Merging data from survey devices

• US 7,987,212 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Mueller, Quan E., Kessinger, Gregory A., Gebben, Charles V., Lantaff, Gary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy; Hung T
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/190,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 707/809
• US Class Current: 707/809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

Tools for synchronizing survey data between one or more survey devices and a surveying office application. The disclosed tools can help to ensure that each of the devices, and the office application, have consistent data. An exemplary tool might detect a change to data in an office application, identify any affected files on one or more survey devices, and ensure that the affected files are updated with the appropriate information. Conversely, in other aspects, a data inconsistency (which might be caused by a data change in the office application and/or on one or more of the survey devices) might be detected, and tools might be provided to enable a user to ensure that the correct version of the data is maintained by the system.

Claims

1. A method of providing consistent data across a plurality of survey devices that are used to survey a geographic area in order to obtain data that may be used to map the geographic area, the method comprising:

managing, with a computer system, a database for storing surveying data obtained from the plurality of survey devices when conducting a surveying project where a geographic area is surveyed and for executing a surveying office application that allows a user of the computer system to map a location associated with the surveying project;

storing, in the database, a dataset about a the surveying project;

managing, with the computer system, a first set of one or more device files stored on a first survey device and a second set of one or more device files stored on a second survey device, wherein the first set and the second set each comprise reference points that correspond to locations to be mapped by the surveying project;

comparing a first subset of data in the dataset with the a second subset of data in the first set of one or more device files and a third subset of data in the second set of one or more device files, wherein the first subset of data in the dataset includes reference points identified by a first label, wherein the second subset of data includes reference points identified by a second label, and wherein the third subset of data includes reference points identified by a third label;

determining, based on a comparison of the reference points in first subset of data, the second subset of data, and the third subset of data, and a comparison of the first label, the second label and the third label that an inconsistency exists between one or more of the labels and the reference points in the subsets of data;

identifying a proper subset of data among the subsets of data; and

updating one or more of the subsets of data to resolve the inconsistency such that each of labels and the subsets of data are consistent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, for a user, an indication that one or more of the subsets have been updated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein all of the subsets of data describe a first reference point for the surveying project.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein updating one or more of the subsets of data to resolve the inconsistency comprises reassigning one of the subsets of data to a second reference point.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying a proper set of data among the inconsistent data comprises:

displaying, for a user, each of the subsets of data;

receiving first input from the user, the first input selecting a desired subset of data; and

identifying the desired subset of data as the proper subset of data;

receiving second input from the user, the second input identifying the subset of data to be reassigned to the second reference point.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein updating one or more of the subsets of data to resolve the inconsistency comprises modifying data in one or more of the subsets of data to match data in the proper subset of data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first subset of data, with the second subset of data and the third subset of data comprises:

analyzing one or more properties of a first file in the first set of one or more device files; and

analyzing a second one or more properties of a second file in the second set of one or more device files.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more properties are selected from the group consisting of a filename, a file creation date, a file modification date, a file version number, a file size, and a hash value.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying a proper subset of data comprises identifying a most recently-updated subset of data.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that an inconsistency exists between one or more of the subsets of data comprises:

determining, based on an analysis of one or more properties of the first file, that the second subset of data has been modified on the first survey device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining that an inconsistency exists between one or more of the subsets of data further comprises:

comparing data within the first file with corresponding data within the dataset.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a proper set of data among the inconsistent data comprises:

displaying, for a user, each of the subsets of data;

receiving input from the user, the input selecting a desired subset of data; and

identifying the desired subset of data as the proper subset of data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein updating one or more of the subsets of data comprises:

modifying the dataset to replace the first subset of data with the proper subset of data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein managing a first set of one or more device files stored on a first survey device comprises storing, in a file system accessible by the computer system, a first set of one or more local files corresponding to the first set of one or more device files, and wherein managing a second set of one or more device files stored on a second survey devices comprises storing, in the file system, a second set of one or more local files corresponding to the second set of one or more device files.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein updating one or more of the subsets of data comprises:

modifying one or more files in the first set of local files; and

transferring the one or more modified files to the first survey device to replace the second subset of data with the proper subset of data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein transferring the one or more modified files to the first survey device comprises copying the one or more modified files from the file system to the first survey device but not removing the one or more modified files from the file system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first survey device is in communication with the file system only intermittently, and wherein transferring at least the replacement file to the first survey device comprises:

queuing the one or more modified files for updating;

determining that communication has been established between the first survey device and the file system; and

based on a determination that communication has been established between the first survey device and the file system, transferring the one or more modified files from the file system to the first survey device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first survey device is in wireless communication with the file system, and wherein transferring the one or more modified files from the file system to the first survey device comprises transferring the one or more modified files via wireless communication.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first survey device comprises a global positioning system (“

GPS”

) receiver.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more device files on the first survey device comprises one or more text files defining reference points, one or more drawing interchange format (“

DXF”

) files, and one or more triangle files.

21. A computer system, comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface in communication with the processor; and

a computer readable medium in communication with the processor, the computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by the computer system to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for managing a database for storing surveying data obtained from a plurality of survey devices when conducting a surveying project where a geographic area is surveyed;

instructions for executing a surveying office application that allows a user of the computer system to map a location associated with the surveying project;

instructions for storing, in the database, a dataset about the a surveying project;

instructions for managing a first set of one or more device files stored on a first survey device and a second set of one or more device files stored on a second survey device, wherein the first and second survey devices are used to survey a geographic area in order to obtain data that may be used to map the geographic area, and wherein the first set and the second set each comprise reference points that correspond to locations to be mapped by the surveying project;

instructions for comparing a first subset of data in the dataset with the a second subset of data in the first set of one or more device files and a third subset of data in the second set of one or more device files, wherein the first subset of data in the dataset includes reference points identified by a first label, wherein the second subset of data includes reference points identified by a second label, and wherein the third subset of data includes reference points identified by a third label;

instructions for determining, based on a comparison of the reference points in the first subset of data, the second subset of data, and the third subset of data and a comparison of the first label, the second label and the third label, that an inconsistency exists between one or more of the labels and the reference points in the subsets of data;

instructions for identifying a proper subset of data among the subsets of data; and

updating one or more of the subsets of data to resolve the inconsistency such that each of labels and the subsets of data are consistent.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon a set of instructions executable by a computer system to perform one or more operations, the set of instructions comprising;

instructions for managing a database for storing surveying data obtained from a plurality of survey devices when conducting a surveying project where a geographic area is surveyed;

instructions for executing a surveying office application that allows a user of the computer system to map a location associated with the surveying project;

instructions for storing, in the database, a dataset about the a surveying project;

instructions for managing a first set of one or more device files stored on a first survey device and a second set of one or more device files stored on a second survey device, wherein the first and second survey devices are used to survey a geographic area in order to obtain data that may be used to map the geographic area, and wherein the first set and the second set each comprise reference points that correspond to locations to be mapped by the surveying project;

instructions for comparing a first subset of data in the dataset with the a second subset of data in the first set of one or more device files and a third subset of data in the second set of one or more device files, wherein the first subset of data in the dataset includes reference points identified by a first label, wherein the second subset of data includes reference points identified by a second label, and wherein the third subset of data includes reference points identified by a third label;

instructions for determining, based on a comparison of the reference points in the first subset of data, the second subset of data, and the third subset of data and a comparison of the first label, the second label and the third label, that an inconsistency exists between one or more of the labels and the reference points in the subsets of data;

instructions for identifying a proper subset of data among the subsets of data; and

instructions for updating one or more of the subsets of data to resolve the inconsistency such that each of labels and the subsets of data are consistent.