Patent ID: 8264504

Claim:
A system for generating pose data for posing a 2D image of a scene aligned within an environment of the scene as depicted by an environment image that is associated with a 3D model, the system comprising a computer processing system configured to: receive a digital representation of the 2D image; receive a user's specification of an approximate location of the scene on a two-dimensional geographic map; obtain an environment image of the environment of the scene that corresponds to the approximate location specified by the user; cause the 2D image of the scene and the environment image of the scene to both be displayed to the user in a manner that places corresponding features common to both the 2D image and the environment image simultaneously in view of the user and in a manner sufficient to allow the user to match one or more of these corresponding features; receive alignment information from the user indicative of adjustments to the relative positioning between the displayed 2D image and the displayed environment image that are needed to cause the two images to align; and generate and store the pose data based on the alignment information.