Patent ID: 8818138

Claim:
A server configured for use in a system that enables visual navigation of a geographic area, the system further comprising an image source and a user terminal, the user terminal comprising a screen and an input device, the server comprising: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor and configured to store program instructions, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the program instructions, the program instructions comprising instructions for: receiving, by the at least one processor from the user terminal, a first user input specifying a first location in the geographic area; retrieving, by the at least one processor from the image source, first image data associated with the first location, the image source providing a plurality of image data for displaying a plurality of images depicting front and/or side views of objects in the geographic area, wherein each of the images is a composite image generated based on a plurality of image frames acquired by an image recording device when the image recording device is in motion along a trajectory; sending, by the at least one processor, instructions to the user terminal to display on the screen a first composite image based on the first image data; receiving, by the at least one processor from the user terminal, a second user input specifying a navigation direction relative to the first location in the geographic area; determining, by the at least one processor, a second location based on the user specified navigation direction; and retrieving, by the processor from the image source, second image data associated with the second location.