System for managing regulated entities

• US 6,256,640 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2000
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CGI Technologies and Solutions Incorporated (CGI Group)
• Original Assignee: American Management Systems, Incorporated (CGI, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smalley, Donald A., Fein, Todd, Gerber, Jeffrey, Singer, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US09/528,718
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-4, 707/10, 707/9, 707/103, 707/104, 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/11, 705/28, 345/329, 345/331-332
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A regulatory agency with the responsibility of administering regulations uses a system with joint-usage capabilities, including data about regulated entities that are subject to the laws and rules administered by the agency and software for accessing the data. The joint-usage capabilities are preferably used by all subdivisions or departments of the agency that have similar functions or administer regulations on the same regulated entities. Variations in the ways that the departments administer regulations are handled two ways. First, each regulated entity may have several subject items defined in the joint-usage data with each subject item related to the regulations that a single department administers. Thus, if two departments are responsible for a single regulated entity, each may create one or more subject items in the joint-usage data describing the regulated objects, activities, or other aspects of that regulated entity. Second, when one department'"'"'s regulations require storage of data that is inconsistent with how the majority of departments administer their regulations, department- or program-specific capabilities are used to store the program-specific data. The system merges the program-specific data with the joint-usage data, so that the users have a seamless view of the data related to administering regulations applicable to the regulated entities. This enables the regulatory agency to produce “multimedia” permits, inspections and enforcement orders. The system is flexible enough to be used equally as well by separated program areas.

Claims

1. A database structure, embodied on at least one computer accessible medium, for managing information on regulated entities, said database structure comprising:

a primary data level identifying regulated entities, optionally associable with a geographic location; and

a secondary data level identifying subject items of the regulated entities identified at said primary level, where the subject items include objects and activities subject to regulatory requirements,

wherein said database structure further comprises at least one lower data level, below said secondary data level, to store detail information on imposition of regulatory requirements on the subject items via issuance of permits, monitoring operation of the subject items of the regulated entities to verify compliance with the regulatory requirements and issuance of enforcement orders to compel compliance with the regulated entities,

wherein the information managed by using said database structure is accessed by an environmental regulatory agency, and

wherein the subject items identified by the information in said secondary data level relate to different environmental program areas regulating a single regulated entity and data stored according to said database structures are accessible by all of the environmental program areas over which the environmental regulatory agency has jurisdiction.

2. A database structure embodied on at least one computer accessible medium, for managing information on regulated entities, said database structure comprising:

a primary data level identifying regulated entities, optionally associable with a geographic location, and

a secondary data level identifying subject items of the regulated entities identified at said primary level, where the subject items include objects and activities subject to regulatory requirements,

wherein said secondary level comprises a record, and each record contains one of a single subject item and a list of subject item identifiers for related subject items,

wherein the information managed using said database structure is accessed by an environmental regulatory agency, and

wherein at least one list of the subject item identifiers in a record in said secondary data level identifies different environmental program areas regulating a single regulated entity.

3. A method of managing information on regulated entities, comprising:

creating a joint-usage database for multiple regulatory programs and having a primary data level identifying the regulated entities, optionally associable with a geographic location, and a secondary data level identifying subject items of the regulated entities; and

performing regulatory functions using the primary and secondary data levels of the joint usage database, wherein the regulatory functions are one of planning of strategies for environmental regulatory management, compliance determination for regulated entities, enforcement of corrective action against regulatory violators, and remediation of damaged regulated entities requiring clean-up.

4. A system for regulation of regulated entities, comprising:

a memory unit storing information on the regulated entities, including a joint-usage database for multiple regulatory programs and storing regulated entity identifiers at a primary data level, subject items of the regulated entities at a secondary data level and operational data of the subject items at a lower level below the secondary level;

a processor, coupled to said memory unit, generating typical permit requirements for at least one of the subject items of each of the regulated entities by accessing the joint-usage database in said memory unit;

an input unit, coupled to said processor and said memory unit, inputting the operational data obtained from monitoring operation of the subject items; and

an output unit, coupled to said processor, outputting the typical permit requirements.

5. A system for regulation of regulated entities, comprising:

a memory unit storing information on the regulated entities, including a joint-usage database for multiple regulatory programs and storing regulated entity identifiers at a primary data level, subject items of the regulated entities at a secondary data level and operational data of the subject items at a lower level below the secondary level;

a processor, coupled to said memory unit, generating an inspection checklist of requirements for at least one of the subject items of each of the regulated entities by accessing the joint-usage database in said memory unit;

an input unit, coupled to said processor and said memory unit, inputting the operational data obtained from monitoring operation of the subject items; and

an output unit, coupled to said processor, outputting the inspection checklist.

6. A system for regulation of regulated entities, comprising:

a memory unit storing information on the regulated entities, including a joint-usage database for multiple regulatory programs and storing regulated entity identifiers at a primary data level, subject items of the regulated entities at a secondary data level and operational data of the subject items at a lower level below the secondary level;

a processor, coupled to said memory unit, generating enforcement action requirements for at least one of the subject items of each of the regulated entities by accessing the joint-usage database in said memory unit;

an input unit, coupled to said processor and said memory unit, inputting the operational data obtained from monitoring operation of the subject items; and

an output unit, coupled to said processor, outputting an enforcement action.