Hazard detection for asset management

• US 8,929,585 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Utopus Insights, Inc. (Vestas Wind Systems A/S)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Culp, James R., Fenhagen, Frank D. IV, Hampapur, Arun, Liu, Xuan, Pankanti, Sharathchandra U.
• Primary Examiner(s): YENTRAPATI, AVINASH
• Application Number:
  US12/955,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20120134527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/422 Technical drawings; Geographical maps

Abstract

An approach that detects locations of hazardous conditions within an infrastructure is provided. This approach uses satellite imagery, GIS data, automatic image processing, and predictive modeling to determine the location of the hazards automatically, thus optimizing infrastructure management. Specifically, a hazard detection tool provides this capability. The hazard detection tool comprises a detection component configured to: receive visual media containing asset location data about a set of physical assets, and hazard location data about potential hazards within a vicinity of each of the set of physical assets. The detection component further receives graphical information system (GIS) data containing asset location data about each of the set of physical assets. The hazard detection tool further comprises an analysis component configured to: analyze the visual media to determine if a hazardous condition exists for each of the set of physical assets; and apply the GIS data to the visual media to determine a location of hazardous conditions within the infrastructure.

Claims

1. A method for detecting locations of hazardous conditions within an infrastructure, comprising:

receiving visual media containing asset location data about a plurality of physical assets, and hazard location data about potential hazards within a vicinity of each of the plurality of physical assets;

receiving graphical information system (GIS) data containing asset location data about each of the plurality of physical assets;

analyzing the visual media data to determine a hazardous condition for each of the plurality of physical assets, wherein a hazardous condition is identified in the case that an object in vicinity to one or more of the physical assets has a recent change in appearance;

ranking each of the hazardous conditions based on severity;

applying the GIS data to the visual media to determine a location of the hazardous conditions;

generating a visual overlay displayed atop a satellite image of the visual media, the visual overlay including a street address displayed along with one or more of the hazardous conditions; and

generating a maintenance plan based on the ranking of each of the hazardous conditions and the GIS data by determining a location of relevant road intersections and traffic control points based on the street address of the one or more hazardous conditions, and relaying the location of the relevant road intersections and traffic control points to maintenance personnel.

2. The method according to claim 1, the visual media comprising satellite imagery.

3. The method according to claim 1, the analyzing comprising automatic image processing.

4. The method according to claim 3, the automatic image processing comprising at least one of the following:

background modeling, object detection, spatial intensity field gradient analysis, line detection, and texture detection.

5. A system for detecting locations of hazardous conditions within an infrastructure comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory operably associated with the at least one processing unit; and

a hazard detection tool storable in memory and executable by the at least one processing unit, the hazard detection tool comprising;

a detection component containing computer instructions, which when executed, cause the system to;

receive visual media containing asset location data about a set of physical assets, and hazard location data about potential hazards within a vicinity of each of the set of physical asset;

receive graphical information system (GIS) data containing asset location data about each of the set of physical assets; and

an analysis component configured to;

analyze the visual media data to determine a hazardous condition for each of the plurality of physical assets, wherein a hazardous condition is identified in the case that an object in vicinity to one or more of the physical assets has a recent change in appearance;

rank each of the hazardous conditions based on severity;

apply the GIS data to the visual media to determine a location of the hazardous conditions;

generate a visual overlay displayed atop a satellite image of the visual media, the visual overlay including a street address displayed along with one or more of the hazardous conditions; and

generate a maintenance plan based on the ranking of each of the hazardous conditions and the GIS data by determining a location of relevant road intersections and traffic control points based on the street address of the one or more hazardous conditions, and relaying the location of the relevant road intersections and traffic control points to maintenance personnel.

6. The hazard detection tool according to claim 5, the visual media comprising satellite imagery.

7. The hazard detection tool according to claim 5, the analysis component further containing computer instructions, which when executed, cause the system to perform automatic image processing.

8. The hazard detection tool according to claim 7, the automatic image processing performed by the analysis component comprising at least one of the following:

background modeling, object detection, spatial intensity field gradient analysis, line detection, and texture detection.

9. A computer program product for detecting locations of hazardous conditions within an infrastructure, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media, to:

receive visual media containing asset location data about a set of physical assets, and hazard location data about potential hazards within a vicinity of each of the set of physical asset;

receive graphical information system (GIS) data containing asset location data about each of the set of physical assets;

analyze the visual media data to determine a hazardous condition for each of the plurality of physical assets, wherein a hazardous condition is identified in the case that an object in vicinity to one or more of the physical assets has a recent change in appearance;

rank each of the hazardous conditions based on severity;

apply the GIS data to the visual media to determine a location of the hazardous conditions;

generate a visual overlay displayed atop a satellite image of the visual media, the visual overlay including a street address displayed along with one or more of the hazardous conditions; and

generate a maintenance plan based on the ranking of each of the hazardous conditions and the GIS data by determining a location of relevant road intersections and traffic control points based on the street address of the one or more hazardous conditions, and relaying the location of the relevant road intersections and traffic control points to maintenance personnel.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, the visual media comprising satellite imagery.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media to perform automatic image processing.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the automatic image processing comprising at least one of the following:

background modeling, object detection, spatial intensity field gradient analysis, line detection, and texture detection.

13. A method comprising a computing system integrating computer-readable code stored on a computer-readable storage device, wherein the computer-readable code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a process for detecting locations of hazardous conditions within an infrastructure, the process comprising:

receiving visual media containing asset location data about a set of physical assets, and hazard location data about potential hazards within a vicinity of each of the set of physical asset;

receiving graphical information system (GIS) data containing asset location data about each of the set of physical assets;

analyzing the visual media data to determine a hazardous condition for each of the plurality of physical assets;

ranking each of the hazardous conditions based on severity, wherein a higher ranking is assigned to the hazard condition identified as a result of the object in vicinity to one or more of the physical assets having the recent change in appearance;

applying the GIS data to the visual media to determine a location of the hazardous conditions;

generating a visual overlay displayed atop a satellite image of the visual media, the visual overlay including a street address displayed along with one or more of the hazardous conditions; and

generating a maintenance plan based on the ranking of each of the hazardous conditions and the GIS data by determining a location of relevant road intersections and traffic control points based on the street address of the one or more hazardous conditions, and relaying the location of the relevant road intersections and traffic control points to maintenance personnel.

14. The method of claim 13, the visual media comprising satellite imagery.

15. The method of claim 13, the process further comprising performing automatic image processing.

16. The method of claim 15, the automatic image processing comprising at least one of the following:

background modeling, object detection, spatial intensity field gradient analysis, line detection, and texture detection.