PRECISION GPS DRIVEN UTILITY ASSET MANAGEMENT AND UTILITY DAMAGE PREVENTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090121933A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prostar Geocorp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Precision Solutions, Llp
• Inventors: Colby, Daniel E., Sawyer, Tom Y. JR., Tucker, Page, Lepper, John, Tucker, Layne D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.480
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and apparatus, including software, for the development and operational use of precise utility location and utility asset management information. Field-usable data sets may be produced that meet standards of accuracy and usability that are sufficient for use by field operations personnel participating in damage prevention activities associated with ground penetrating projects (e.g., excavating, trenching, boring, driving, and tunneling) or other asset applications. Some embodiments relate to integrating utility asset data including coordinate location, and geographical information data using a consistently available and accurate coordinates reference for collecting the data and for aligning the geographical information data. Some embodiments relate to managing projects with equipment that provides real time images and the updating of the data as required with this desired accuracy.

Claims

1. A method of collecting utility location information comprising:

identifying a current location;

identifying an utility asset and a location of the identified utility asset in a predetermined project area including the current location;

associating the current location with the identified utility asset;

in real time, integrating an imagery of the project area with the current location and the location of the identified utility asset to generate an image representation of the project area;

in real time, displaying the representation of the project area comprising the current location, a representation of the utility asset and the location of the identified utility asset;

verifying the location of the identified utility asset in accordance with the displayed representation of the project area; and

storing the verified location of the identified utility asset and data about the type and material of the identified utility asset in a first database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating meta-data with the identified utility asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the imagery of the project area comprises a map imagery.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the imagery of the project area comprises a photo imagery.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the imagery of the project area comprises an aerial imagery.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the project area comprises at least one landmark.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising verifying the current location in accordance with a location of the at least one landmark.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the utility asset and the location of the identified utility asset comprises using at least one of a radar, a sonar, and a transponders.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying a second database to verify the type and material of the identified utility asset;

and storing the verified type and material of the identified utility asset in the first database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the current location comprises using real time kinetics.

11. A system for collecting utility location information comprising:

GPS receiver for identifying a current location;

A processor configured to identify an utility asset and a location of the identified utility asset in a predetermined project area including the current location, associate the current location with the identified utility asset, and integrate an imagery of the project area with the current location and the location of the identified utility asset to generate an image representation of the project area in real time;

a display for displaying the representation of the project area comprising the current location, a representation of the utility asset and the location of the identified utility asset;

an input device for verifying the location of the identified utility asset in accordance with the displayed representation of the project area; and

a first database for storing the verified location of the identified utility asset and data about the type and material of the identified utility asset.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein an accuracy of the current location is on the order of a millimeter.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one of a radar apparatus, a sonar apparatus, and a transponder sensor configured to identify the location of the utility asset.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a second database for storing type and material of a plurality of utility assets, wherein the type and material of the of the identified utility asset in the second database is compared to the type and material of the of the identified utility asset in the first database to verify the type and material of the identified utility asset.