NavDog has developed the first ever consumer-facing map search that incorporates system intelligence into the user experience. This intelligence is based on NavDog’s powerful new Geographic Business Intelligence Engine (GBIE), which is designed to process user actions in order to derive their intent. This derived intent is matched with relevant map content, which is then displayed to the user in real time through NavDog’s refined AJAX technology. The system builds upon each subsequent user action in order to further refine the content it returns to the user. The end result is a map that displays the object of the user’s map search, along with related supporting content through relationships between map items and their relevance to the users’ immediate interests. The site literally creates a unique mashup of map content every time a user interacts with it.How it Works
This intelligent mapping system was originally designed to cope with two major problems that arose from the company’s desire to place advertising content into the experience and their unique methodology that favored exploration through browsing map content over straight search. The system needed a way to filter map icons that were presented to the user without actually knowing what the user was initially looking for, and for relevant paid content that had to be placed at a point where it would enhance the browsing experience. Once the system was complete the company realized that they had not only created a map that was able to learn from its users but an intelligence engine capable of powering many applications. The GBIE also resulted in some interesting side-benefits that the development team was able to tap into, and turn into unique features for NavDog.com. Some of these features include:
- Associative Search that retrieves the object of a user’s search along with associated goods and services
- Map Session History and Replay that enables a visitor to go back through every map move to recall a specific area or place and even save a specific view as a permalink that can be published to the web
- Automated map tours that use recorded session factors to move the map from location to location and display specific map content in a hands free setting. These tours can be created by members for the purposes of social mapping or as a business tool for promoting locations of all kinds.
- Content filtering through real-time analysis of derived interests. i.e. The content evolves as users interact with the map.
- Zero-API which provides a means for our customer to integrate completely custom versions of NavDog into their website with no programming.
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