Patent Document ID: 20060058949
Application ID: 10938075
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method of automatically annotating features on a map, comprising the steps of: in a first subtask, identifying a set of candidate positions for labels of said features; in a second subtask, for each of said features selecting initial ones of said candidate positions; in a third subtask, evaluating different ones of said candidate positions in comparison with said initial ones of said candidate positions to define a labeling; and responsively to said step of evaluating, replacing at least a portion of said initial ones of said candidate positions with corresponding said different ones of said candidate positions so as to optimize a quality function of said labeling, wherein said first subtask, said second subtask, and said third subtask each comprise a static phase, and a real-time phase that is executed subsequent to said static phase responsively to data produced in said static phase.