Patent ID: 7974781

Claim:
A navigation apparatus for guiding a vehicle along a driving route, comprising: a memory that stores 3D map data; and a controller that: sets a reference point at an intersection; sets a first region extending ahead of the vehicle in a direction in which the vehicle enters the intersection, the first region including the reference point; obtains a first subset of data, from the 3D map data, that corresponds to the region; identifies structures represented by the 3D map data that are located within the first region; determines structures that were identified as being located within the first region that have a size equal to or greater than a threshold value; obtains a second subset of data, from the 3D map data, that corresponds to the structures that were determined to have a size equal to or greater than the threshold value; generates a 3D movie which has a predetermined viewpoint on the basis of the second subset of data; and displays the generated 3D movie; wherein the threshold value is adjustable to a plurality of progressive values and depends on a distance between a vehicle position and the reference point such that the larger the distance between the vehicle position and the reference point, the larger the threshold value.