Patent ID: 6892204

Claim:
A method for combining spatial and linear data in a single relational database, comprising: providing permanent anchor sections representing physical sections of a roadway, an anchor section defining a spatial reference in road data, the anchor sections also integrated with linear data to form a road network; associating attributes and linear events with positions in the road network; storing linear event data related to anchor sections in a relational table; storing road attribute data by associating each attribute with locations specified in terms of a linear referencing method (LRM); implementing a dynamic segmentation function for conducting dynamic segmentation on a selective basis; maintaining historical data related to anchor sections and linear event data; enabling the creation of an interior intersection within the road data, where an interior, intersection to an anchor section is defined by offsets from an end of the anchor section; synchronizing spatial and linear data, for tying spatial data to a physical location represented by the road network; and utilizing meta-data definitions for database elements in a data dictionary, the data dictionary defining an implementation of the relational database, resulting in an extensible relational database model.