System and method for performing flood zone certifications

• US 6,631,326 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2000
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sourceprose Corporation (TransUnion Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sourceprose Corporation (TransUnion Corporation)
• Inventors: Higgins, Darin Wayne, Scott, Dan Martin, Howard, John Willard
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor, Victor J.
• Application Number:
  US09/537,161
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 702/5, 702/3, 702/14, 702/34, 701/209, 364/420, 395/207, 348/135, 703/10, 703/5
• US Class Current: 702/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping

Abstract

A system and method for performing flood zone determinations using scanned, georeferenced, digital raster map images. The user, to determine the flood zone classification of a particular property, first enters the street address, or full legal address, into a data processing system. The system determines, from the address, which raster map includes that particular property. The system retrieves that map, and utilizes georeferencing information to locate the property on the raster map. The user can visually verify the location of the property as marked on the displayed raster map, and can at that point examine the flood zone indications on the raster map. Further, the system can compare the geographic coordinates of the property against a database of flood zone boundaries for an automated flood zone determination. The system can also generate, store, and produce flood zone certificates according to the flood zone determination.

Claims

1. A method for determining flood zone classification for real property, comprising the steps of:

receiving property identification data in a data processing system;

determining geographic coordinates corresponding to the property identification data;

displaying a map image with image coordinates corresponding to the geographic coordinates; and

storing a flood zone classification corresponding to the geographic coordinates.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving, in the data processing system, a user input indicating the flood zone classification corresponding to the geographic coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the property identification data is received from a user input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the property identification data is received from a second data processing system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the map image is a digital raster image.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of converting the geographic coordinates to image coordinates using a georeferencing function.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a user input which verifies that the correct map image has been displayed.

8. A data processing system having at least a processor, an accessible memory, and an accessible display, for determining the flood zone classification of real property, the system comprising:

a georeferencing component for associating image coordinates with geographic coordinates;

a geocoding component for associating a real property address with geographic coordinates;

a database component containing geographic data and flood data;

mapping component for identifying map images in the geographic data, according to the image coordinates and geographic coordinates; and

a display component for displaying the map images identified by the mapping component,

whereby the flood zone status of the real property address can be determined from the displayed map image.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the georeferencing component includes a set of functions for converting between geographic coordinates and image coordinates.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the geocoding component includes a database of real property addresses and associated geographic coordinates.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the database component stores data relating to at least one of georeferencing parameters, map boundary polygons, map panel data, and previous flood determinations.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the mapping component further identifies the location, within an identified map image, of the real property address.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the display component includes means for allowing a user to manipulate the displayed map image.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for receiving a user input which verifies that the correct map image has been displayed.

15. A computer-assisted method of determining the FEMA flood zone classification of selected real property, which comprises:

(A) receiving a street address of the real property;

(B) geocoding the address to determine the real property'"'"'s geographic coordinates;

(C) displaying and superimposing on a displayed georeferenced base map, which includes the geographic location of the property, the boundaries of those georeferenced FEMA map insets that are likely to contain the property'"'"'s geographic coordinates and those map inset boundaries that are proximate to the property'"'"'s geographic coordinates;

(D) examining the boundaries of the displayed and superimposed inset boundaries and selecting those insets having boundaries that have the highest probability of containing the property'"'"'s geographic coordinates;

(E) inspecting the selected insets to determine which one thereof both contains the geographic coordinates of the property and is usable to make a flood zone determination for the real property; and

(F) inspecting the one inset to determine the flood zone classification of the real property.

16. A method as in claim 15, further comprising:

(G) completing a flood zone certification using data set forth on the displayed base map and on the one inset.

17. A method as in claim 15, wherein:

geocoding step (B) comprises

(i) entering a data base containing addresses associated with their related geographic coordinates,

(ii) determining whether the address is associated with its related geographic coordinates in the data base, and,

(a) if it is so associated, using such coordinates in step (C), or

(b) if it is not so associated, determining such coordinates from one or more sources other than the data base.

18. A method as in claim 15, wherein:

the FEMA maps include

a plurality of panel maps each bounded by their neatlines, each panel map depicting one or more relatively small geographic areas (“

insets”

) and their flood zone classifications as well as various other data, the boundary of each inset being congruent with, or wholly contained within, the neatlines, and

a plurality of index maps each depicting within their neatlines a relatively large geographic area made up of a number of the small geographic areas, the large geographic area being divided into a grid the lines of which are comprised of the neatlines of the panel maps.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein:

step (C) is effected by displaying and superimposing on the displayed base map (i) the boundaries of those georeferenced insets and (ii) the neat lines of those georeferenced index maps either or both of which contain or are otherwise proximate to the property'"'"'s geographic coordinates.

20. A method as in claim 19, wherein:

step (D) is effected by selecting those georeferenced insets having either boundaries wholly containing the geographic coordinates of the property or boundaries having a selected proximity to the geographic coordinates of the property.

21. A method as in claim 20, wherein:

step (D) is carried out by visually inspecting the display of step (C).

22. A method as in claim 15, wherein:

steps (E) and (F) are carried out by, first, visually inspecting the display of step (C), then visually inspecting displays of the selected georeferenced insets, and then visually inspecting the one inset.

23. A method as in claim 22, further comprising:

(G) completing a flood zone certification using data set forth on the base map and on the one georeferenced inset.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein:

step (G) is carried out by visually inspecting the display of the base map.

25. A method as in claim 15, wherein:

the base map is a stored vector map image, which method further comprises

(G) defining a grid network on the base map, the grids being congruent with each other, each grid being associated with the insets of one or more georeferenced FEMA maps, and

(H) identifying the grid containing the geographic coordinates of the property to effect step (C) so that grid'"'"'s associated insets are displayed and superimposed thereon.

26. A method as in claim 15, wherein:

the flood zone classification is determined at the request of a client who furnishes the address of the real property, which method further comprises;

(G) completing a flood zone certification using data set forth on the base map and on the one georeferenced inset.

27. A method as in claim 26, which further comprises:

(H) furnishing the completed flood zone certification to the client.