Methods and apparatus for associating and displaying project planning and management information in conjunction with geographic information

• US 20060212327A1
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Norman, Timothy Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,510,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource

Abstract

Systems and techniques for entry and presentation of project planning information, showing activities in their geographic context. Information relating to activities and groupings of activities is entered, updated and presented. Information associated with one or more groupings of activities is associated with a graphical icon, with the appearance of the icon changing in response to changes in the associated information. The icon is placed in a graphical display, with the graphical display showing geographic information, such as a map, and the icon being placed in a map location showing the location of the activities associated with the icon. The graphical display maintains links to the information associated with the icon so that updating the information changes the appearance of the icon, calling attention to changes in their geographic context.

Claims

1. A system for receiving and presenting project planning and scheduling information, comprising:

a project planning module for receiving, processing and presenting activity information relating to scheduling of and progress on activities contributing to completion of a project; and

a graphic display module for presenting graphical icons representing activities contributing to completion of the project, the graphic display module maintaining links to the activity information received and processed by the project planning module so that the graphic icons change in appearance in response to changes in the activity information, the graphic display module being operative to present a geographic image representing one or more geographic regions where the activities are to take place, the icons being placed in the image so as to indicate the geographic location where each activity is to take place.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the icons are constructed using the project planning module, the icons being constructed so as to have links to the activity information, the icons being copied to the graphical display module in such a way that the links between the icons and the activity information are preserved.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the project planning module accepts filtering commands so as to restrict display of activity information to one or more selected categories, selecting of a filtering command using the project planning module affecting the presentation of icons by the graphical display module so as to restrict the icons displayed to those corresponding to the category or categories selected using the project planning module.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the project planning module is operative to receive schedule alert status information relating to schedule status of selected activities and wherein the appearance of an icon associated with a selected activity reflects the schedule alert status of the activity.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the schedule alert status information for one or more activities includes a schedule alert status indicator whose value is assigned based on a comparison of a current date and a scheduled completion date for the activity.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the schedule alert status indicator associated with one or more activities is assigned based on a delay ratio computed based on a delay of a start of the activity as compared to a scheduled start date, the delay ratio being a ratio of the amount of delay compared to a completion time interval between scheduled start and scheduled completion of the activity.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein one of a number of values may be assigned to the schedule alert status indicator, with different values indicating greater or lesser degrees of delay, with the ratio between the amount of delay versus the completion time being computed and compared against predetermined values and with the schedule alert status indicator being assigned depending which of a range of predetermined values the delay ratio falls into.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the project planning module is operative to set alert indicators associated with specified activities and wherein the setting of an alert indicator causes the appearance of warning flags in proximity to icons associated with the activities.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the alert indicators are set based on information relating to conditions affecting one or more geographic regions and wherein alert indicators are set if they are associated with activities in geographic regions affected by the conditions.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising an information service interface for receiving data from one or more information services, the data being examined to determine if it includes reports of conditions affecting geographic regions in which activities are taking place and wherein the setting of alert indicators depends on a result of the examination of the data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data is examined for text strings indicating a geographic region to which the data relates and wherein the data is examined for predetermined keywords indicating a condition affecting the geographic region.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the information received from the information services includes adverse weather information.

13. A method of receiving and presenting project planning and scheduling information, comprising the steps of:

receiving and processing information relating to activity information relating to activities contributing to completion of a project;

creating one or more icons relating to the activity information, the icons maintaining links to the activity information so that changes or updates to the activity information will change appropriate features of the icons; and

placing the icons into a display, the display presenting geographic information relating to a region or regions where the activities are to take place, the icons relating to an activity being placed so as to show a geographic location where the activity is to take place.

14. The method of claim 13, further including a step of receiving updated activity information and updating the appearance of icons relating to the activity information in accordance with the updated information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of receiving the updated activity information includes receiving progress information relating to progress of activities and wherein updating the appearance of icons includes updating the appearance of icons to reflect the progress information.

16. The method of claim 14, further including a step of selecting a category of information for display and restricting display of the icons to those associated with activity information falling into the selected category.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the updated activity information includes information calling for a setting of an alert indicator for one or more activities and updating of the appearance of the icons includes placing an alert flag in association with each icon associated with an activity for which an alert indicator has been set.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the updated activity information includes receiving alert condition information reporting conditions affecting a geographic region and wherein an alert indicator is set for an activity when alert condition information indicates adverse conditions for a geographic region in which the activity is planned or taking place.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the updated activity information includes examining the alert condition information for text strings indicating a geographic region to which the alert condition information relates and examining the alert condition information for predetermined keywords indicating conditions affecting the geographic region.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the alert condition information includes weather information.