Incident reporting

• US 9,497,581 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Darby, George Derrick Jr., Large, Peter, Fosburgh, Bryn, Quintrell, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLIDAY, JAIME MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US12/964,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20110143707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: 4554041-4042
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging

Abstract

A system for reporting incidents. A receiver for receiving cellular based communication corresponding to an incident, wherein the cellular based communication comprises an image. An incident location determiner for automatically determining a location of the incident based on the image of the cellular based communication. An incident report generator for generating a report of the incident, the report including the location of the incident.

Claims

1. A system for reporting incidents comprising:

a computer-readable medium for storing data and instructions; and

a processor for executing said instructions that perform actions, said instructions comprising;

receiving cellular based communication corresponding to an incident wherein said cellular based communication comprises an image;

automatically determining a location of said incident based on comparing a reference feature of said image of said cellular based communication to a database of known geo-referenced images that are geolocated to a coordinate system;

validating accuracy of said location by validating a presence of vertical information in a geo-referenced image that shares said reference feature in common with said image of said cellular based communication, wherein said vertical information includes Z-coordinate information; and

generating a report of said incident, said report including said location of said incident.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said cellular based communication includes global positioning data and said location of said incident is determined from said global positioning data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said cellular based communication includes a text message and said location of said incident is determined from said text message.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said cellular based communication includes voice data and said location of said incident is determined from said voice data.

5. A method for reporting incidents comprising:

receiving, by a processor, cellular based communication corresponding to an incident wherein said cellular based communication comprises an image;

automatically determining, by said processor, a location of said incident based on comparing a reference feature of said image of said cellular based communication to a database of known geo-referenced images that are geolocated to a coordinate system;

validating, by said processor, accuracy of said location by validating a presence of vertical information in a geo-referenced image that shares said reference feature in common with said image of said cellular based communication, wherein said vertical information includes Z-coordinate information; and

generating, by said processor, a report of said incident, said report including said location of said incident.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said cellular based communication includes global positioning data and said method further includes:

determining said location of said incident based on said global positioning data.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said cellular based communication includes an image and said method further includes:

determining said location of said incident based on said image.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said cellular based communication includes a text message and said method further includes:

determining said location of said incident based on said text message.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein said cellular based communication includes voice data and said method further includes:

determining said location of said incident based on said voice data.

10. A portable electronic device for reporting incidents comprising:

a cellular telephone communications system configured to couple to a cellular communications network;

a camera for capturing an image of an incident; and

a one touch input device configured to;

automatically call an incident reporting service coupled to said cellular communications network when selected;

communicate information regarding a type of incident to said incident reporting service, wherein said type of incident is determined by extracting features from the image, and wherein said type of incident comprises a size and direction of said incident and what agency to notify of said incident;

automatically determine a location of said incident based on comparing a reference feature of said image to a database of known geo-referenced images that are geolocated to a coordinate system; and

validate accuracy of said location by validating a presence of vertical information in a geo-referenced image that shares said reference feature in common with said image, wherein said vertical information includes Z-coordinate information.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein said one touch input device is further configured to provide incident reporting data to said incident reporting service.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein incident reporting data comprises said location.

13. A method for reporting an incident from a cellular based communication device coupled to a cellular communications network comprising:

capturing an image of an incident at a camera of said cellular based communication device;

automatically determining a location of said incident based on comparing a reference feature of said image to a database of known geo-referenced images that are geolocated to a coordinate system;

validating accuracy of said location by validating a presence of vertical information in a geo-referenced image that shares said reference feature in common with said image, wherein said vertical information includes Z-coordinate information;

determining a type of incident by extracting features from the image;

determining selection of a one touch input device associated with said cellular based communication device;

automatically calling an incident reporting service coupled to a cellular communications network in response to said selection; and

automatically providing incident data to said incident reporting service wherein said incident data comprises information regarding said type of incident wherein said type of incident comprises a size and direction of said incident and what agency to notify of said incident.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

designating at least one input key of said cellular based communication device as said one touch input device.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said automatically providing incident data to said incident reporting system further comprises said location of said incident.

16. A non-transitory computer-usable storage medium having instructions embodied therein that when executed cause a computer system to perform a method for reporting incidents, said method comprising:

receiving cellular based communication corresponding to an incident wherein said cellular based communication comprises an image;

automatically determining a location of said incident based on comparing a reference feature of said image of said cellular based communication to a database of known geo-referenced images that are geolocated to a coordinate system;

validating accuracy of said location by validating a presence of vertical information in a geo-referenced image that shares said reference feature in common with said image of said cellular based communication, wherein said vertical information includes Z-coordinate information; and

generating a report of said incident, said report including said location of said incident.

17. A system for reporting incidents comprising:

a computer-readable medium for storing data and instructions; and

a processor for executing said instructions that perform actions, said instructions comprising;

receiving cellular based communication corresponding to an incident, wherein said cellular based communication comprises an image;

automatically determining a location of said incident based on said cellular based communication and based on comparing a reference feature of said image of said cellular based communication to a database of known geo-referenced images that are geolocated to a coordinate system;

generating a report of said incident, said report including said location of said incident;

compiling data relevant to said incident from a plurality of sources comprising images received from said cellular based communication, road maps, satellite maps, weather feeds and providing said data in a visual manner to a mobile device available to first responders to said incident;

validating accuracy of said location by validating a presence of vertical information in a geo-referenced image that shares said reference feature in common with said image of said cellular based communication, wherein said vertical information includes Z-coordinate information.