Patent ID: 7761228

Claim:
An information center comprising: a distribution data database that stores area information of a predetermined area; an area information acquiring unit that, upon receiving an area information request from a mobile object location providing device, mounted on a mobile object, having a communicating unit, searches for area information of an area surrounding a location of the mobile object in the distribution data database and thereby acquires area information, and sends the acquired area information as distribution data to the mobile object location providing device; a mobile object information storage unit that stores distribution condition information that includes information about time required for distribution of distribution data for a type of the communicating unit of the mobile object location providing device; a distribution time estimating unit that, upon receiving an area information acquisition request from the mobile object location providing device, estimates distribution time that is time for distributing the distribution data to the mobile object location providing device based on input distribution condition information identified by the type of communicating unit of the mobile object location providing device; and a movement amount estimating unit that estimates a future location of the mobile object after lapse of the distribution time based on input current location and input movement history of the mobile object, wherein the area information acquiring unit acquires area information of an area surrounding the estimated future location and sends to the mobile object location providing device, and wherein the distribution condition information is the distribution condition information recorded for the type of the communicating unit of mobile object location providing device according to the movement speed of the mobile object and a communication condition of the communicating unit, and the distribution time estimating unit estimates the distribution time by use of the type of the communicating unit of the mobile object location providing device, the movement speed of the mobile object and the distribution condition information in response to the communication condition of the communicating unit.