Water rights analysis system

• US 9,195,719 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pinnacle Software, LLC
• Original Assignee: Pinnacle Software, LLC
• Inventors: Lassley, Jesse R., Green, Collin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/772,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40

Abstract

Exemplary water rights analysis systems and methods are disclosed herein. An exemplary method includes obtaining water rights data from a water rights agency database, maintaining a database of water rights data, receiving from a user a search query for water rights data, and presenting the search results on the user device. The exemplary method may additionally or alternatively include displaying on the user device one or more graphical elements on a geo-reference base layer representing one or more water rights data elements, such as a point of diversion change. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a water rights analysis system, a water rights database comprising water rights data representative of one or more water rights administered by a water rights agency;

providing, by the water rights analysis system for display by a user device, a graphical user interface including an interactive geo-reference base layer;

receiving, by the water rights analysis system from the user device, a search query defined by user input provided by a user of the user device;

identifying, based on the search query, a geographic search area;

searching, by the water rights analysis system, the water rights database to identify relevant water rights data, the relevant water rights data comprising water rights data for water rights having one or more geo-referenced water rights data elements located within the geographic search area; and

providing, by the water rights analysis system for display by the user device on the geo-reference base layer, one or more graphical elements representing at least a subset of the relevant water rights data,

wherein the one or more graphical elements comprises at least one of a change line representing a change in a point of diversion, a change line representing a change in a place of use, and an exchange line representing a water right exchange.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching, by the water rights analysis system in response to the receiving of the search query, the water rights database to identify at least one match to the search query;

determining, by the water rights analysis system, a geographic starting point location based on the at least one match to the search query; and

defining, by the water rights analysis system, the geographic search area based on the geographic starting point location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the search query comprises a water rights data search query or a geographic search query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the search query comprises a water rights data search query, and

the user input provided by the user comprises at least one of an owner name, a hydrologic basin, and a water right reference number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the search query comprises a geographic search query, and

the user input provided by the user comprises at least one of a user placement of an address, a real property parcel number, a public land survey location, a county, and a zip code.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the searching the water rights database to identify the relevant water rights data comprises searching the water rights data associated with a hydrologic basin in which the geographic starting point location is located.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the water rights analysis system in the graphical user interface, one or more user selectable filters, the one or more user selectable filters including filter criteria corresponding to water rights data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the water rights analysis system from the user device, a user selection of at least one of the one or more filters; and

updating, by the water rights analysis system, the relevant water rights data to exclude water rights data that does not satisfy the at least one of the one or more filters.

9. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein

the search query comprises a geographic search query, and

the user input is provided by the user by way of the interactive geo-reference base layer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user input provided by the user by way of the interactive geo-reference base layer comprises at least one of a user drawing of the search area, a user selection of a real property parcel, and a user selection of a hydrologic basin.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the water rights database further comprises real property data representative of one or more real property parcels.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the water rights analysis system for display on the graphical user interface, a status bar indicating a relative comparison of approved and rejected change applications represented by a change line on the interactive geo-reference base layer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein any one or more of the change line representing the change in the point of diversion, the change line representing the change in the place of use, and the exchange line representing the water right exchange includes an end shape identifier.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more graphical elements includes the change line representing the change in the point of diversion;

a starting endpoint of the change line representing the change in the point of diversion is located at one of a heretofore point of diversion of a relevant water right included in the one or more relevant water rights, an average of heretofore points of diversion of a relevant water right having multiple heretofore points of diversion, and an intelligent average of the heretofore points of diversion of the relevant water right having multiple heretofore points of diversion; and

a terminal endpoint of the change line representing the change in the point of diversion is located at one of a hereafter point of diversion of the relevant water right, an average of hereafter points of diversion of a relevant water right having multiple hereafter points of diversion, and an intelligent average of the hereafter points of diversion of the relevant water right having multiple hereafter points of diversion.

16. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more graphical elements are configured to be selectively removed from the geo-reference base layer by the user of the user device.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the water rights analysis system by way of the interactive geo-reference base layer, a user selection of one of the one or more graphical elements; and

providing, by the water rights analysis system for display on the interactive geo-reference base layer, additional water rights data associated with a relevant water right represented by the selected graphical element.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the geo-reference base layer comprises a map, a satellite image, or an aerial image.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the water rights analysis system for display by the user device in the graphical user interface, a results table including one or more water rights data elements associated with the relevant water rights,

wherein the results table is customizable by the user of the user device.

20. A method comprising:

providing, by a user device for display on a display device associated with the user device, a graphical user interface including an interactive geo-reference base layer;

receiving, by the user device, user input defining a search query;

transmitting, by the user device, the search query to a water rights analysis system for identification of a geographic search area; and

providing, by the user device for display on the interactive geo-reference base layer, the geographic search area and one or more graphical elements representing relevant water rights data,

wherein

the relevant water rights data comprises water rights data for water rights having at least one geo-referenced water rights data element located within the geographic search area, and

the one or more graphical elements comprises at least one of a change line representing a change in a point of diversion, a change line representing a change in a place of use, and an exchange line representing a water right exchange.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein

the one or more graphical elements comprises the change line representing the change in the point of diversion, and

the change line representing the change in the point of diversion is based on a one-to-one change, an average of heretofore and hereafter points of diversion, an intelligent average of multiple heretofore and hereafter points of diversion, or a cross product of the multiple heretofore and hereafter points of diversion.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying, by the user device on the graphical user interface, a status bar indicating a relative comparison of approved and rejected change applications represented by a change line on the interactive geo-reference base layer.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying, by the user device on the graphical user interface, one or more filters for selective application by the user, the one or more filters including filter criteria corresponding to water rights data;

receiving, by the user device by way of the graphical user interface, a user selection of at least one of the one or more filters; and

transmitting, by the user device to the water rights analysis system, data representative of the at least one of the one or more filters selected by the user,

wherein the relevant water rights include one or more water rights that satisfy the at least one of the one or more filters.

24. A water rights analysis system comprising:

a water rights database comprising water rights data representative of water rights administered by a water rights agency;

a GIS dataset that correlates to geo-referenced water rights data in the water rights database;

a search module configured to receive a search query from a user device and search the water rights database to identify one or more relevant water rights; and

a display module configured to display one or more graphical elements representing one or more geo-referenced water rights data elements of the one or more relevant water rights,

wherein the one or more graphical elements comprises at least one of a change line representing a change in a point of diversion, a change line representing a change in a place of use, and an exchange line representing a water right exchange.

25. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a water rights analysis system, a water rights database comprising water rights data representative of one or more water rights administered by a water rights agency;

receiving, by the water rights analysis system from a user device, user input to define a search query, the user input specifying an owner name or a real property parcel;

searching, by the water rights analysis system, the water rights database to identify relevant water rights data, wherein the relevant water rights data comprises water rights data corresponding to the owner name or the real property parcel; and

presenting, by the water rights analysis system for display on the user device, one or more graphical elements representing one or more geo-referenced water rights data elements of the relevant water rights data,

wherein the one or more graphical elements comprises at least one of a change line representing a change in a point of diversion, a change line representing a change in a place of use, and an exchange line representing a water right exchange.