a current geographic location for the mobile computing device;
responsive to determining that the mobile computing device's current geographic location being in the computed geographic zone of danger, calculating, by the processor of the mobile computing device, a shortest safest path to direct the mobile computing device out of the computed geographic zone of danger;
rendering, by the processor of the mobile computing device, in the mobile computing device, a set of personalized navigational instructions from the determined geographic location for the mobile computing device to a geographic location outside of the computed geographic zone of danger,
wherein the set of personalized navigational instructions includes a visual map and/or path corresponding to step-by-step textual instructions along with a current pointer that points a user of the mobile computing device in a direction of the shortest safest path to get out of the computed geographic zone of danger based on the determined current geographic location of the mobile computing device and
wherein the current pointer points to a first zone of safety; and,
responsive to tracking the mobile computing device changing direction away from the first zone of safety, determining, by the processor of the mobile computing device, a second zone of safety that is closer to the mobile computing device's current geographic location.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing, by the processor of the mobile computing device, a first zone of safety based on the one or more sets of geographical coordinates, wherein the first zone of safety comprises a set of geographic coordinates as a boundary area of the first zone of safety.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein rendering the set of personalized navigational instructions further comprises dynamically updating the personalized navigational instructions in real-time.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising rendering, by the processor of the mobile computing device, updated distance information between the mobile computing device's current geographic location and a destination zone of safety.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the processor of the mobile computing device, the current geographic location for the mobile computing device is established by global positioning system (GPS) coordinates.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the processor of the mobile computing device, the current geographic location for the mobile computing device is established by cellular triangulation.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing, by the processor of the mobile computing device, a second zone of safety based on the one or more sets of geographical coordinates, wherein the second zone of safety comprises a set of geographic coordinates as a boundary area of the second zone of safety.

8. A data processing system for location-based tsunami alerting navigational instructions in a mobile computing device, the data processing system comprising:
a central processing unit in the mobile computing device;
a memory component in the mobile computing device;
a visual display in the mobile computing device; and,
location-based navigation logic in the mobile computing device that is enabled to
receive one or more sets of geographical coordinates, each set of geographical coordinates corresponding to a zone of danger resulting from a tsunami,
compute a geographic zone of danger based on the one or more sets of geographical coordinates,
determine a current geographic location for the mobile computing device,
responsive to determining that the mobile computing device's current geographic location being in the computed geographic zone of danger, calculate a shortest safest path to direct the mobile computing device out of the computed geographic zone of danger,
render in the mobile computing device a set of personalized navigational instructions from the determined current geographic location for the mobile computing device to a geographic location outside of the computed geographic zone of danger,
wherein the set of personalized navigational instructions includes a visual map and/or path corresponding to step-by-step textual instructions along with a current pointer that points a user of the mobile computing device in the direction of the shortest safest path to get out of the computed geographic zone of danger based on the current geographic location of the mobile computing device and
wherein the current pointer points to a first zone of safety, and
responsive to tracking the mobile computing device changing direction away from the first zone of safety, determine a second zone of safety that is closer to the mobile computing device's current geographic location.

9. The data processing system of claim 8 , wherein the location-based navigation logic is further enabled to compute a first zone of safety based on the one or more sets of geographical coordinates, wherein the first zone of safety comprises a set of geographic coordinates as a boundary area of the first zone of safety.

10. The data processing system of claim 8 , wherein the location-based navigation logic enabled to render the set of personalized navigational instructions further comprises location-based navigation logic enabled to dynamically update the personalized navigational instructions in real-time.

11. The data processing system of claim 8 , wherein the location-based navigation logic is further enabled to render updated distance information between the mobile computing device's current geographic location and a destination zone of safety.

12. The data processing system of claim 8 , wherein the location-based navigation logic enabled to determine the current geographic location for the mobile computing device comprises determining the current geographic location for the mobile computing device according to global positioning system (GPS) coordinates.

13. The data processing system of claim 8 , wherein the location-based navigation logic enabled to determine the current geographic location for the mobile computing device comprises determining the current geographic location for the mobile computing device according to cellular triangulation.

14. The data processing system of claim 8 , wherein the location-based navigation logic is further enabled to compute a second zone of safety based on the one or more sets of geographical coordinates, wherein the second zone of safety comprises a set of geographic coordinates as a boundary area of the second zone of safety.

Assignees

• Kirk Erik A
• IBM

Inventors

• Kirk Erik A

Classifications

• H04M2242/30

  Determination of the location of a subscriber · CPC title

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• G08B27/005

  with transmission via computer network · CPC title

• G01S2205/006

  for emergency situations · CPC title