MAPPING AND ASSET LIFECYCLE TRACKING SYSTEM

• US 20150213054A1
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Operations Technology Development NFP
• Original Assignee: William Gale
• Inventors: Marros, Robert J., GALE, William, Farag, Alicia
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 2201/60 Identification or marking
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 5/00 Protection or supervision of installations arrangements for protecting foundations E02D31/00; protecting pipes from damage or internal or external wear F16L57/00, against corrosion and scale F16L58/00; investigation of the fluid-tightness of structures G01M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/004 Map manufacture or repair; Tear or ink or water resistant maps; Long-life maps printing processes for maps B41M3/02; by permanently attaching map sections to sheets B42B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

A method for creating GIS features and populating a GIS feature attribute with information obtained from a bar code or similar identifier, for example but not limited to pipelines. The method of this invention includes scanning a code on a component to be installed or repaired, converting the code into attributes which describe the component, obtaining additional characteristics of the components, associating the component with a location of installation and placing the geometric feature onto the GIS map.

Claims

1. A method of mapping an asset during installation or repair, the method comprising:

inputting a code from a component of the asset into a device having a processor and a memory;

the processor automatically decoding the code into attributes;

the processor automatically gathering characteristics of the component based on the attributes, wherein the characteristics include at least one of maintenance schedules, replacement dates, installation details, dimensions, and warranty details;

the processor automatically creating a geometric feature based on the attributes and the characteristics;

identifying a location of the component using one of a global positioning system device and a manual mapping process;

storing the location in the memory;

associating the component with the location; and

the processor automatically placing the geometric feature on a Geographic Information System (GIS) map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the code comprises an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2897 code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the code comprises one or more of a bar code, a two-dimensional bar code, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, and a near field communication (NFC) tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of inputting the code from the component comprises scanning the code with a bar code scanner.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the GIS map comprises a part of a Geographic Information System (GIS) program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one of a lap top, a smart phone, a tablet, and a desktop computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of collecting additional characteristics of the component utilizes decision support tables to obtain the additional characteristics.

7. (canceled)

9. A method of mapping a natural gas pipeline comprising:

scanning an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2897 code from a natural gas component into a device having a processor and a memory;

the processor automatically decompiling the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2897 code into attributes and populating a database with the attributes;

the processor automatically creating a geometric feature from the attributes;

identifying a location of the natural gas component using a global positioning system device and associating the location with the attributes; and

the processor automatically placing the geometric feature on a Geographic Information System (GIS) map.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

uploading the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2897 code to a cloud to provide access to the code from remote devices.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the code comprises one or more of a bar code, a two-dimensional bar code, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, and a near field communication (NFC) tag.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the map comprises a part of a Geographic Information System (GIS) program.

13. The method of claim 12, further including a step of:

managing a lifecycle of the natural gas component with the Geographic Information System (GIS) program for maintenance and repairs.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of:

populating the database with additional characteristics of the natural gas component based on the attributes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the additional characteristics of the component are located using decision support tables.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the geometric feature comprises one of a line, an arrow, a point, a circle and a polygon to represent the natural gas component.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the device comprises one of a lap top, a smart phone, a tablet, and desk top computer.

18. A method of mapping an asset during installation or repair, the method comprising:

scanning a barcode from a component of the asset into a device having a processor and a memory;

the processor automatically decoding the barcode into attributes;

the processor automatically gathering characteristics of the component based on the attributes, wherein the characteristics include maintenance schedules, replacement dates, installation details, dimensions, and warranty details;

the processor automatically creating a geometric feature based on the attributes and the characteristics;

identifying a location of the component using one of a global positioning system device;

storing the location in the memory;

associating the component with the location; and

the processor automatically placing the geometric feature on a Geographic Information System (GIS) map.