Patent ID: 8417446

Claim:
A method of generating geographic data for navigation-related functions, the method comprising: obtaining a pre-existing image of a layout, the layout representing a real-world area in which a person moves about and wherein the pre-existing image include walls; using the pre-existing image to form a grid of contiguous tiles, wherein the grid has a shape that corresponds to a pedestrian-accessible contiguous sub-area within the real-world area and wherein the shape has a boundary that corresponds to the walls in the pre-existing image; generating a routable open area map as a function of the grid of contiguous tiles, wherein the routable open area map is configured to be displayed via an end user device; providing, via the end user device, an end user associated with the end user device with point-to-point routing within the routable open area map, wherein the point-to-point routing comprises calculating a route from one point corresponding to the pre-existing image to another point corresponding to the pre-existing image, the calculating of the route not being based on one or more path segments determined prior to the calculating; creating a path segment record representing a portion of the generated route; and storing the path segment record in a geographic database, the path segment record configured to be retrieved to form a navigation route.