Systems and methods of remote weather detection for construction management

• US 10,429,547 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Inventors: Curry, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngon, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US12/123,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,151 Days
• Field of Search: 702 2, 702 3, 702 4, 702 5, 702150, 34087001, 34087002, 34087003, 34087005-87011, 3405391, 34053916, 34053917, 34053922, 34053926, 34053928, 340601, 340602, 7317016-17018, 7317028, 4554041, 4554042, 455 40, 455500
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/95 for meteorological use
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/14 Rainfall or precipitation gauges measuring volume in general G01F
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for managing and regulating construction sites, particularly in light of inclement weather or hazardous conditions. In many jurisdictions, extreme weather conditions, including excessive precipitation, render a construction site closed, or unworkable, thereby wasting time and resources. This invention provides a system and processes to monitor, detect and measure precipitation on a construction site, and even several sub-sites on the construction site, from a remote location. The system and processes of the present invention also provide features to further investigate precipitation levels in a more efficient manner than conventionally available and to communicate the construction site conditions, e.g., precipitation levels, and whether the site has met the required regulatory thresholds for inspection. Moreover, the present invention may be used to determine the magnitude of rain events, and potential liabilities associated therewith.

Claims

1. A method for measuring precipitation impact on construction and engineering inspection locations comprising:

selecting a particular construction and engineering location, wherein the selected construction and engineering location is the subject of construction and engineering;

receiving rainfall information representing an amount of precipitation that has already fallen on the selected construction and engineering location over a past period of time using geographic information for the selected location with a monitoring system, wherein said geographic information comprises Doppler radar data;

storing the rainfall information into memory, the memory containing a plurality of entries of stored rainfall information over a set time period defined by a 24 hour window immediately prior to a current time at which an amount of precipitation is measured at the particular construction and engineering location;

deleting an entry of the plurality of entries of stored rainfall information from the memory that is outside the set time period such that the 24 hour window is continuously adjusted and rolling based on the current time;

calculating a total amount of precipitation over the set time period;

setting the monitoring system with a threshold value of precipitation for the construction and engineering location;

evaluating the calculated amount of precipitation over the set time period against the set threshold value;

determining whether the calculated amount of precipitation that has already fallen on the construction and engineering location over the set time period exceeds the threshold value of precipitation; and

transmitting an alert which initiates deployment of an inspector to said construction and engineering location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rainfall is measured for a period of time that is at least more than five minutes in the past.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold level of the measured rainfall is established by a regulatory body.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold level corresponds to an authorization control for construction and engineering duties.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deploying an on-site inspection of the selected construction and engineering location when the previously measured precipitation at the geographic location is at least equal to the threshold value.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the ability to perform construction and engineering at the selected construction and engineering location when the previously measured precipitation at the geographic location is at least equal to the threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the previously measured precipitation at the geographic location to a rain event value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining potential liability associated with a construction or engineering company.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the potential liability corresponds to flood damages.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the potential liability corresponds to construction work days.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system includes more than one monitored site on the selected construction and engineering location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the monitoring system at each monitored site measures the rainfall and compares the measured rainfall with the threshold value specific to the construction and engineering location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the construction and engineering location comprises a road, a bridge, a tunnel, a dam, a building, a watershed, a combination thereof, or any construction site and the grounds of and adjacent to such site.

14. The method of claim 13, which further comprises subdividing the selected construction and engineering location into portions, wherein the previously measured precipitation at a first portion of the selected construction and engineering location exceeds the corresponding threshold value for the rainfall so that engineering and construction activities only in the first portion of the selected construction and engineering location are shut down due to the measured rainfall exceeding the threshold value rather than shutting down such activities for the entire selected construction and engineering location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a first portion of the selected construction and engineering location is determined to be closed to construction and engineering.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring system comprises at least one weather station disposed on the selected construction and engineering location.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein each device of the monitoring system is located entirely remote from the selected construction and engineering location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote monitoring system comprises at least one of satellite imagery and radar.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system comprises said Doppler radar data and at least one interpolation methods to calculate precipitation levels from rainfall.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value is variable.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the end-user is contacted via at least one of the following:

email, SMS message, MMS message, telephone, and the Internet.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected construction and engineering location is determined at a point defined by the intersection of a particular latitude and longitude, and the rainfall information is received in substantially real-time.

23. A method for measuring precipitation impact on construction and engineering inspection locations comprising:

receiving the coordinates for a particular geographic location, wherein the geographic location is the subject of construction and engineering;

remotely measuring a weather condition that includes precipitation at the geographic location with a monitoring system, wherein said monitoring system comprises Doppler radar data;

processing a threshold value of precipitation at the geographic location;

collecting rainfall information representing an amount of precipitation that has already fallen on-the geographic location over a past period of time using geographic information for the selected location with a monitoring system;

storing the rainfall information into memory, the memory containing a plurality of entries of stored rainfall information over a set time period defined by a 24 hour window immediately prior to a current time at which an amount of precipitation is measured at the particular construction and engineering location;

deleting an entry of the plurality of entries of stored rainfall information from the memory that is outside the set time period such that the 24 hour window is continuously adjusted and rolling based on the current time;

calculating a total amount of precipitation over the set time period;

determining whether the calculated amount of precipitation that has already fallen on the geographic location over the set time period exceeds the threshold value; and

transmitting an alert which initiates deployment of an inspector to said geographic location.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

processing a work report of construction and engineering at the geographic location;

processing an on-site inspection of the geographic location; and

transmitting an order for the on-site inspection to at least one inspector when the measured precipitation exceeds the threshold value.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

processing potential liability dependent on the precipitation for at least one construction and engineering entity.

26. An article of manufacture comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions stored therein;

a data structure stored thereon adapted and configured to route signals, wherein the data structure comprises a computer readable system for measuring precipitation impact on construction and engineering inspection locations; and

a processing system configured and adapted to communicate using the data structure with a plurality of computers, wherein the processing system is arranged to perform the instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium, which causes the processor to;

receive the coordinates of a construction and engineering location, wherein the construction and engineering location is the subject of construction and engineering;

remotely measure a weather condition that includes precipitation at the geographic location with a remote monitoring system, wherein the remote monitoring system is programmed with a threshold value of precipitation, and wherein said remote monitoring system comprises Doppler radar data;

collect rainfall information representing an amount of precipitation that has already fallen on-the construction and engineering location over a past period of time using geographic information for the selected location with a monitoring system;

store the rainfall information into memory, the memory containing a plurality of entries of stored rainfall information over a set time period defined by a 24 hour window immediately prior to a current time at which an amount of precipitation is measured at the particular construction and engineering location;

delete an entry of the plurality of entries of stored rainfall information from the memory that is outside the set time period such that the 24 hour window is continuously adjusted and rolling based on the current time;

calculate a total amount of precipitation over the set time period;

evaluate the calculated amount of precipitation over the set time period against the threshold value;

determine whether the calculated amount of precipitation that has already fallen on the construction and engineering location over the set time period exceeds the threshold value; and

provide an alert which initiates deployment of an inspector to said construction and engineering location.

27. A system for measuring precipitation impact on construction and engineering inspection locations comprising:

means for determining a particular geographic location, that is the subject of construction and engineering;

means for remotely measuring precipitation at the geographic location with a monitoring system, and wherein said means for remotely measuring precipitation comprises Doppler radar data;

means for setting a local device of the remote monitoring system with a threshold value of the precipitation at the geographic location;

means for collecting rainfall information representing an amount of precipitation that has already fallen on-the geographic location over a past period of time using geographic information for the selected location with a monitoring system;

means for storing the rainfall information into memory, the memory containing a plurality of entries of stored rainfall information over a set time period defined by a 24 hour window immediately prior to a current time at which an amount of precipitation is measured at the particular construction and engineering location;

means for deleting an entry of the plurality of entries of stored rainfall information from the memory that is outside the set time period such that the 24 hour window is continuously adjusted and rolling based on the current time;

means for calculating a total amount of precipitation over the set time period;

means for determining whether the calculated amount of precipitation that has already fallen on the geographic location over the set time period exceeds the threshold value; and

means for transmitting an alert which initiates deployment of an inspector to said geographic location.

28. A method for measuring precipitation impact on construction and engineering inspection locations comprising:

determining a particular geographic location that is the subject of construction and engineering;

remotely measuring precipitation at the geographic location with a monitoring system;

collecting rainfall information representing an amount of precipitation that has already fallen on-the geographic location over a past period of time using geographic information for the selected location with a monitoring system;

storing the rainfall information into memory, the memory containing a plurality of entries of stored rainfall information over a set time period defined by a 24 hour window immediately prior to a current time at which an amount of precipitation is measured at the particular construction and engineering location;

deleting an entry of the plurality of entries of stored rainfall information from the memory that is outside the set time period such that the 24 hour window is continuously adjusted and rolling based on the current time;

calculating a total amount of precipitation over the set time period;

setting a local device of the remote monitoring system with a threshold value of the precipitation at the geographic location;

evaluating the calculated amount of precipitation over the set time period against the set threshold value;

determining whether the calculated amount of precipitation that has already fallen on the geographic location over the set time period exceeds the threshold value; and

transmitting an alert which initiates deployment of an inspector to said geographic location.