Patent Publication Number: US-2015088853-A1

Title: Geospatial search portal, methods of making and using the same, and systems including the same

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to the field of information collection, linking, storage, and searching. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention pertain to a geospatial search portal, methods for making and using the same, and systems including the same. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Searches using a search engine such as Google® provide the user with little or no input into, or ability to change or influence, the mechanism(s) of the search algorithm. Furthermore, it is difficult or impossible for the average Internet user to discern the criteria by which hits are retrieved in response to a search. 
     The Internet is often used for technical research and/or learning. However, there are few (if any) readily available and/or unrestricted search tools that focus or limit the results to factual, scholarly or authoritative information. There are none known to the inventor that associate such information with geographic locations. 
     This “Discussion of the Background” section is provided for background information only. The statements in this “Discussion of the Background” are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this “Discussion of the Background” section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this “Discussion of the Background” section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this “Discussion of the Background” section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate to a geospatial search portal, comprising an electronic information harvester, a tagger, metadata analysis logic, an electronic map having a plurality of electronic locations thereon, and a processor. The electronic information harvester seeks and retrieves relevant scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information. The tagger associates a plurality of georeferences and a plurality of metadata to each of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information. The metadata analysis logic analyzes the metadata and organizes the metadata into index terms and/or map symbols. The geospatial search portal further includes a system that relates or associates each of the georeferences to one or more of the electronic locations identified in the index terms, the metadata, and/or the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information. The processor is configured to display at least some of the associated scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information on the electronic map and/or in a textbox when the electronic location(s) on the electronic map, the georeference(s), and/or the metadata is/are electronically selected. The present search portal also includes a system that relates or associates each of the plurality of georeferences to each of the plurality of electronic locations. The scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information generally relates to one or more physical locations corresponding to at least one of the georeferences. 
     In some embodiments of the present search portal, the electronic map has a plurality of scales, each of the scales representing a different predetermined distance per unit length on the electronic map. In one example, the electronic map is divided into an array of tiles, the tiles having dimensions fixed to one of the plurality of scales, where each of the electronic locations corresponds to one or more of the tiles. Alternatively, the electronic map can be divided into an array of regions or sets of coordinates, and each of the electronic locations corresponds to one or more of the regions or sets of coordinates. 
     The metadata analysis logic may include an indexer and a depictor. The indexer analyzes each of the metadata and organizes the metadata into index terms, and the depictor analyzes each of the metadata and organizes the metadata into map symbols. 
     In other embodiments, the search portal further includes a user interface. The user interface may be adapted to display the map symbols in the map and one or more optional function areas or windows outside the map. Each of the map objects and the index terms may be adapted to perform a predetermined function on the map and/or the other of the map objects and the index terms. Alternatively or additionally, the function area(s) or window(s) may be adapted to display one or one or ones of said map symbols, each said map symbol being adapted to perform a predetermined function on the index terms. The search portal may further comprise one or more menus adapted to offer a plurality of predetermined functions for changing, displaying or configuring the electronic map, the map symbols, and/or the index terms. 
     Further embodiments of the present invention include a system, comprising the present geospatial search portal, a server or storage device configured to store the georeferences, the metadata, and links or electronic associations between the georeferences and the corresponding electronic location(s) on the electronic map, and an electronic display device. The electronic display device displays the electronic map, identified and predetermined locations on the electronic map (if any), relevant information identified in a search (if any), and optionally, a search window to be displayed on the user interface. The search window may be adapted to receive search terms for identifying the relevant information on the electronic map. The present system may further comprise a computer configured to manage read, write, address assignment and/or identification operations of the one or more information storage units and one or more information storage units configured to store the georeferences, the metadata, and the links or electronic associations, and/or a computer configured to manage read, write and address assignment operations and/or identification operations of the information storage unit(s). 
     Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of designing, creating, producing or making a search portal, comprising importing or creating an electronic map having a plurality of electronic locations thereon; identifying and/or retrieving scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information; tagging each of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information with georeferences and metadata; linking the georeferences with or to the electronic locations on the electronic map; analyzing and organizing each of the metadata into index terms and map symbols; and configuring a processor to display at least some of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information, when a corresponding one or ones of the electronic locations, georeferences, metadata, index terms, and/or map symbols is/are electronically selected. 
     In some embodiments of this method, the electronic map is divided into an array of tiles. Additionally or alternatively, each of the plurality of electronic locations corresponds to a predetermined region or set of coordinates on the electronic map. Each of the predetermined region(s) or set(s) of coordinates may correspond to a predetermined tile in the array of the tiles. 
     In a further aspect of this method, configuring the processor to display at least some of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information comprises creating (or, alternatively, importing) a user interface configured to display the electronic map, identified and predetermined locations on the electronic map, and relevant information identified in a search. The user interface may further comprise a search box (or window) adapted to receive search terms for identifying the relevant information on the electronic map, and at least one of (i) a function area adapted to display one or more index terms, each of the index term(s) being adapted to perform a predetermined function on the electronic map, the map symbols, the index terms, and/or the relevant information, (ii) a function window adapted to display one or more of the map symbols, each of the map symbols being adapted to perform a predetermined function on one or more index terms, the electronic map and/or the relevant information; and (iii) a menu adapted to offer a plurality of predetermined functions for changing or configuring the electronic map and/or the index terms. 
     According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of obtaining information relating to an actual geographic location generally comprises searching for information using a geospatial search portal, viewing retrieved information, and optionally exporting or printing at least some of the retrieved information. The geospatial search portal generally comprises an electronic map having one or more electronic locations thereon and metadata analysis logic. The information generally includes scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information electronically associated with and/or linked to one or more of the electronic location(s). The scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information generally relates to an actual location represented by a corresponding electronic location on the electronic map. The metadata analysis logic analyzes the metadata and organizes the metadata into index terms and/or map symbols The search portal further comprises a user interface configured to display the electronic map, a predetermined and/or identified electronic location on the electronic map, and at least some of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information relating to the actual location when the identified/corresponding electronic location on the electronic map, one or more map symbols, and/or one or more georeferences is/are electronically selected. The term “exporting” (and grammatical equivalents thereof) covers information management operations such as transferring, copying, moving and/or storing. 
     The method of obtaining information may further comprise causing a processor to (i) identify a particular electronic location on the electronic map, and (ii) refine or reconfigure the electronic map and/or the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information relating to the actual location. Alternatively or additionally, the method of obtaining information may further comprising filtering the information or selecting a predetermined type of the information using further search criteria, a function command, and/or a selectable item from a pull-down menu. 
     The present invention may also relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a signal processing device configured to execute computer-readable instructions, is configured to perform the present method of obtaining information. These and other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description of various embodiments below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows components for an exemplary geospatial search portal in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exemplary user interface suitable for an exemplary geospatial search portal in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of an exemplary layout including an exemplary set of coordinates suitable for the present search portal. 
         FIG. 4  shows the exemplary user interface of  FIG. 1 , zooming in on a selected region within the map shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5A  shows the exemplary user interface of  FIGS. 2 and 4 , zooming in on a selected region within the map shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIGS. 5B-C  show exemplary menus for filtering or selecting a predetermined type of information to be shown in or on the map of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6A  is a flow chart for an exemplary method of harvesting and processing information for a geospatial search portal in accordance with aspects of the present invention, and  FIG. 6B  is a diagram of an exemplary system for displaying harvested and processed data and/or information in accordance with aspects of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 7A-C  are flow charts for exemplary methods of using a geospatial search portal to find relevant scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information about a particular location in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, including a text-based search method ( FIG. 7A ), a selection method using a dynamic index window containing updatable index terms, metadata, symbols, etc. ( FIG. 7B ), and a cursor-based method ( FIG. 7C ). 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the following embodiments, it will be understood that the descriptions are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention. Also, various aspects, embodiments and/or examples disclosed herein may be combined with other aspects, embodiments and/or examples, as long as such combinations are not explicitly disclosed herein as being unfavorable, undesirable or disadvantageous. 
     Unless specifically stated otherwise, or as will be apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present application, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “operating,” “calculating,” “determining,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer, data processing system, or similar processing device (e.g., an electrical, optical, or quantum computing or processing device or circuit) that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities. The terms refer to actions and processes of the processing devices that manipulate or transform physical quantities within the component(s) of a circuit, system or architecture (e.g., registers, memories, other such information storage, transmission or display devices, etc.) into other data or information similarly represented as physical quantities within other components of the same or a different system or architecture. 
     Furthermore, in the context of this application, the terms “fixed,” “given,” “certain” and “predetermined” generally refer to a value, quantity, parameter, constraint, condition, state, process, procedure, method, practice, or combination thereof that is, in theory, variable, but is typically set in advance and not varied thereafter when in use, unless the context of the term&#39;s use unambiguously indicates otherwise. Such terms may be used interchangeably, but these terms are also generally given their art-recognized meanings. 
     A geospatial, encyclopedic search portal has been designed that allows the user to employ an interactive map that actively encourages the user to explore a virtual world of geographically coded information. In one embodiment, the interactive map is a multi-dimensional map. Regardless of age, technical skill level, or demographic, users will be able to search for information that is factual and/or educational in nature (e.g., scholarly, authoritative, encyclopedic, archival or scientific data, photographs, videos, articles, diaries, etc.), rather than consumerist (e.g., business and/or consumer products and/or services). The human brain associates information with a physical place, and the present search portal associates or anchors historical and factual information to a relevant physical location. Instead of reading disembodied facts and figures described in texts, the user can use the search portal to understand how facts and figures interact with and/or are intertwined in the physical location. This approach is expected to facilitate retention of educational information (e.g., as taught to students, learned by businesspeople or governmental authorities, etc.). It should also stimulate exploration (or further exploration) of a physical area, similar to students being taken on a field trip. The present search portal enables limitless virtual field trips to almost anywhere in the world. 
     The present geospatial search portal differs from a search engine text box search, in whole, because it is spatial/geographic, interactive, customizable and exploratory. The underlying technology may be, for example, GIS-based, and puts the searcher right into a virtual representation of the globe, providing layered access to authoritative multi-disciplinary content that is coded to the topic of the search and associated with its geographic location (e.g. Henry VIII to England or scissor-tailed flycatchers to their migratory routes). 
     The present search portal provides an interactive, customizable information-seeking experience well beyond the simple harvesting of URL-based websites provided by today&#39;s textual search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.). Depending on what search term(s) are input, or the research skills of the user, one is immediately able to modify one&#39;s information retrieval needs and experience at every step of the exploration. All layers of information are coded to and/or associated with one or more locations (e.g., the search term “Eiffel Tower” shows a map in Paris, the search term “orangutans” shows a map containing at least parts of Indonesia and Malaysia [where orangutans are found in the wild] and/or zoos where orangutans reside, the search term “Henry VIII” shows a scanned map of 16th century England, and so on). 
     Users are provided multiple ways to search. Some examples include the following:
         Users may go virtually anywhere, either on a computer or on a mobile device, and explore the world of information geo-spatially.   Users may select any location on the globe, and drill down through a number of information layers relevant to that particular location.   A subject/keyword search can be performed and executed or implemented on a two-dimensional atlas or map or a three-dimensional globe geo-coded to the search topic.   A format (content-type) search can be performed (for example, to retrieve only videos or photographs, scanned manuscripts or scientific GIS data) that is pertinent to the search topic or location.   Geospatial searches can be performed chronologically (e.g., by year, decade, century or era).   Geospatial searches can be performed by content provider (e.g., specific to a particular federal agency, or a named university or historical society), and may be linked to a database and/or the World Wide Web (e.g., Wikipedia).   Geo-coding of some/all content can allow mobile application design, which with further implementation and development of certain technologies, can enable GPS-based or -located information to be displayed on the user&#39;s mobile device as the user travels anywhere, revealing content as the user approaches or passes near, into or through the physical location (e.g., for school bus and other tours, etc.).
 
This search system is built to be scalable and to be infinitely expandable.
       

     The invention, in its various aspects, will be explained in greater detail below with regard to exemplary embodiments. 
     An Exemplary Geospatial Search Portal 
     In one aspect, the present invention relates to a geospatial search portal, comprising a geospatial search portal, comprising an electronic information harvester that seeks and retrieves relevant scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information; a tagger that associates a plurality of georeferences and a plurality of metadata to each of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information; logic that analyzes each of the metadata and organizes the metadata into index terms and/or map symbols; an electronic map having a plurality of electronic locations thereon; a system that relates or associates each of the georeferences to one or more of the electronic locations identified in the index terms, the metadata, the map symbols, and/or the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information; and a processor configured to display at least some of the associated scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information on the electronic map and/or in a textbox when one or more electronic locations on the electronic map, one or more georeferences, and/or one or more items of metadata is/are electronically selected. In one embodiment, the logic comprises (i) an indexer that analyzes each of the metadata and organizes the metadata into index terms, and (ii) a depictor that analyzes each of the metadata and organizes the metadata into map symbols. 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary system  10  implementing the present geospatial search portal. The exemplary system  10  includes information  20 , information harvester  30 , tagger  40 , georeference association system  50  including metadata analysis logic  53  (comprising an indexer  52  and a depictor  54 ), a processor  55 , and display  60 . The display  60  includes a map  62 , a search window  64 , and an index  66 . 
     Information  20  can be found on the Internet (e.g., the World Wide Web) and/or in one or more databases. Such databases may be or comprise one or more hard disks, arrays or farms of storage disks, a cloud-based information storage system, etc. As mentioned elsewhere herein, individual units of information  20  may take the form of data, photographs, videos, articles, documents, spreadsheets, presentations, diaries, etc. The documents may be, for example, in a portable document format, hypertext markup language, or conventional word processing or plain text format. 
     The information harvester  30  generally scans the information  20  to obtain scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information from information  20 . Thus, in response to search commands or instructions from information harvester  30 , information (or information source)  20  may send one or more units of information. The information retrieved by information harvester  30  is generally technical, encyclopedic, educational, factual, scholarly, scientific, authoritative and/or archival information, rather than commercial or advertising-based. As a result, the information that is located during a search may be limited by its source (e.g., its publisher, such as a university or other institution of learning, a research institution, a refereed or other technical journal recognized by those in the art as authoritative or generally reliable, a government bureau, agency or other government organization, etc.). 
     The tagger  40  identifies and categorizes the information harvested by the information harvester  20 . For example, the tagger  40  may identify and categorize certain harvested information as a .gis file, text, a photo, an audio and/or video file, etc. The tagger  40  can also tag or link the identified information  20  with one or more items of metadata, such as the geographical location, the source of the information, the type of information (e.g., scholarly article, data compiled or provided by a governmental agency, video, etc.), the date on which the information was created or modified, etc. The tagger  40  may also forward the identified information  20  and the metadata to the georeference association system  50  for further processing. 
     Using the indexer  52 , the georeference association system  50  analyzes the metadata and organizes the metadata into index terms. The index terms, which are displayed in the index region  66  of the display  60 , generally contain key words or phrases summarizing important aspects of the information and/or geographic location. Similarly, using the depictor  54 , the georeference association system  50  analyzes each of the metadata and organizes the metadata into and map symbols. The map symbols, which are displayed in the map  62 , generally represent a type of geographic feature found at the geographic location in the map  62 . Using the processor  55 , the georeference association system  50  associates the metadata with the identified information  20 , and may store it in one or more memories (e.g., a look-up table) in the system  50 . The georeference association system  50  further displays part (e.g., a summary) or all of the identified information  20  and the metadata in the display  60 . Georeference association system  50  may further receive input from a user regarding georeference content (e.g., scholarly articles, authoritative or encyclopedic information, compilations of data from one or more such sources, etc.) to be included in information  20 . Processor  55  also displays cartographic and/or geographic information, a search window or function, metadata, and an index or toolkit for performing information management functions on the information in the display  60 , the georeference association system  50 , the information storage device or system  20 , and/or elsewhere in the system  10 . 
     The cartographic and/or geographic information is generally displayed in the map region  62  of the display  60 . The search functionality (e.g., a text box and “Search” function button or icon) is generally displayed in the search window, region or tile  64  of the display  60 . The index terms, index and/or toolkit are generally displayed in the index region  66  of the display  60 . The index terms, index and/or toolkit enable the user to manage and/or manipulate information in or to be displayed in the map region  62  and/or index region  66 . For example, the index terms in index region  66  can communicate with (and thus affect the information displayed in) the map symbols in the map region  62  when the index terms and map symbols (or locations or coordinates therein) are linked by the metadata and georeferences. The term “map symbol” refers to a symbol or icon that is shown or displayed on the map to represent the information about the geographic feature or structure at that location. For example, an actual image of the structure or feature is generally not placed on the map. Instead, a symbol (e.g., picture, letter, number, combination of letter[s] and/or number[s], etc.) representing the structure or feature on the map. 
       FIG. 2  shows an exemplary user interface  100  suitable for use in the present invention. In general, the exemplary user interface  100  includes map region  110 , search region  120 , and toolbox region  130 . The map region  110  generally displays a two- or three-dimensional map of a particular geographic location (e.g., city, county, area, state, country, etc.) that may be of interest to the user. For example, the map region  110  in  FIG. 2  shows a region of central California that includes the cities of Fresno  112  and Visalia  116 , and the geographic landmark Millerton Lake  114  along the San Joaquin River  118 . 
     Search window  120  includes a text box  122 , one or more index headings  124 , and generally a plurality of metadata items or index terms  126   a - z . Herein, the term “index term” also includes metadata that is copied or used verbatim as an index term. The text box  122  permits the user to enter one or more search terms. The search algorithm can be based on Boolean logic (e.g., use of linking terms such as “AND,” “OR, “NOT,” etc.), modified Boolean logic (e.g., Boolean logic with alternative or additional capability or functionality, such as use of quotes to indicate a multiword phrase as a search term, wildcard characters to indicate variations in spelling of a search term, truncation characters to indicate all terms that include the characters preceding the truncation character, etc.), or other search algorithm designed to assist the user in identifying information relevant to the topic of their choice. 
     Index heading  124  may be part of an index (not shown) containing multiple index terms (e.g.,  126   a - z ). The index may be organized and/or arranged according to political region or subdivision, geographical feature, geographical structure, combination thereof, etc. Thus, the index heading  124  may indicate the states, counties, cities, etc. that are shown in the map  110 . Alternatively or additionally, the index heading  124  may indicate or include the lakes, rivers, canals or other waterways, mountain ranges, valleys, national parks, etc. that are shown in the map  110 . In certain variations, the index headings  124  and/or index terms  126   a - z  that are displayed in the search window  120  are user-selectable (e.g., from among a list) or user-definable. Users may quickly select and/or focus on a particular type of political region, geographical feature, geographical structure, etc., using an index heading  124  listed in the index. 
     Index term  126  may also be part of a listing of terms or objects (not shown) that can be seen or explored within a particular index heading  124  of the index. For example, when the index heading  124  is a political region or subdivision, the index term  126  may be a particular geographical locations (e.g., one of a plurality of states, counties, cities, etc.) shown in the map region  110 . Such a listing of multiple object terms  126  may be given in alphabetical order, increasing or decreasing size (e.g., by population, area, volume), increasing or decreasing chronological age, number of citations (e.g., to a scientific article or authoritative information source), etc. Users may quickly select and/or focus on a geographical location or feature using an index term  126  listed in the index heading  124 . 
     Index terms  126   a - z  are a listing of various terms or phrases summarizing and/or representing metadata associated with one or more locations or features shown in the map region  110 . Index terms  126   a - z  may include particular attributes, characteristics, or qualities of the information associated with geographic locations or features on the map  110 , such as a larger geographic area or region containing the geographic location (e.g., “Fresno County” for the cities of Fresno  112  and Clovis  113 ), the source of the information, the type of information (e.g., peer-reviewed technical or scientific article, data compiled or report published by a government agency, video, etc.), the date on which the information was created or modified, etc. Users may quickly sort through, select and/or focus on information having one or more particular attributes, characteristics or qualities by selecting an item listed in the index term list  126   a - z.    
     One way to associate information with a geographic location on a map such as map  110  is to parse or divide the map into a grid or array, assign a given geographic location or feature to one or more areas or regions of the grid or array, then associate a given item of information that is pertinent or relevant to that location or feature either with the location or feature or with the associated areas or regions of the grid or array.  FIG. 3  shows an exemplary array  110  divided into z rows and z columns. Depending on the scale of the map, there can be from 1 to 100,000 or more columns, and from 1 to 250,000 or more rows. For example, there may be a minimum of from 2, 4, 8, 10, 16, 20, 25, 32 or more rows and a minimum of from 2, 4, 8, 10, 16, 20, 25, 32 or more columns, up to 100, 128, 1200, 250, 256, 500, 512, 1000, 1028, 2000, 2048, 2500, 4096, 5000, 8192, 10,000, 15,000, 16,000 (from 16,000 to 16,284), 20,000, 25,000, 32,000 (from 32,000 to 32,568) 50,000, or 64,000 (from 64,000 to 65,136) row or columns, or any minimum or maximum number within such endpoints. The numbers of rows and columns may be independent from each other. Also, although squares are shown in  FIG. 3 , the shapes corresponding to geographic locations on a given map may be rectangular, circular, oval, etc. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , a small town such as Orosi  115  may correspond to or be associated with only a single square, and a relatively large city such as Fresno  112  may correspond to or be associated with many adjacent squares. The adjacent squares corresponding to or associated with a relatively large geographic feature may have a regular or irregular shape, and may be one-dimensional (i.e., along a line), two-dimensional, or three-dimensional when the map is three-dimensional. 
     Alternatively, locations in the map can be defined by a set of coordinates. On a two-dimensional map, the coordinates may be defined by relative distances along two orthogonal axes (e.g., [x,y] coordinates) or a radius (or axis) and arc, and on a three-dimensional map, the coordinates may be defined by relative distances along three orthogonal axes (e.g., [x,y,z] coordinates), two axes (or a radius and an axis) and an arc (e.g., cylindrical coordinates), or an axis (or radius) and two arcs (e.g., spherical coordinates). 
     Referring back to  FIG. 3 , the array  110 ′ may have a scale that is constant when the physical area displayed on the map is relatively constant, but that changes when the physical area displayed on the map changes significantly. For example, the array  110 ′ can have a scale of 100 squares (in a 10×10 array) per square kilometer on the map  110  (see  FIG. 2 ). The scale of the map  110  can then be any value of from 1 cm=10 km to 1 cm=0.1 km (or any range therein, such as from 0.5 km to 5 km), and the physical locations or features on the map  110  and the associated metadata (all of which are correlated to or associated with one or more squares in the array  110 ′,  FIG. 3 ) can remain associated with the information corresponding to or associated with those physical locations or features at the scale of the particular array  110 ′. However, if the scale of the map  110  changes significantly (e.g., to a value of from 1 cm=1000 km to 1 cm=10 km (or any range therein, such as from 20 km to 200 km), then the array  110 ′ may have a scale of 100 squares (in a 10×10 array) per 100 square kilometers on the map  110 . At such a scale, an appreciable amount of information that is associated with a relatively small number of squares (e.g., 5 or less, more typically 4 or less) when the array scale is 100 squares per square kilometer will generally not be available when the array scale is 100 squares per 100 square kilometers. However, it is possible that much of the information associated with one or more squares when the array scale is 100 squares per 100 square kilometers will be available when the array scale is 100 squares per square kilometer. Typically, only that information that is associated with a relatively large proportion of the squares (e.g., ≧5%, ≧10%, ≧20%, or any other value that is determined based on the map size and dimensions, the array scale, any applicable change in the array scale when the map scale changes, etc.) in an array in a map that covers a relatively large area will generally not be available when the scale of the map is changed to a relatively small area. 
       FIG. 4  shows another exemplary user interface  200  suitable for use in the present invention. The exemplary user interface  200  includes map region  210 , search region  120 , and toolbox region  130 . The map region  210  displays a portion of the map  110  of  FIG. 2 , zoomed in on the city of Fresno  212  and the area to the north of Fresno, including a portion of the San Joaquin River  216  and a portion  214  on Millerton Lake. Although the search region  122  and the toolbox or toolkit  130  are generally the same in both  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the index heading(s)  224  and index terms  226   a - z  are generally different. 
     For example, public parks such as Woodward Park  213 , Selma Layne Park  215  and Roeding Park  217  now have a size in map  210  that enables association of geospatial information with the locations of the parks on the map  210 , and thus display of such information on the map  210 . The locations of these parks, as well as the information available through the geographic search portal, may be represented by a map symbol such as a tree. The map symbols may also represent and/or perform one or more information management and/or manipulation functions when selected by the user. In the map  110  of  FIG. 2 , these public parks do not have a sufficient size to enable association of geospatial information about the parks with the locations of the parks (which are not visible in the map  110  of  FIG. 2 ). As a result, the user cannot obtain geospatial information about such public parks in the map  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     However, the user can obtain more detailed geospatial information about the displayed portions of the San Joaquin River  216 , such as average flow rate at a particular location, average width at a particular location, number and species of fish observed at a particular location, particular toxins or chemicals (e.g., pesticides, fertilizers, bacteria, etc.) measured at a particular location, etc., using map  210 , as opposed to map  110  in  FIG. 2 . This is because the scale of the array underlying or associated with map  210  in  FIG. 4  has changed relative to that of map  110  in  FIG. 2 , enabling more detailed information about smaller geographic locations and features to become available to the user. 
       FIG. 5A  shows yet another exemplary user interface  300  suitable for use in the present invention. The exemplary user interface  300  includes map region  310 , search region  120 , and toolbox region  130 . The map region  310  displays a portion of the map  210  of  FIG. 4 , zoomed in on the area around the geographic landmark Friant Dam  314  adjacent to Millerton Lake  316 . Although the search region  122  and the toolbox or toolkit  130  are generally the same in  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 A, the index heading  324  and index terms  326   a - z  are generally different from that displayed in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , for substantially the same reasons as discussed above with regard to  FIG. 4 . In the exemplary user interface  300  of  FIG. 5A , using the index heading  324  and/or index terms  326   a - z , a user may be able to obtain detailed geographic or other location-based information about a particular physical location or feature shown on the map  310 , in the same way as in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . 
     For example, clicking on (or otherwise selecting) Friant Dam  314  will display index terms pertaining to technical, scholarly, encyclopedic, factual or archival information and/or studies about the actual Friant Dam, such as flow rate data published by local, state or Federal government agencies or bureaus, numbers and types of fish (such as salmon) found at Friant Dam, historical data relating to Friant Dam, etc. Clicking on or otherwise selecting Friant Dam  314  may also display in the map region  310  certain well-known, generally recognized, uncontroversial information relating to Friant Dam, such as its date of construction and its geographic location (e.g., the state and the nearest city or town, Friant, Calif.). Clicking on (or otherwise selecting) the town of Friant  315  will display index terms pertaining to technical, scholarly, encyclopedic, authoritative, educational, factual or archival information and/or studies about the town of Friant, such as its population over time, its founding and factual history, factual information about famous persons in Friant (e.g., Olympic snowboarder Andy Finch), etc. Clicking on or otherwise selecting Friant  315  may also display certain well-known, generally recognized, uncontroversial information relating to Friant, such as its current or most recent population. 
     Relative to the map  210  of  FIG. 4 , the user can obtain more detailed geospatial information about the displayed portions  318  of the San Joaquin River, the town of Friant  315 , etc., using map  310  in  FIG. 5A  as opposed to map  210  in  FIG. 4 . Again, this is because the scale of the array underlying or associated with map  310  in  FIG. 5A  has changed relative to that of map  210  in  FIG. 4 , enabling more detailed information about smaller geographic locations and features to become available to the user. 
       FIG. 5B  shows a further exemplary user interface  300 ′ suitable for use in the present invention. The exemplary user interface  300 ′ includes substantially the same map region  310 , search region  120 , and toolbox region  130  as in  FIG. 5A , but the interface  300 ′ now displays a first pull-down menu  330 . The pull-down menu  330  has a heading  332  (e.g., “Geographic Features”) and lists a number of information filtering criteria, the selection of which will limit or restrict the map symbols displayed in the map region  310 , and the index heading  324 /index terms  326   a - z . For example, “Filter1” may be a filtering term such as “Cities/Towns,” the selection of which limits the information displayed in the map region  310  and/or index term(s)  326   a - z  to only cities and towns in the map region  310 . The index terms  326   a - z  will then be limited to technical, scholarly, encyclopedic, authoritative, educational, factual or archival information about the cities and towns in the map region  310 . The filtering terms Filter1-FilterN  334 - 338  (or a subset thereof) can further include a population threshold (e.g., “Cities&gt;1,000,000 pop.,” “Towns 10-100K pop.,” etc.). 
     In addition, “Filter2” may be a filtering term such as “Water Bodies,” the selection of which limits the information displayed in the map region  310  and/or index heading  324 /index terms  326   a - z  to only bodies of water in the map region  310 . The index terms  326   a - z  will then be limited to technical, scholarly, encyclopedic, authoritative, educational, factual or archival information about the water bodies in the map region  310 . The filtering terms Filter1-FilterN (or a subset thereof) can further include a type of water body (e.g., “Lakes,” “Rivers,” “Canals,” “Dams,” “Wells,” “Underground Waterways,” etc.). Alternatively, the filtering terms Filter1-FilterN can include historical terms such as founding date, original settlement date, incorporation date, etc.; demographic terms such as population, average annual growth rate, growth rates over predetermined periods of time (e.g., over the last year, last decade, from 1930 to 1940, etc.), ethnicity or religious background, employment rate, occupations, etc.; land use terms, such as zoning, reported use(s) of the land, etc.; other land-based criteria, such as ownership, public financing, indebtedness (e.g., amount of money borrowed against a particular parcel or region of land), etc.; and others. 
       FIG. 5C  shows a still further exemplary user interface  300 ″ suitable for use in the present invention. The exemplary user interface  300 ″ includes substantially the same map region  310 , search region  120 , and toolbox region  130  as in  FIGS. 5A-B , but the interface  300 ″ now displays a second pull-down menu  340  with a second heading  342  (e.g., “Display Type”). Thus, the present user interface may include one or more pull-down menus or other lists of selectable terms or topics of geographic and/or location-based interest. The second pull-down menu  340  lists a number of representation types or formats for the map  310 , the selection of which will change the display in the map region  310  to a particular type or format. For example, “Representation1”  344  or a subset of the terms Representation1-RepresentationN  344 - 348  may include a term or terms such as “2-D” or “3-D,” the selection of which displays the map region  310  and/or the information therein in two dimensions or 3 dimensions, respectively. The index terms will generally not change, unless a particular selection (e.g., “3-D”) increases or decreases the amount of available information (e.g., correlated to or associated with an underlying array). 
     Furthermore, “Representation2”  346  (or a different subset of the terms Representation1-RepresentationN  344 - 348 ) may include a term such as “Topographical Relief,” the selection of which displays geographic information in the map region  310  in topographic relief. The terms Representation1-RepresentationN  344 - 348  (or a subset thereof) can further include other display formats, such as color coding (e.g., based on population density, land use [e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, residential, light or heavy commercial, etc.], land type [e.g., mountains, valleys, forest or type of forestation, desert, etc.], average rainfall, average temperature, etc.). Many other types or formats for displaying geographic information in the map region  310  can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art. 
     An Exemplary Method of Making or Designing a Geospatial Search Portal 
     In another aspect, the present invention concerns a method of setting up, designing, creating, providing, making and/or designing (hereinafter, “creating”) a geospatial search portal, comprising importing or creating an electronic map having electronic locations or features thereon, identifying and/or retrieving scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information, tagging each of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information with georeferences and metadata, linking the georeferences with electronic locations or features on the electronic map, analyzing and organizing each of the metadata into index terms and/or map symbols, and configuring a processor to display at least some of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information when one or more corresponding electronic location(s) or feature(s), georeferences, metadata, index terms, and/or map symbols are electronically selected. As for the present geospatial search portal, the information is generally scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival, rather than commercial or advertisement-related. In general, the information linked to the electronic locations on the map includes content that can be verified (e.g., using reliable sources). 
     The electronic map having electronic locations or features thereon can be created by one skilled in the art using known techniques and technology. However, it may be easier to import or license the electronic map from a known source (e.g., electronic maps from a search engine, such as Google®, Yahoo®, Bing®, etc.; from a software provider such as Microsoft; from a global positioning satellite [GPS] software and/or service provider, such as Magellan, Garmin, etc.). Such maps generally have names of many actual geographic locations and features represented electronically thereon, and generally at a number of different scales or levels of granularity. For example, in an electronic map representing the United States, names of states having a certain minimum threshold area and names of cities having a certain minimum threshold population for a given population density will be electronically represented and displayed on the map, but others are not. More specifically, the names “California” and “Texas” are displayed in the electronic map of the U.S., but the names “Delaware” and “Rhode Island” are not. Also, the names of cities having a population of at least one million in a region of the U.S. having a population density of more than 50 persons per square mile, or a population of at least one hundred thousand in a region of the U.S. having a population density of less than 5 persons per square mile, are displayed in the electronic map of the U.S., but the names of other cities are not. However, in an electronic map of the Fresno metropolitan area (see, e.g.,  FIG. 4 ), the names of substantially all incorporated cities, of towns having a certain minimum threshold population or age, of certain major streets and thoroughfares, of parks having a certain minimum threshold area, and of significant geographic features (such as rivers, lakes, creeks and other waterways having a minimum size or flow, mountains having a certain minimum height, etc.) may be electronically represented and displayed, although the names of larger locations (such as California and the United States) are not. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6A , a flow chart  400  depicting an exemplary method of harvesting data and/or information for a geospatial search portal is shown. At least part of the method of harvesting data and/or information creates keys for linking the information relating to actual geographic locations or features to the electronic locations or features on the electronic map. Thus, the method of harvesting data and/or information shown in  FIG. 6A  is an important part of the exemplary process of designing and/or implementing the geospatial search portal. 
     At  410 , the method configures and/or identifies a set of World Wide Web (Internet) locations that include scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information for harvesting. For example, Internet sites of universities, government agencies or bureaus, publishers of technical, encyclopedic, factual scientific, educational and/or scholarly literature, or other organizations that publish factual and/or verifiable information about geographic locations and/or features can be identified, and links to their sites (and/or to sites therein where such information is stored and/or published) can be made. 
     At  420 , raw data or other information at the identified sites is harvested (e.g., by an information harvester  30  in  FIG. 1 ). Harvesting raw data and/or information may include temporarily storing the addresses of the identified sites, the information stored or published at those sites, and links correlating the addresses of particular sites with the information stored or published at those sites. 
     At  430 , temporal reference keys are generated for the harvested data/information. For example, a publication date may be associated with or further linked to each of the addresses of the identified sites containing the harvested data and/or information at  430 . At  440 , geo-reference keys are generated for the harvested data/information. For example, one or more names of the actual geographic location or feature may be associated with or further linked to each of the addresses of the identified sites containing the data and/or information harvested for that particular geographic location or feature at  440 . At  450 , metadata keys are generated for the harvested data/information. For example, basic terms or short phrases describing and/or identifying particular data/information, such as the subject, keywords, title (in part or in its entirety), author, publisher, etc. of the data/information, may be associated with or further linked to the address of the identified site containing the particular data and/or information at  450 . 
     It is not necessary to perform the actions or activities at  430 - 450  in any particular sequence. In fact, the action or activity(ies) at  430  is/are not required (e.g., if a temporal reference for particular information or data cannot be found or verified). Performing the actions or activities at  430 - 450  results in production of harvested and processed data and/or information  455 , which is then used in the geospatial search portal. 
     At  460 , the harvested and processed data and/or information  455  are loaded in a master database  465 . The master database  465  includes a database of the various temporal reference keys, geo-reference keys, metadata keys, index term keys, and map symbol keys, generated at  430 - 450 , which may be stored as a list or table of keys, tags, pointers, etc. In some embodiments, the data and/or information is also stored in the master database  465 . The master database  465  may take any of a number of physical and/or virtual forms, such as one or more hard disk drives, redundant arrays of independent disks (RAIDs), data storage farms, and/or cloud-based storage systems and/or services. 
       FIG. 6B  is a diagram  500  showing an exemplary system for displaying the harvested and processed data and/or information in a geospatial search portal. At least part of the system for displaying the harvested and processed data and/or information configures a processor to display at least some of the information relating to one or more particular actual geographic locations or features when corresponding electronic location(s) or feature(s) are electronically selected on the electronic map. Thus, the system for displaying the harvested and processed data and/or information shown in  FIG. 6B  implements an important part of the exemplary process of designing and/or implementing the geospatial search portal. 
     The exemplary data and/or information display system  500  includes display device  510 , master database  520 , data and/or information cache  530 , and processor  540 . The display device  510  displays a search location and/or window  512 , a dynamic index including a dynamic set of index terms  514 , and a main map display  516 . The main map display  516  displays the electronic map discussed generally herein, with one or more map symbols (not shown) thereon. The search location and/or window  512  is a region in the display of display device  510  that displays a text box or similar feature for entering search terms and an icon that, when clicked or otherwise selected, initiates a search function in the master database  520  and/or data/information cache  530 . The search function may be executed and/or controlled by the processor  540 . 
     In one exemplary process, information can be displayed in the main map display  516  in accordance with the configuration of the processor  540 . For example, the processor  540  may receive search or query terms, strategy and/or logic entered by the user in search window  512 , then initiate a search for information, index terms, and/or metadata containing such terms, variants thereof (in accordance with conventional Boolean, non-Boolean [e.g., “smart”], or “natural language” search or query logic), or other responsive information stored in or linked to the master database  520 . Alternatively, software and/or logic not included within the processor  540  (e.g., within software and/or hardware controlling the interface for the display device  510  and/or the master database  520 ) may conduct such a search. Information, index terms, and/or metadata matching the search terms, strategy and/or logic is then retrieved, transferred or copied from the master database  520  and stored at least temporarily in the data/information cache  530 . The data/information cache  530  may be a conventional data buffer (e.g., a dual-port memory, first-in-first-out buffer, disk buffer, UART buffer, etc.). 
     The retrieved information stored in the data/information cache  530  is then displayed by the display device  510  in response to one or more commands from the processor  540 . For example, new index terms may appear in the dynamic index/index terms region  514  of the display, and new map symbols, data and/or other information may appear in the main map display  516 . In some embodiments, a summary of and/or link to the data and/or information is displayed in the main map display  516 . The user can then select (e.g., by clicking on) the summary and/or link to obtain the source information. 
     Exemplary Methods of Using a Geospatial Search Portal 
     The present invention further relates to a method of finding information relating to an actual geographic location, comprising searching for information using a geospatial search portal, viewing retrieved information, and optionally, exporting (e.g., storing, transferring, emailing, etc.) or printing at least some of the retrieved information. The geospatial search portal comprises an electronic map having one or more electronic locations thereon. The information generally includes scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information electronically associated with and/or linked to each of the electronic location(s). The information generally relates to an actual location represented by a corresponding electronic location on the electronic map. The geospatial search portal also comprises logic that analyzes the metadata and organizes the metadata into index terms and/or map symbols, a user interface configured to display the electronic map, a predetermined and/or identified electronic location on the electronic map, and at least some of the scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information relating to the actual location when the identified and/or corresponding electronic location on the electronic map is electronically selected; 
       FIGS. 7A-C  are flow charts for exemplary methods of using a geospatial search portal to find relevant scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information about a particular location in accordance with the present invention, including a text-based search method ( FIG. 7A ), a selection method based on a dynamic index window ( FIG. 7B ), and a displayed term selection method ( FIG. 7C . The dynamic index window generally contains index terms, and may contain buttons, icons, symbols, etc., linked to such information. Similarly, map symbols displayed in the main map region (e.g.,  66  in  FIG. 1 ,  110  in  FIG. 2 ,  210  in  FIG. 4 ,  310  in  FIGS. 5A-C , and  516  in  FIG. 6B ) may also be linked to such information. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7A , a flow chart  600  is shown for a text-based method of searching scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information about a particular geographic location or feature. At  610 , a user enters a query, generally in a search box or search window similar to the text box  122  in  FIGS. 2 and 4  and/or the search window  512  in  FIG. 6B . The query generally takes the form of one or more terms contained in the information sought by the user. When the user enters multiple terms, they may be linked using Boolean operators (e.g., AND, OR, NOT, etc.) or non-Boolean operators, they may be limited to certain fields of the information (e.g., in the Title or Abstract), they may take the form of natural language, or they may be combined in accordance with any conventional search language, search engine, etc. 
     Next, the geospatial search portal determines whether the map display is on at  620  and whether the index display is on at  625 . More specifically, a processor in the geospatial search portal may perform the determinations and/or functions at  620  and  625 . Generally, both the map display and the index display are on in the geospatial search portal, but there may be circumstances (e.g., when the user is using a mobile device with limited power supply) when one of the map display and the index display is off. If the map display is off at  622 , then no map symbols (and, for example, no information as described in the preceding paragraph) is displayed in the map display region (e.g., the electronic map), and the user must rely on the process  635 ,  645 ,  660  and  675  in the index display region to search for and locate relevant information. If, on the other hand, the index display is off at  627 , then no index terms are displayed in the index display region, and the user must rely on the process  630 ,  640 ,  660  and  670  in the map display region to search for and locate relevant information. 
     However, if the map display is on, then at  630 , locations pertinent and/or responsive to the query/search are generated and/or identified, then at  640 , such locations are displayed in the electronic map. In addition, certain terms and/or information summaries may be displayed in the electronic map, which may be linked to the source information (e.g., stored in the master database), and if so, the user may display desired source information by selecting (e.g., clicking on) the corresponding term or information summary. 
     Similarly, if the index display is on, then at  635 , a set of terms and/or metadata pertinent and/or responsive to the query/search are generated and/or identified for a “dynamic” index, then at  645 , such terms and/or metadata are displayed in the index region of the display. In addition, icons, buttons and/or other objects may be displayed in the index region of the display. Such terms, metadata, icons, buttons and/or objects may be linked to the source information (e.g., stored in the master database), to summaries and/or further metadata of the source information, and/or to compilations of the source information, etc. (see the discussion of  FIG. 7B  below). If so, in one embodiment of the present geospatial search portal, the user may display desired source information (or summaries, further metadata, etc.) by selecting (e.g., clicking on) a term, metadata, icon, button or other object corresponding to the desired source information. This function may be implemented using a “retrieve source information” function icon in too kit  130  (see  FIGS. 2 ,  4 , and  5 A-C). Although index terms only may be shown in the Index, and metadata analyzed and categorized by the Indexer, metadata may be shown in the Index as one or more index terms (e.g., one or more metadata may be copied and used as an index term or index terms). 
     Regardless of whether the map display is on, the index display is on, or both are on, the user determines at  650  whether an appropriate amount of information is displayed in the map display and/or index display region(s). If so, the user may retrieve the identified source information as described herein, then print and/or store the retrieved information at  655 . The user can now go back to  610  and enter a new query or search, or refine or enlarge the query or search performed. Alternatively, if the user has seen, printed, stored and/or otherwise collected sufficient information (at least for the time being), the method may end. 
     However, if the user determines at  650  that an appropriate amount of information is not displayed in the map display and/or index display region(s), at  660 , the user may enter additional search/query terms in the search window (e.g., the text box  122  in  FIGS. 2 and 4  and/or the search window  512  in  FIG. 6B ). Alternatively or additionally, the user can select filtering parameters and/or functions (e.g., using certain terms and/or metadata in the index display region [ FIG. 7B ], or using icon- or button-based filtering functions that may be displayed in a function display region such as tool kit  130  in  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 A-C), or can simply zoom in, zoom out, or shift the map in a particular direction or directions. At  670  and  675 , the processor(s) for the map display and the index display, respectively, attend to the user input(s). Thereafter, the method  600  returns to  620  and  625  to repeat the flow and/or some or all of the process(es) therein. Thus, when the index display is on at  625 , the information in the index display is modified, changed or updated, and can therefore be thought of as being “dynamic.” 
     The determinations and/or functions  620 ,  630 ,  640 ,  660  and  670  performed in the map display region are generally conducted independently from the determinations and/or functions  625 ,  635 ,  645 ,  660  and  675  performed in the index display region. Thus, different processors may be configured to perform or control the separate determinations and/or functions, or, a single processor can be configured to perform or control the map display and index display determinations and/or functions independently, when it has such capability. 
       FIG. 7B  shows a flow chart  700  for a metadata-based method of refining a search for scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or archival information about a particular geographic location or feature. At  710 , a user reviews index terms and/or metadata displayed in a “dynamic” index display of the present geospatial search portal. The index terms and/or metadata are generally generated and identified in a search performed in accordance with  610 ,  625 ,  635  and  645  in  FIG. 7A . 
     At  720 , the user selects one or more index terms displayed in the index window or display to filter or refine (1) the information displayed in the map region and/or (2) the source information to be retrieved from the master database. Alternatively or additionally, the index window or display region may display metadata, icons, buttons and/or other objects that may be linked to source information (e.g., stored in the master database), to summaries and/or further metadata of the source information, and/or to compilations of the source information, etc. The user may filter or refine the displayed and/or retrieved index terms by selecting (e.g., clicking on) a term, metadata, icon, button or other object corresponding to the desired filtering parameter. For example, an index term reciting the author, publisher, source, publication year, etc., can be used to filter the information displayed in both the index window (e.g., at  745 ) or in the map region (e.g., at  732 ) to information from that author, publisher, source, publication year, etc. If the user wishes to see a map of agricultural land use in a particular area, the user may select an index term representing the “US Dept. of Agriculture” as the source of land use information, and see such information displayed in the electronic map. If the user wishes to limit such information to a particular year, an index term representing a particular calendar year may be selected. The same principles can be used to filter or refine the source information retrieved by the geospatial search portal. The potential uses and applications of index terms and/or metadata for filtering or refining search results are practically limitless. 
     After the user selects certain index term(s), the geospatial search portal determines whether the map display is on at  730  and whether the index display is on at  735  in the same or substantially the same way as at  620  and  625  in  FIG. 7A . In general, in the method  700 , because an index term is selected, the index display is generally on at  735 . Also, when the map display is on at  730 , information is generated at  740  and displayed in the electronic map at  750  in the same or substantially the same way as at  630 - 640  in  FIG. 7A . However, when the index display is on at  735 , the dynamic set of index terms (and, if present, metadata, buttons, icons, etc.) in the index display are updated at  745  with one or more new terms from the filtered and/or refined information, and the updated index terms are displayed in the dynamic index window at  755 . 
     Thereafter, the user determines at  760  whether an appropriate amount of information is displayed in the map display and/or index display region(s) in the same or substantially the same manner as at  650  in  FIG. 7A . If so, the user may retrieve the identified source information as described herein, then print and/or store the retrieved information at  765 . The user can go back to  720  and select one or more new or different index terms, or end the method, as may be desired. 
     However, if the user determines at  760  that an appropriate amount of information is not displayed in the map display and/or index display region(s), then at  770 , the user may select different or additional filtering parameters and/or functions (e.g., using index terms or icon- or button-based filtering functions that may be displayed in a function display region such as tool kit  130  in  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 A-C). Alternatively, the user can simply zoom in, zoom out, or shift the electronic map in a particular direction or directions. At  780  and  785 , the processor(s) for the map display and the index display, respectively, attend to the user input(s) in the same or substantially the same manner as at  670  and  675  in  FIG. 7A . Thereafter, the method  700  returns to  720  to repeat the flow and/or some or all of the process(es) therein. Thus, when the index display is on at  735 , the information in the index display is updated, changed or modified, and is therefore “dynamic.” 
       FIG. 7C  shows a flow chart  800  for a method of refining a search for scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or authoritative information about a particular geographic location or feature using a predefined area or “window” around the cursor location on the electronic map of the present geospatial search portal. This method or feature of the present geospatial search portal can be activated automatically or using a button or icon in the tool kit  130  (e.g.,  FIG. 2 ) or a menu item in a pull-down menu (e.g.,  320  in  FIG. 5B ). 
     At  810 , a processor in the geospatial search portal detects the cursor location on the electronic map. In the method  800  of  FIG. 7C , the processor also defines a window, or area having predefined or user-selectable dimension(s), surrounding the cursor location. For example, when the electronic map displays a geographic area of 100 km×200 km, the window may be a circle having a radius of 1-10 km (e.g., 5 km) surrounding the cursor location. Alternatively, when the electronic map displays a geographic area of 1 km×1 km, the window may be a square having a length and width of 100 m, with the cursor location at the center. Many other window shapes, dimensions and relative proportions can be easily imagined and implemented by those skilled in the art. In the exemplary method  800 , the cursor location (and, optionally, the window around the cursor location) operates as a search term, and retrieves information pertinent and/or responsive to the geographic location specified by the cursor. Thus, information pertinent and/or responsive to that geographic location (such as names, summaries of historical, geographic and/or demographic information, etc.) is generated at  820  and displayed in the electronic map at  830 , and index terms pertinent and/or responsive to that geographic location are generated at  825  and displayed in the dynamic index at  835 . 
     At substantially any time, the user may determine at  840  whether an appropriate amount of information is displayed in the map display and/or index display region(s), in the same or substantially the same manner as at  650  in  FIG. 7A  and/or  760  in  FIG. 7B . If so, the user may retrieve the identified source information as described herein, then print and/or store the retrieved information at  845 . The user can go to  850  and select new or different filtering parameters (e.g., index terms), move the cursor to change the displayed information or conduct a new geospatial search, or end the method, as may be desired. 
     If the user determines at  840  that an appropriate amount of information is not displayed in the map display and/or index display region(s), then at  850 , the user may select different or additional filtering parameters and/or functions in the same or substantially the same manner as at  650  in  FIG. 7A  and/or  760  in  FIG. 7B , or the user can move the cursor to change the displayed information or refine the search. Alternatively, the user can zoom in, zoom out, or shift the map in a particular direction or directions, any of which may also change the location or position of the cursor and/or the window surrounding the cursor. At  860 , the processor(s) for the map display and/or the index display attend to the user input(s) in the same or substantially the same manner as at  670  and  675  in  FIG. 7A . Thereafter, the method  800  returns to  810  to detect the location and/or position of the cursor and repeat the flow and/or some or all of the process(es) therein. 
     However, at substantially any time, the user may determine at  870  that the cursor is in a location of geographic interest, and can automatically zoom in to the window surrounding the cursor by clicking on the electronic map at  870 . Thus, at  875 , the processor for the map display changes or updates the map display to the predefined or user-selected window around the cursor location in the previous map, thereby bringing a new and deeper level of detailed information to the user. The user can then change geospatially search the new map using the cursor to locate, identify and/or retrieve scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual, and/or authoritative information about locations in the new, more detailed electronic map. The window surrounding the cursor now changes its dimension(s) to fit the scale of the new electronic map. In embodiments implementing the cursor-based search and the cursor window-based zoom functions, the user may deselect such functions using a corresponding button or icon in the tool kit  130  (e.g.,  FIG. 2 ) or a corresponding menu item in a pull-down menu (e.g.,  320  in  FIG. 5B ). 
     Exemplary Software for a Geospatial Search Portal 
     A further aspect of the invention relates to a computer program and/or software, implementable and/or executable in a general purpose computer or workstation or other electronic apparatus equipped with conventional digital and/or analog signal processor(s) (e.g., microprocessor, microcontroller, DSP, etc.), configured to perform one or more steps of the method and/or one or more operations of the hardware. Consequently, a further aspect of the invention relates to software that implements the above method. For example, the invention may further relate to software and/or a tangible computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions which, when executed by an appropriate signal processing apparatus, is configured to perform the method of monitoring physical activity described herein. The computer-readable medium may comprise any (tangible) medium that can be read by a signal processing apparatus configured to read the medium and execute code stored thereon or therein, such as a floppy disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape or hard disk drive. Such code may comprise object code, source code, and/or binary code. 
     The code is generally configured for transmission through an appropriate medium, such as copper wire, a conventional network cable, a conventional optical data transmission cable, or even air or a vacuum (e.g., outer space) for wireless signal transmissions. The code is generally digital, and is generally configured for processing by a conventional digital data processor (e.g., a microprocessor, microcontroller, or logic circuit such as a programmable gate array, programmable logic circuit/apparatus or application-specific [integrated] circuit). 
     Specifically, in various exemplary embodiments, the method, and variations thereof, may be accomplished by a computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that is adapted to perform the various steps of the method. For example, the computer-executable instructions may be adapted to instruct one or more users to tap and/or rotate an associated training module, determine whether one or more movements of the compressible article along one or more orthogonal linear axes and/or in one or more orthogonal planes is a compression on a surface of the compressible article and/or a rotation of the compressible article, collect data relating to the number of compressions and/or rotations, and display to the user on a mobile electronic device the number of compressions and the number of rotations of the compressible article. The computer-executable instructions may be further adapted to modify device firmware to perform such steps. Additionally, the computer-executable instructions may also be adapted to provide instructions and/or compiled and/or processed data to a user interface. The computer-readable medium is generally stored in a hard drive or ROM on a data processing device (e.g., a laptop or tablet computer), or placed into an appropriate medium reader (e.g., CD-ROM reader, DVD reader, flash disk drive, etc.), and therefore be accessible to the data processing device. 
     Thus, to help implement the present software and/or method of monitoring physical activity, the training module may further comprise one or more memories storing instructions to determine the number of compressions and the number of rotations of the compressible article, display the number of compressions and the number of rotations of the compressible article to the user on the mobile electronic device or a coach or instructor on a portable computer, and/or display commands or indications on the user&#39;s mobile electronic device to tap a surface of the training module and/or rotate the training module in a given or predetermined direction. 
     The signal processing device may be, for example, a mobile device (e.g., smart phone) containing GPS software that can automatically update with the map, relevant index, and relevant map symbols of the physical location of the mobile device. A person driving through a particular geographic location will thus have the map, index, and map symbols automatically update during the travel. 
     A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     CONCLUSION/SUMMARY 
     Thus, embodiments of the present invention relate to a geospatial search portal, systems including the same, and methods of making and using the geospatial search portal. The geospatial search portal generally comprises an electronic information harvester, a tagger, an electronic map having a plurality of electronic locations thereon, and a processor. The electronic information harvester seeks and retrieves relevant scholarly, technical, encyclopedic, factual and/or archival information. The tagger associates a plurality of georeferences and a plurality of metadata to each item of information. The processor is configured to display at least some of the associated information on the electronic map and/or in a textbox when the electronic location(s) on the electronic map, the georeference(s), and/or the metadata is/are electronically selected. 
     The present geospatial search portal, system and methods can be used to explore verified or verifiable information associated with particular geographic locations and/or features, and is expected to facilitate retention of educational information (e.g., as taught to students, learned by businesspeople or governmental authorities, etc.), and stimulate virtual exploration (or further exploration) of a physical area. The present search portal is scalable, infinitely expandable, and enables limitless virtual field trips to almost anywhere in the world. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.