MAP MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract: A method for managing plural drawings for geographic information managing system for managing plural kinds of drawings by a computer, uses a map managing section (1), and a map processing basic section (2). The section (1) has and manages map data bases for every attribute, and assigns the attributes according to the reference rights for every data base. The section (2) performs the retrieval and the reference processing both requested by the section (1), and performs display. Drawings are divided into plural groups according to the kinds of the drawings, and stored plural kinds of drawings are retrieved along with the retrieval of one drawing. Further to the divided individual map data base, the reference right corresponding to the degree of the importance of the attribute is given, and the section (1) indicates whether the reference and correction are possible or not, or whether additional loading is possible or not.

Description: SPECIFICATION The present invention relates to a map management system in a geographic information management system employing a computer. BACKGROUND ART It is known that a geographic information management system employs a computer to manage a database of map information and its attribute data such as data of roads, houses, and place-names. This sort of computerized system is employed by, for example, a municipal corporation, which must control enormous kinds of geographic data. If individual departments of the municipal corporation separately control these data, it will be troublesome. Accordingly, all geographic data of the municipal corporation must be collectively controlled. D1 = US-A-4843569 a map management system is known for managing different kinds of maps with use of a computer, comprising: a map managing unit that prepares a map database for respective attributes and manages the database for every attribute, and a map processor that accesses the database through the map managing unit, retrieves necessary data from the database, and displays the data, different kinds of maps being separately stored in the database, so that each map is retrieved from the database DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a map management system in a geographic information management system for managing different kinds of maps with use of computer. The map management system includes: a first database for storing maps of a first type and having a first attribute; a second database for storing maps of a second type and having a second attribute; a map managing unit which allocates the attributes in accordance with an access right; a basic map processor which accesses the database through the map managing unit in response to a request, retrieves necessary data from the database and outputs the data to a display device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows a map database according to a conventional art; Fig. 2 shows the principle of the present invention; Fig. 3 shows a system according to the present invention; Fig. 4 shows an essential part of an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 shows a way of management by a map managing unit according to the present invention; and Fig. 6 shows a flow of processes according to the present invention. BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Before explaining the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a conventional art and its problem will be explained below. Figure 1 shows a map database in a geographic information management system employing a computer, according to the conventional art. The map database DB stores, for example, a road map and a land-house managing map of an area "α". The road map is composed of layers 1 to 10 in which the layer 1 shows roads, the layer 2 shows guardrails, and the layer 10 shows sewers. The land-house managing map is composed of layers 11 to 13 in which the layer 11 shows single houses and the layer 12 shows apartment houses. Similarly, maps of other areas are divided into attribute layers and stored in the map database DB. Each layer occupies a given memory space in the database. Namely, each layer occupies a given area in a data file for storing the geographic information. This sort of computerized geographic information management system is used by municipal corporations such as city offices and word offices. These offices control an enormous amount of real estate information. To see the information of a required area with the system, a keyboard is used to specify the area and a required attribute such as a road map or a land-house managing map of the area. Then, data are displayed through internal processes of the system. To collectively manage different kinds of maps, the conventional art divides each map into layers and stores them in a map database, as shown in Fig. 1. When retrieving a piece of information of an area, all data related to the area must be loaded from the map database to a graphic display, and then, one must select the required piece of information to display among layers of information. In this case, a controlled minimum unit is a layer. Loading all data from the map database to the display may be useful when simultaneously retrieving a plurality of maps. It is inefficient and time consuming, however, when retrieving a single map. An object of the present invention is to provide a map management system in a geographic information management system, capable of not only quickly retrieving a single map but also simultaneously retrieving a plurality of maps. The present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. Figure 2 shows the principle of the present invention. The present invention employs a plurality of databases for storing different kinds of maps. For example, when storing a road registration map and a land-house managing map of an area "α", the present invention prepares a map database DB1 for storing the road registration map, and a map database DB2 for storing the land-house managing map. The databases DB1 and DB2 are collectively called as a logical map database. Data in the map databases DB1 and DB2 are separately loadable, so that the maps are quickly retrieved one by one irrespective of the kinds of the maps. Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a geographic information management system employing a computer, according to the present invention. A display of the computer is displaying a road map. Map databases 01, 02, ... are collectively called as a logical map database DB, which is formed in a file. The system incorporates a map managing, which will be explained later in detail. When the map managing unit is queried for the "road map," the map managing unit accesses the corresponding map database 01 in the logical map database DB, retrieves the required map therefrom, and displays the map. The map managing unit is not hardware but software, and is realized as "map management means" as a part of a program. Figure 4 shows an essential part of the embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 5 explains a map managing unit of the embodiment of Fig. 4. The map managing unit 1 of Fig. 5 allocates an access right 1 for allowing the access and correction of a map database DB1, and an access right 2 for allowing the additional loading of a map database DB2. In this way, different access rights are allocated for respective map databases to secure the safety of data stored in the databases. Namely, data are protected from free correction and addition. A basic map processor 2 of Fig. 4 is also realized as a part of a program to execute processes shown in the flowchart of Fig. 6. Given map data is stored in one of the map databases DB1 and DB2, depending on the importance of the map data. In Fig. 4, a displayed pattern (1) is, for example, a road registration map retrieved by a person in charge of road management. To display the road registration map, the map managing unit 1 loads the road registration map from the map database DB1 to the display. A displayed pattern (2) shows the road registration map and an overlaid land-house managing map corresponding to the area of the road registration map. Unlike the conventional art, other unnecessary maps are not loaded from the databases to the display, so that one can quickly and optionally see a required map. Figure 6 shows processes of the present invention. In step 1, the name of a map to display is entered through a keyboard. In step 2, the entered map name is used as a keyword to retrieve the map managing unit and get the name of a database storing the required map. In step 3, the required map is loaded from the map database to a display. In step 4, the map is displayed. In step 5, it is determined whether or not data must be additionally displayed. If data must be additionally displayed, the flow goes to the step 1, and if not, the flow ends. As explained above, a computerized geographic information management system according to the present invention is capable of not only quickly retrieving a map from different map data but also simultaneously retrieving a plurality of maps from the data. CAPABILITY OF EXPLOITATION IN INDUSTRY A geographic information management system employs a computer to manage a database of map information and its attribute data such as data of roads, houses, and place-names. This sort of computerized system is employed by, for example, a municipal corporation, which must control enormous kinds of geographic data. Usually, these data are separately controlled by individual departments of the municipal corporation. To dissolve the complication of the separate management of geographic data, the present invention provides a geographic information management system that collectively manages different kinds of map data. Namely, the system of the present invention collectively controls data of different departments of an organization. This system is capable of not only quickly retrieving a single map but also simultaneously retrieving a plurality of maps.

Claims: A map management system in a geographic information management system for managing different kinds of map with a use of a computer, comprising: a first database for storing maps of a first type and having a first attribute; a second database for storing maps of a second type and having a second attribute; a map managing unit which allocates the attributes in accordance with an access right; a basic map processor which accesses the database through the map managing unit in response to a request, retrieves necessary data from the database and outputs the data to a display device. A map management system according to claim 1, in which the first attribute is a display only attribute. A map management system according to claim 1 or 2, in which the second attribute is a display and correct attribute.

Inventors: MIKUNI MAKI, MIKUNI, MAKI
Applicants: FUJITSU LTD, FUJITSU LIMITED
Application year: 1992
Main classification: G06F17
IPC codes: G06F17, G01C21, G09B29