Patent ID: 8688369

Claim:
A computer implemented method for making an augmented version of a database that can be used as a component in a vehicle system that provides a precautionary action in a vehicle when the vehicle approaches a potentially hazardous location, wherein the potentially hazardous location is a blind intersection, the method comprising: using, by a computer processor, data contained in a first version of a database to identify intersections of roads and geographic features in a vicinity of each of said intersections of roads; determining, by the computer processor, from the data contained in the first version of the database relative positions of the intersections, roads leading to the intersections and the geographic features in the vicinity of said intersections; identifying, by the computer processor, locations along said roads leading to the intersections where any of said geographic features in the vicinity of an intersection obstructs a view of the intersection; and forming, by the computer processor, the augmented version of the database by adding precautionary action data to the first version of the database to indicate a blind intersection condition in which a view of an intersection from a location along a road leading thereto is obstructed by a geographic feature to enable a precautionary action to be taken by a vehicle system.