EVALUATING DRIVER WALK DISTANCES AND BUILDING TYPES USING OVERHEAD IMAGERY

• US 20090296990A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Steven L., Fiorayante, Vincent Paul, Franklin-Joyner, Kelli M., Holland, Charles L., Winters, Jeffrey L., Engel, Stanley A., Levis, Jack D., Davidson, Mark, Olsen, John A. III
• Application Number:
  US12/256,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20090296990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes

Abstract

A method of determining a distance to be walked by a delivery vehicle driver including providing a satellite image that has an image of a building to which an item is to be delivered and an image of a street adjacent to the building. The method further includes defining a path, within the image, that corresponds to a path that the delivery vehicle driver will walk when delivering the item to the building. The method also includes the step of determining a length of the path.

Claims

1. A method of determining a distance to be walked by a delivery vehicle driver, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a satellite image that comprises;

(A) an image of a building to which an item is to be delivered; and

(B) an image of a street adjacent said building;

defining a path, within said image, that corresponds to a path that said delivery vehicle driver will walk when delivering said item to said building; and

determining a length of said path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining said length of said path comprises using said satellite image to determine said length of said path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said building is a residential house.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said item is a package.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said satellite image is obtained from a virtual globe program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of defining said path comprises drawing said path on said satellite image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said satellite image is obtained from a virtual globe program; and

said step of determining said length of said path comprises using a distance measurement tool associated with said virtual globe program to determine said length of said path.

8. A method of determining a distance to be walked by a delivery vehicle driver, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an aerial image that comprises;

(A) an image of a building to which an item is to be delivered; and

(B) an image of a street adjacent said building;

defining a path, within said aerial image, that corresponds to a path that said delivery vehicle driver will walk when delivering said item to said building; and

determining a length of said path.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of determining said length of said path comprises using said aerial image to determine said length of said path.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said aerial image is obtained from a virtual globe program.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of defining said path comprises drawing said path on said aerial image.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

said aerial image is obtained from a virtual globe program; and

said step of determining said length of said path comprises using a distance measurement tool associated with said virtual globe program to determine said length of said path.

13. A method of assessing a classification of a building, said method comprising:

providing an aerial or satellite image that comprises an image of said building; and

assessing a classification of said building from said aerial or satellite image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein assessing a classification of said building comprises accessing a database containing classification data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein assessing a classification of said building comprises determining an allowance for said building.

16. A method of assessing an estimated amount of time that it should take to deliver an item to a recipient within a particular building, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an aerial or satellite image that comprises an image of said building;

based on said aerial or satellite image, determining a particular building classification associated with said building; and

obtaining a standard delivery time value that corresponds to said particular building classification.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of obtaining said standard delivery time value comprises accessing said standard delivery time value from a database.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising recording at least one actual delivery time for the particular building.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising comparing the at least one actual delivery time against the standard delivery time value for the particular building.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining the efficiency of at least one delivery worker for at least one building.