Patent ID: 8364398

Claim:
A computer implemented method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for a vehicle traveling a route comprising at least one road segment, the method comprising: obtaining data from a geographic database associated with the navigation system identifying a plurality of features visible from the road segment; identifying a direction of the vehicle and a current lane of the road segment in which the vehicle is currently located from among a plurality of lanes for traffic in the direction of the vehicle; determining, using a processor, an importance rating for each of the identified features, wherein the importance rating considers a visual uniqueness rating for each of the identified features, wherein the visual uniqueness rating indicates how visually distinctive the identified feature is compared to surrounding features and considers a permanence of the identified feature or a seasonal dependency of the identified feature, wherein the permanence of the identified feature indicates whether a visible appearance of the identified feature is constant, wherein the seasonal dependency of the identified feature indicates whether the visible appearance of the identified feature is impacted by a season; adjusting the importance rating for each of the identified features to obtain an adjusted rating to favor the identified feature closest to the current lane in which the vehicle is currently located; and providing the guidance message referencing the identified feature having a highest adjusted rating.