METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING LOCATION-CORRECTED SEARCHABLE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS

• US 20110279229A1
• Filed: 07/25/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Steven, Chambers, Curtis, Farr, Jeffrey, Block, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 9,159,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

Generating a corrected electronic record of a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician. The locate and/or marking operation comprises locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. First information relating to a location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is electronically received and, based at least in part on the first information, the location of the least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is digitally represented on a display device so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation. Second information relating to a corrected location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is electronically received and, based at least in part on the second information, the corrected location is electronically represented on the display device so as to generate a corrected electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation. Third information relating to the corrected representation of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to generate the corrected electronic record of the locate and/or marking operation.

Claims

1. A method for generating a corrected electronic record of a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician, the locate and/or marking operation comprising locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising:

A) electronically receiving first information relating to a location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

B) based at least in part on the first information received in A), digitally representing, on a display device, the location of the least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

C) receiving second information relating to a corrected location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

D) based at least in part on the second information received in C), digitally representing, on the display device, the corrected location so as to generate a corrected electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation; and

E) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing third information relating to the corrected representation of the locate and/or marking operation so as to generate the corrected electronic record of the locate and/or marking operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises geographic coordinates corresponding to a reference location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein A) comprises receiving the first information from a GPS-enabled locating and/or marking device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the corrected location, to which the second information relates, corresponds to the reference location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second information comprises geographic coordinates corresponding to the corrected location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second information comprises image-based geographic coordinates.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

F) determining an offset between the reference location and the corrected location of the reference location.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

G) determining an average offset based at least in part on the offset between the reference location and the corrected location and at least one other determined offset.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein C) comprises receiving the second information from at least one user input device associated with the display device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second information is based, at least in part, on an input received via the at least one user input device, and wherein the input effects a repositioning of at least a portion of the electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation with respect to an underlying geo-referenced input image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein B) comprises digitally representing the location of the least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark on an underlying input image.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second information comprises information identifying the corrected location in the input image.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

F) prompting a user to identify the corrected location in the input image.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the input image is a geo-referenced input image.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the input image comprises an aerial image.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the input image comprises a map.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

F) based at least in part on the second information received in C), determining a calibration factor for the location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark; and

G) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing the calibration factor so as to facilitate correction of other location data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the other location data relates to another locate and/or marking operation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the other location data relates to another location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one physical locate mark comprises a plurality of physical locate marks having a plurality of associated deployment times, and wherein the method further comprises:

F) filtering a first subset of the plurality of physical locate marks based at least in part on at least some of the plurality of associated deployment times so as to facilitate selection, via at least one user input device associated with the display device, of a second subset of the plurality of physical locate marks.

21. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on at least one processing unit, perform a method for generating a corrected electronic record of a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician, the locate and/or marking operation comprising locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising:

A) electronically receiving first information relating to a location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

B) based at least in part on the first information received in A), digitally rendering, for display on a display device, the location of the least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

C) receiving second information relating to a corrected location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

D) based at least in part on the second information received in C), digitally rendering, for display on the display device, the corrected location so as to generate a corrected electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation; and

E) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing third information relating to the corrected representation of the locate and/or marking operation so as to generate the corrected electronic record of the locate and/or marking operation.

22. An apparatus for generating a corrected electronic record of a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician, the locate and/or marking operation comprising locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface;

a display device;

at least one user input device associated with the display device;

a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processing unit coupled to the communication interface, the display device, the at least one user input device, and the memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processing unit, the processing unit;

A) controls the communication interface to receive first information relating to a location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

B) based at least in part on the first information received in A), controls the display device to display the location of the least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

C) controls the at least one user input device to receive second information relating to a corrected location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

D) based at least in part on the second information received in C), controls the display device to display the corrected location so as to generate a corrected electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation; and

E) controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store third information relating to the corrected representation of the locate and/or marking operation so as to generate the corrected electronic record of the locate and/or marking operation.

23. A method for generating a calibration factor based on user input received in connection with a location of at least one underground facility and/or at least one physical locate mark of a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician, the locate and/or marking operation comprising locating and/or identifying, using the at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of the at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising:

A) electronically receiving first information relating to a location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

B) based at least in part on the first information received in A), digitally representing, on a display device, the location of the least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

C) receiving second information relating to a corrected location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark;

D) based at least in part on the second information received in C), determining a calibration factor for the location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark; and

E) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing the calibration factor so as to facilitate correction of other location data.