AGTM airborne surveillance

• US 8,849,551 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Gadler, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US12/628,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 701120-122, 701/112, 701/200, 701/522, 701/515, 701/520, 701/468, 701/482, 701/411, 701413-415, 701/416, 701/117, 701/119, 701/423, 340/910, 340/915, 340/995.19, 340/995.28, 340989-993, 340/995.1, 707/10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/91 for traffic control G01S13/93 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatuses for managing ground transportation in a geographical area are disclosed. A system for managing ground transportation in a geographical area in accordance with the present invention comprises at least one airborne surveillance platform, a graphical information systems (GIS) database, receiving information from the airborne surveillance platform, the GIS database storing data that represents the geographical area, the GIS database including at least one node representing at least one geographical location within the geographic area and at least one arc representing at least one street within the geographic area, and a routing tool, coupled to the GIS database, wherein the dynamic routing tool accepts data from the GIS database and determines a transportation route for at least one vehicle within the geographical area using at least the data from the GIS database and the information from the airborne surveillance platform.

Claims

1. A system for managing ground transportation in a geographic area, comprising:

a graphical information systems (GIS) database storing data that represents the geographic area, the GIS database including at least one node representing at least one location within the geographic area;

an emergency responder route calculator to determine a first transportation route for an emergency responder during an event based on at least data from the GIS database or information from an airborne surveillance platform;

an evacuation route calculator to determine a second transportation route for an evacuee based on at least data from the GIS database or the information from the airborne surveillance platform; and

a preventer to restrict the second transportation route determined for the evacuee from including the first transportation route determined for the emergency responder during the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the airborne surveillance platform flies in a specified flight path.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is an emergency situation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the information from the airborne surveillance platform comprises at least one of millimeter wave data, radar data, or photographic data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information from the airborne surveillance platform is re-acquired from the geographic area on a periodic basis.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the GIS database is to receive the information from the airborne surveillance platform via a communication link.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the airborne surveillance platform is to use target recognition data that is sent to the GIS database to align the information with the data in the GIS database.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the airborne surveillance platform is a High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data from the GIS database and the information from the airborne surveillance platform is used by the evacuation route calculator to increase a traffic flow along the second transportation route.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein increasing the traffic flow along the second transportation route comprises determining different routes for different evacuees within the same geographic area.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein preventing the second transportation route from including the first transportation route comprises restricting the second transportation route from including at least a portion of the first transportation route.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein preventing the second transportation route from including the first transportation route comprises associating an indication of an incident with the first transportation route.

3. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

store, in a graphical information systems (GIS) database, information associated with a geographic area and at least one node representing at least one location within the geographic area;

generate a first transportation route for a first evacuee within the geographic area based on at least data from the GIS database or real-time information from an airborne surveillance platform;

generate a second transportation route for an emergency responder based on at least data from the GIS database or real-time information from the airborne surveillance platform; and

prevent the first transportation route for the first evacuee from overlapping with the second transportation route during an event.

17. The storage medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate a third transportation route for a second evacuee within the geographic area based on at least data from the GIS database or real-time information from the airborne surveillance platform, wherein the first and third transportation routes are different.

18. The storage medium of claim 3, wherein preventing the first transportation route from overlapping with the second transportation route comprises associating an indication of an incident with the second transportation route.

14. A method, comprising:

storing, in a graphical information systems (GIS) database, information associated with a geographic area and at least one node representing at least one location within the geographic area;

generating a first transportation route for emergency personnel during an event based on at least data from the GIS database or real-time information from an airborne surveillance platform; and

preventing evacuees from using the first transportation route during the event by generating a second transportation route for the evacuees that excludes the first transportation route, wherein the second transportation route is based on at least data from the GIS database or real-time information from the airborne surveillance platform.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the second transportation route to exclude the first transportation route comprises associating an indication of an incident with the first transportation route.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating different transportation routes for different ones of the evacuees based on at least data from the GIS database or real-time information from the airborne surveillance platform.