Patent ID: 8037166

Claim:
A method, executing on hardware, of providing a map covering an area comprising: receiving a query, wherein the query includes a search term and a search area; determining matching listings, wherein a matching listing comprises a listing associated with a geographic location within the search area having information corresponding to the search term; dividing the search area into a plurality of regions and selecting a number of matching listings for each region, wherein for each region the selected number of matching listings is proportional to the density of matching listings in that region; determining a score for each matching listing in a given region; smoothing the score for each matching listing in the given region based on a distance between the geographical location associated with the matching listing and a location within the given region; using the smoothed scores for each matching listing in the given region to select the number of matching listings for the given region; and providing a map of the search area and information about the selected number of matching listings for each region in the search area.