PROVIDING EVACUATION INFORMATION DURING AN ADVERSE CONDITION

• US 20190110159A1
• Filed: 12/04/2018
• Published: 04/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safety Network Partnership
• Original Assignee: Safety Network Partnership
• Inventors: Grube, Gary W., Quisenberry, Evan Edward, Buchalo, John Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,812,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72421 with automatic activation of emergency service functions, e.g. upon sensing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A method begins with identifying a geographic area associated with an adverse condition and identifying a plurality of user devices of a social network potentially associated with the identified geographic area. The method continues with issuing a safety notification to the plurality of user devices. The method continues with receiving a first safety status response from a first user device and a second safety status response from a second user device, where the responses include location information of a first and second safe location. The method continues with issuing evacuation information to at least some of the plurality of user devices based on the location information of the first and second safe locations.

Claims

1. A method for execution by one or more processing modules of one or more computing devices of a social network, the method comprises:

identifying a geographic area associated with an adverse condition;

identifying a plurality of user devices of the social network potentially associated with the identified geographic area;

issuing a safety notification to the plurality of user devices, wherein the safety notification includes one or more of the identified geographic area and a safety status request;

receiving, from a first user device of the plurality of user devices, a first safety status response that includes first location information generated by the first user device, wherein the first location information includes location information of a first safe location;

receiving, from a second user device of the plurality of user devices, a second safety status response that includes second location information generated by the second user device, wherein the second location information includes location information of a second safe location; and

issuing evacuation information to at least some of the plurality of user devices, wherein the evacuation information is based on the location information of the first safe location and the location information of the second safe location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the geographic area associated with the adverse condition comprises at least one of:

interpreting a location from an emergency management phase plan to produce the identified geographic area;

interpreting communications associated with an active emergency management phase to produce the identified geographic area; and

when at least some of the plurality of user devices are actively affiliated with a social network group of the social network;

detecting that communications associated with the social network group pertain to the adverse condition; and

identifying an area that corresponds to the communications associated with the social network group that pertains to the adverse condition to produce the identified geographic area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the plurality of user devices associated with the identified geographic area comprises at least one of:

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area based on a location lookup of the plurality of user devices, wherein the location lookup produces a current location of the plurality of user devices that is within a proximal distance of the identified geographic area;

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area based on an address lookup of the plurality of user devices, wherein the address lookup produces, for each user device of the plurality of user devices, a corresponding last known street address location that is within the proximal distance of the identified geographic area;

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area when Internet access of the plurality of user devices is within another proximal distance of the identified geographic area; and

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area when one or more identified wireless location networks utilized by the plurality of user devices are within yet another proximal distance of the identified geographic area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location information further comprises at least one of:

location coordinates of the first user device;

location coordinates of the first safe location;

a navigation path to the first safe location;

an indication that the location coordinates of the first user device is with the geographic area associated with an adverse condition;

location coordinates of a third user device of the plurality of user devices, wherein the third user device and the first user device are actively affiliated with a social network group of the social network;

an indication that the first user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

another indication that the third user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

a safety status level text string generated by the first user device;

a safety status text string generated by the first user device;

a timestamp corresponding to when a social network server received the first safety status response; and

another timestamp corresponding to when the first user device generated the first safety status response.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second location information further comprises at least one of:

location coordinates of the second user device;

location coordinates of the second safe location;

a navigation path to the second safe location;

an indication that the location coordinates of the second user device is with the geographic area associated with an adverse condition;

location coordinates of a third user device of the plurality of user devices, wherein the third user device and the second user device are actively affiliated with a social network group of the social network;

an indication that the second user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

another indication that the third user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

a safety status level text string generated by the second user device;

a safety status text string generated by the second user device;

a timestamp corresponding to when a social network server received the second safety status response; and

another timestamp corresponding to when the second user device generated the first safety status response.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing of the evacuation information to the at least some of the plurality of user devices comprises:

generating the evacuation information to include one or more of;

the location information of the first safe location;

the location information of the second safe location;

location coordinates of the first safe location;

location coordinates of the second safe location;

location coordinates of a third safe location based on the first safe location and the second safe location;

a navigation path to the first safe location;

a navigation path to the second safe location; and

a navigation path to the third safe location; and

sending the evacuation information to the at least some of the plurality of user devices.

7. A computing device comprises:

an interface;

memory; and

a processing module operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the memory stores operational instructions that, when executed by the processing module, causes the computing device to;

identify a geographic area associated with an adverse condition;

identify a plurality of user devices of a social network potentially associated with the identified geographic area;

issue, via the interface, a safety notification to the plurality of user devices, wherein the safety notification includes one or more of the identified geographic area and a safety status request;

receive, via the interface from a first user device of the plurality of user devices, a first safety status response that includes first location information generated by the first user device, wherein the first location information includes location information of a first safe location;

receive, via the interface from a second user device of the plurality of user devices, a second safety status response that includes second location information generated by the second user device, wherein the second location information includes location information of a second safe location; and

issue, via the interface, evacuation information to at least some of the plurality of user devices, wherein the evacuation information is based on the location information of the first safe location and the location information of the second safe location.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the processing module functions to identify the geographic area associated with the adverse condition by at least one of:

interpreting a location from an emergency management phase plan to produce the identified geographic area;

interpreting communications associated with an active emergency management phase to produce the identified geographic area; and

when at least some of the plurality of user devices are actively affiliated with a social network group of the social network;

detecting that communications associated with the social network group pertain to the adverse condition; and

identifying an area that corresponds to the communications associated with the social network group that pertains to the adverse condition to produce the identified geographic area.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the processing module functions to identify the plurality of user devices associated with the identified geographic area by at least one of:

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area based on a location lookup of the plurality of user devices, wherein the location lookup produces a current location of the plurality of user devices that is within a proximal distance of the identified geographic area;

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area based on an address lookup of the plurality of user devices, wherein the address lookup produces, for each user device of the plurality of user devices, a corresponding last known street address location that is within the proximal distance of the identified geographic area;

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area when Internet access of the plurality of user devices is within another proximal distance of the identified geographic area; and

indicating that the plurality of user devices is associated with the identified geographic area when one or more identified wireless location networks utilized by the plurality of user devices are within yet another proximal distance of the identified geographic area.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the first location information further comprises at least one of:

location coordinates of the first user device;

location coordinates of the first safe location;

a navigation path to the first safe location;

an indication that the location coordinates of the first user device is with the geographic area associated with an adverse condition;

location coordinates of a third user device of the plurality of user devices, wherein the third user device and the first user device are actively affiliated with a social network group of the social network;

an indication that the first user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

another indication that the third user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

a safety status level text string generated by the first user device;

a safety status text string generated by the first user device;

a timestamp corresponding to when a social network server received the first safety status response; and

another timestamp corresponding to when the first user device generated the first safety status response.

11. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the second location information further comprises at least one of:

location coordinates of the second user device;

location coordinates of the second safe location;

a navigation path to the second safe location;

an indication that the location coordinates of the second user device is with the geographic area associated with an adverse condition;

location coordinates of a third user device of the plurality of user devices, wherein the third user device and the second user device are actively affiliated with a social network group of the social network;

an indication that the second user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

another indication that the third user device is outside of the identified geographic area;

a safety status level text string generated by the second user device;

a safety status text string generated by the second user device;

a timestamp corresponding to when a social network server received the second safety status response; and

another timestamp corresponding to when the second user device generated the first safety status response.

12. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the processing module functions to issue the evacuation information to the at least some of the plurality of user devices by:

generating the evacuation information to include one or more of;

the location information of the first safe location;

the location information of the second safe location;

location coordinates of the first safe location;

location coordinates of the second safe location;

location coordinates of a third safe location based on the first safe location and the second safe location;

a navigation path to the first safe location;

a navigation path to the second safe location; and

a navigation path to the third safe location; and

sending, via the interface, the evacuation information to the at least some of the plurality of user devices.