Systems and methods for field data collection

• US 8,732,598 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Wendell Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Wendell Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Fox, Charles W., Schu, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHARGAVA, ANIL K
• Application Number:
  US12/081,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for automated field data collection. A client system may download graphical representations and space hierarchy information associated with the project from a server. A user may open, on the client system, an area where the field data collection is to occur (e.g., a room in a building), whereby the client system automatically navigates to a pre-defined region of the graphical representation (e.g., an architectural floor plan). For each discrepancy identified, the user may touch a corresponding location on the graphical representation and select a discrepancy type from a list. The user may then associate additional data files, such as image files, audio files, video files, and GPS coordinates with the discrepancy. An organization responsible for correcting the discrepancy may be automatically assigned and/or notified based on an association made on the server.

Claims

1. A method for structured field data collection comprising:

providing a space hierarchy to a user, wherein the space hierarchy comprises one or more spaces and corresponding sub-spaces, wherein the sub-spaces comprise information regarding properties of the one or more spaces and corresponding sub-spaces,

receiving a selection of a space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces selected from the space hierarchy,

receiving a unique identifier of an actual space related to the selection of the space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces,

providing an architectural diagram to the user of the actual space corresponding to the selected space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces by using the unique identifier,

receiving input from the user to select a space type description,

automatically navigating the architectural diagram to the selection of the space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces,

receiving input from the user regarding one or more discrepancies in the space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces,

automatically identifying one or more third parties associated with acting on the one or more discrepancies,

associating user collected data regarding the one or more discrepancies with a position on the architectural diagram by creating a notation on the architectural diagram at the position, wherein the position corresponds with an actual position of the one or more discrepancies, and wherein the user collected data is categorized based upon the selection of the space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces, and

receiving and storing the user collected data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the space selected from the space hierarchy is associated with a space type that comprises information regarding predetermined, categorized and standardized descriptions of actual sub-spaces.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user collected data is collected on a portable computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the space hierarchy to the user further comprises causing the one or more spaces and corresponding sub-spaces of the space hierarchy to be displayed to the user, and

wherein the user interactively navigates the space hierarchy to select the displayed space of interest and corresponding displayed sub-spaces that describe the actual space.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the architectural diagram further comprises one or more of digital images, photographs, schematic diagrams, maps, sketches, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the architectural diagram between high resolution and low resolution versions for storage in a database and display on a portable computing device, respectively.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing to the user one or more discrepancies that have been reported as acted on by a third party,

presenting to the user a menu for indicating whether the one or more discrepancies have been corrected or have, not been corrected by the action as reported, and

receiving verification from the user that the action is complete or not complete.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising suggesting a classification of the one or more discrepancies based upon the space and corresponding sub-spaces.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing a user to repeatedly access the architectural diagram and add, remove or edit the user collected data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-associating regions of the architectural diagram with spaces and corresponding sub-spaces.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a visual notation is placed at the position on the architectural diagram to associate the user collected data with the position on the architectural diagram.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the visual notation is coordinate mapped to the position on the architectural diagram.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising retaining the coordinate mapping of the visual notation and the architectural diagram when converting between a low-resolution version of the architectural diagram and a high-resolution version of the architectural diagram.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the visual notation remains associated with the position on the architectural diagram during conversion.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the user collected data with a separate data file.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the separate data file may be selected from the group consisting of image files, audio files, video files, freeform notations, GPS coordinates, and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report of the user collected data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the report comprises the position of the architectural diagram corresponding to the actual position of the actual space.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising individually verifying the one or more discrepancies by receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more discrepancies on the architectural diagram, displaying a menu, receiving a selection of a menu item that indicates whether the discrepancy has been corrected, not corrected or other from the menu, updating a discrepancy status, and refreshing the discrepancy status displayed to the user.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising removing the one or more discrepancies from a list of discrepancies to verify.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the remaining one or more discrepancies are then updated in one step.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating user collected data regarding the one or more discrepancies with a position on the architectural diagram is performed by a user touching the position on the architectural diagram to create the entry on the architectural diagram at the position associated with the actual position.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein

providing a visual notation at the position on the architectural diagram to bring up one or more discrepancies of the actual position corresponding to the position on the architectural diagram.

24. A system for structured field data collection comprising:

a server in communication with a database, wherein the database stores architectural diagrams of spaces and user collected data,

wherein the server is further in communication with a portable computing device,

wherein the user collected data is entered and processed into the database via the portable computing device, the entering and processing comprising the steps of;

providing an architectural diagram to the portable computing device of a user-identified space, wherein the architectural diagram is automatically navigable to a user selection of a space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces,

categorizing the user collected data based upon a user-selected sub-space within a space hierarchy, wherein the space hierarchy comprises one or more spaces and corresponding sub-spaces, wherein the sub-spaces comprise information regarding properties of the one or more spaces and corresponding sub-spaces,

associating the user collected data regarding one or more discrepancies with the architectural diagram,

providing a notation on the architectural diagram to bring up the user collected data regarding the one or more discrepancies with the architectural diagram,

automatically identifying one or more third parties associated with acting on the one or more discrepancies, and

storing the associated user collected data and architectural diagram in the database.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the associating comprises coordinate mapping one or more visual notations, representing the user collected data, with the architectural diagram on the portable computing device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the storing further comprises retaining the coordinate mapping of the associated one or more visual notations and architectural diagram when converting between a low-resolution version of the architectural diagram and a high-resolution version of the architectural diagram.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein at least some of the processing occurs at the portable computing device.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the user collected data is received via a browser on the portable computing device.

29. A method for structured field data collection, the method steps stored in a storage medium and executed by one or more processors comprising:

providing one or more space types to a user, wherein the one or more space types are selected from a pre-determined source of user-selectable space types, and wherein the one or more space types comprise information regarding properties of actual spaces,

providing an architectural diagram to a user of a user-identified space of interest, associating a user-selected space, representing the user-identified space of interest, with an area on the architectural diagram,

automatically navigating the architectural diagram to the selection of the space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces,

receiving input from the user regarding one or more discrepancies in the space of interest and corresponding sub-spaces,

providing a notation on the architectural diagram to bring up the user collected data regarding the one or more discrepancies with the architectural diagram,

automatically identifying one or more third parties associated with acting on the one or more discrepancies, and

categorizing user collected data based upon the user-selected space type, wherein the user collected data corresponds to the position on the architectural diagram.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising creating one or more visual indications of the user collected data on the position on the architectural diagram.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising associating the one or more visual indications with one or more coordinates in the architectural diagram.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising converting the architectural diagram from low resolution to high resolution while retaining the association of the one or more visual indications with the one or more coordinates of the architectural diagram.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising converting the architectural diagram between high resolution on the database and low resolution for display on a portable computing device.

34. A method for structuring information types comprising:

providing a hierarchy of spaces, wherein the hierarchy represents standardized space types, and wherein the space types comprise information regarding properties of actual spaces,

providing an architectural diagram of an actual space,

automatically navigating the architectural diagram to the selection of the actual space,

receiving user collected data corresponding to the actual space and a user-selected space type associated with the actual space, wherein the user collected data is regarding one or more discrepancies in the actual space and is associated with the architectural diagram at a position in the architectural diagram corresponding to a location of the one or more discrepancies in the actual space, automatically identifying one or more third parties associated with acting on the one or more discrepancies, and

providing a notation on the architectural diagram at the position, and

categorizing the user collected data based upon the user-selected space type.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising generating a report of the user-collected data, and wherein generating the report comprises sorting and filtering the user collected data based upon the user-selected space type to provide statistical analysis of the actual space.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising associating the user collected data with the architectural diagram of the actual space.