Chaik Space

Locative Search Query Aggregator

I've mocked up the example described at the end of my last post (Prototype: Bounded Search Area), using Adobe InDesign to demonstrate a Web 2.0 interface that allows us to query multiple data sources to fulfill a location based search.

This application, available as a jpg here, consists of widgets that are assembled in a plug and play manner and use an area of interest drawn on a map to filter the search results.

Some observations:

• Useful search query widget combinations become a commodity.


• A market develops for access to subject matter experts' knowledge bases.


• Algorithms are created to "intersect" search results from multiple data sources, many of which have poor data quality. For example, if the street name of a japanese restaurant returned from zagat differs slightly from that of a traffic server, software must determine whether they  are truly the same location.

Prototype: Bounded Search Area

With all the google map mashups being developed, I started thinking about a compelling interface to specify search areas on a map - especially on a mobile device. To date, I've seen zip codes used using google local, but this paradigm is limited if you are unfamiliar with the surrounding area.

Using the google map API, I've put together a javascript prototype (tested with Firefox) that shows how one might draw an enclosing polygon to extract information.

Still a work in progress, the application echos  the descriptions of all the predefined points on the map that have been surrounded by the drawn enclosure. Using a PDA and stylus, these polygons could be drawn quite easily with a similar model.

One might envision a map (google maps/earth, etc) as a visual tool to select an area of interest. The coordinates, which specify the surrounding polygon, could be sent to various data sources, each one responsive to a unique search criteria. By using set operations (union, intersection, etc) with the polygon coordinates as common input, the user could extract useful information.

For example, borrowing from a dining example, I might be interested in "Sushi restaurants" (Zagat data server) in "Safe neighborhoods" (police beat server) accessible via "Public Transportation" (MTA server). I would probably expect the resulting result set to be plotted on a map.