System and method for collecting and organizing information related to utility assets

• US 9,292,813 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prostar Geocorp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Precision Solutions, Llp
• Inventors: Tucker, Page, Whitney, Lee Adrian III
• Primary Examiner(s): Holwerda, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/307,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20140297343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations

Abstract

A method and system for collecting information related to utility assets include determining a position of an underground utility asset by a location determining device; integrating location data from a Global positioning system (GPS) receiver with the determined position of the underground utility asset to provide information about coordinates of the position of the underground utility asset; adding characteristics of the underground utility asset including a size of the underground utility asset, to the integrated data to generate one or more data records including the information about coordinates of the position of the underground utility asset; integrating landbase data with the data records for the underground utility asset; and displaying a scrolling map including the data records and a portion of the landbase data.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for collecting information related to utility assets comprising:

determining a position of an underground utility asset by a location determining device;

in real time and by one or more processors, integrating location data from a Global positioning system (GPS) receiver with the determined position of the underground utility asset to provide information about depth, longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the position of the underground utility asset;

adding, by one or more processors, characteristics of the underground utility asset including a size of the underground utility asset, to the integrated data to generate one or more data records for the underground utility asset including the information about depth, longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the position of the underground utility asset;

in real time, integrating landbase data with the one or more data records for the underground utility asset to generate a precision integration data record;

including a first buffer zone around the position of the underground utility asset, in the precision integration data record;

generating an error correction signal for correcting the position of the underground utility asset determined by the location determining device;

generating a second buffer zone around the position of the underground utility asset, based on the error correction signal; and

in real time, displaying a scrolling map including the one or more data records, the first buffer zone, the second buffer zone, and a portion of the landbase data on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising defining a project area including the position of the underground utility asset, wherein the scrolling map is a map of the project area.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising attaching symbols input by a user to the landbase data and the one or more data records.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the one or more data records in a remote database.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising retrieving a warning zone for a nearest utility asset from the stored information;

and generating a warning signal in accordance with a distance to the nearest utility asset.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the location determining device comprises one of the group consisting of a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) reader, a ground penetrating radar, an electromagnetic imaging device, and a computer aided tomography device.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising integrating an imagery of the project area with the data records to generate an image representation of the project area.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising integrating the one or more data records with a Geographical Information System (GIS) landbase template including a map imagery and infrastructures to create a precision grid including the location of the utility asset, the map imagery and the infrastructures.

9. A system for collecting information related to utility assets comprising:

a location determining device for determining a position of an underground utility asset;

a processor for integrating, in real time, location data from a Global positioning system (GPS) receiver with the determined position of the underground utility asset to provide information about depth, longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the position of the underground utility asset, adding characteristics of the underground utility asset including a size of the underground utility asset, to the integrated data to generate one or more data records for the underground utility asset including the information about depth, longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the position of the underground utility asset;

integrating landbase data with the one or more data records for the underground utility asset to generate a precision integration data record, and including a first buffer zone around the position of the underground utility asset, in the precision integration data record;

a position error detector for generating an error correction signal for correcting the position of the underground utility asset determined by the location determining device, wherein the processor generates a second buffer zone around the position of the underground utility asset, based on the error correction signal; and

a display device for displaying a scrolling map including the one or more data records, the first buffer zone, the second buffer zone, and a portion of the landbase data.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising an input device for defining a project area including the position of the underground utility asset, wherein the scrolling map is a map of the project area.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor attaches symbols input by a user to the landbase data and the one or more data records.

12. The system of claim 9 further comprising a remote database server for storing the one or more data records.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor retrieves a warning zone for a nearest utility asset from the stored information;

and generates a warning signal in accordance with a distance to the nearest utility asset.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the location determining device comprises one of the group consisting of a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) reader, a ground penetrating radar, an electromagnetic imaging device, and a computer aided tomography device.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the processor integrates an imagery of the project area with the data records to generate an image representation of the project area.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor integrates the one or more data records with a Geographical Information System (GIS) landbase template including a map imagery and infrastructures to create a precision grid including the location of the utility asset, the map imagery and the infrastructures.