Reporting for an aquatic geographic information system

• US 9,361,314 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navico Incorporated (Brunswick Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navico Holding A.S. (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Lauenstein, Michael, Johnson, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US14/673,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-899
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/18 for measuring depth
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8902 Side-looking sonar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/56 Display arrangements short-range imaging G01S7/52053
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/282 Application of seismic models, synthetic seismograms
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/3808 Seismic data acquisition, e.g. survey design
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 20/00 Geomodelling in general
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/10 Aspects of acoustic signal generation or detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/64 Geostructures, e.g. in 3D data cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/50 Depth or shape recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/422 Technical drawings; Geographical maps

Abstract

A method of reporting geo-statistical data includes piloting a watercraft with a monitoring system on a water body and taking measurements of a water body parameter and of the position of the watercraft. The measurements of the water body parameter and of the position are aligned and a contour map of the water body having a depth ranges is provided. The first water body parameter is correlated to at least one of the depth ranges to create a report.

Claims

1. A method of reporting geo-statistical data, the method comprising:

piloting a first watercraft on a water body, the first watercraft including a first monitoring system;

taking a first plurality of measurements of a first water body parameter using the first monitoring system;

taking a second plurality of measurements of a position of the first watercraft using the first monitoring system;

sending the first plurality of measurements and the second plurality of measurements to a server;

aligning by the server the first plurality of measurements with the second plurality of measurements;

piloting a second watercraft on the water body, the second watercraft including a second monitoring system;

taking a fifth plurality of measurements of the first water body parameter using the second monitoring system;

taking a sixth plurality of measurements of a position of the second watercraft using the second monitoring system;

sending the fifth plurality of measurements and the sixth plurality of measurements to the server;

aligning by the server the fifth plurality of measurements with the sixth plurality of measurements;

merging the first, second, fifth, and sixth pluralities of measurements;

providing a contour map of the water body having a plurality of depth ranges; and

correlating by the server the first water body parameter to at least one of the depth ranges to create a report.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a contour map of the water body having a plurality of depth ranges comprises:

taking a third plurality of measurements of a depth of the water body using the first monitoring system; and

organizing the third plurality of measurements into the plurality of depth ranges.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first water body parameter describes one of water temperature, barometric pressure, plant height, plant biovolume, area covered by plants, biomass, substrate hardness/softness, and bottom hardness/softness.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

taking a fourth plurality of measurements of a second water body parameter using the first monitoring system;

aligning the fourth plurality of measurements with the second plurality of measurements; and

correlating the second water body parameter to at least one of the depth ranges.

5. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

validating the second plurality of measurements by the server.

6. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

assigning at least one of a user identifier, a trip identifier, and a water body identifier to the aligned first and second pluralities of measurements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a contour map of the water body comprises:

using the second plurality of measurements to create a Mercator map.

8. The method of claim 7, and further comprising:

superimposing the Mercator map on a water body image.

9. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

authorizing a user to retrieve the report by the server.

10. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

sending the report by the server to the user.

11. A geographic information system comprising:

a monitoring system comprising;

a first measurement device for measuring a first water body parameter wherein the monitoring system is configured to record first measurement data points;

a second measurement device for measuring a second water body parameter wherein the monitoring system is configured to record second measurement data points; and

a position measurement device for measuring a position of the monitoring system wherein the monitoring system is configured to record position data points;

a data link connected to the monitoring system;

a network connected to the data link;

a server connected to the network;

a database connected to the network; and

a user computer connected to the network;

wherein the server is configured to receive the first measurement data points and the position data points, align the first measurement data points with the position data points, provide a contour map of the water body having a plurality of depth ranges, and correlate the first measurement data points to at least one of the depth ranges; and

wherein the server is configured to receive the second measurement data points, align the second measurement data points with the position data points, and correlate the second measurement data points to at least one of the depth ranges.

12. The geographic information system of claim 11, and further comprising:

a report created by the server, the report including the contour map with the measurement data points correlated to the at least one of the depth ranges.

13. The geographic information system of claim 12 and further comprising:

an authentication provided by the user computer to the server that allows the report to be accessible by the user computer.

14. The geographic information system of claim 11, wherein the contour map includes a Mercator map of the position data points superimposed on a water body image.

15. The geographic information system of claim 11, and further comprising:

a user identifier;

a trip identifier; and

a water body identifier;

wherein the user identifier, the trip identifier, and the water body identifier are assigned to the aligned the first measurement data points with the position data points by the server.

16. A method of reporting geo-statistical data, the method comprising:

receiving by a server a first plurality of measurement data points that represent values of a first water body parameter and a second plurality of position data points that represent a plurality of positions from which the first plurality of measurement data points were measured;

aligning by the server the first plurality of measurement data points with the second plurality of position data points;

receiving by the server a third plurality of measurement data points that represent values of the first water body parameter and a fourth plurality of position data points that represent a plurality of positions from which the third plurality of measurement data points were measured;

aligning by the server the third plurality of measurement data points with the fourth plurality of position data points;

merging the first and third pluralities of measurement data points and the second and fourth pluralities of position data points;

providing a contour map of the water body having a plurality of depth ranges;

correlating by the server the first water body parameter to at least one of the depth ranges; and

creating by the server a report.

17. The method of claim 16, and further comprising:

providing by the server the report to an authenticated user.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first water body parameter describes one of water temperature, barometric pressure, plant height, plant biovolume, area covered by plants, biomass, substrate hardness/softness, and bottom hardness/softness.

19. The method of claim 16, and further comprising:

assigning at least one of a first user identifier, a first trip identifier, and a water body identifier to the aligned first plurality of measurement data points with the second plurality of position data points; and

assigning at least one of a second user identifier, a second trip identifier, and the water body identifier to the aligned third plurality of measurement data points with the fourth plurality of position data points.

20. The method of claim 16, and further comprising:

receiving by a server a fifth plurality of measurement data points that represent values of a second water body parameter and a sixth plurality of position data points that represent a plurality of positions from which the fifth plurality of measurement data points were measured;

aligning by the server the fifth plurality of measurement data points with the sixth plurality of position data points; and

correlating by the server the second water body parameter to at least one of the depth ranges.