System and method for construction estimation using aerial images

• US 9,501,700 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xactware Solutions, Inc. (Verisk Analytics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Xactware Solutions, Inc. (Verisk Analytics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Loveland, James Edward, Taylor, Jeffrey Clayton, Lewis, Jeffery Devon, Childs, Bradley McKay, Reed, Corey David, Robertson, Jared William
• Primary Examiner(s): JONES, HUGH M
• Application Number:
  US13/397,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20130211790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 703/6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• 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: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/40 using histogram techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures

Abstract

A system and method for construction estimation using aerial images is provided. The system receives at least one aerial image of a building. An estimation engine processes the aerial image at a plurality of angles to automatically identify a plurality (e.g., perimeter and interior) lines in the image corresponding to a plurality of features of a roof the building. The estimation engine allows users to generate two-dimensional and three-dimensional models of the roof by automatically delineating various roof features, and generates a report including information about the roof of the building.

Claims

1. A system for construction estimation, comprising:

a computer system for receiving at least one aerial image of a building; and

an estimation engine in said computer system for processing the aerial image to estimate one or more features relating to a roof of the building, the estimation engine;

processing the aerial image with a filter to compute a likelihood for each point in the aerial image indicating whether the point represents a roof line;

scanning the aerial image at a first angle to obtain first image intensity data;

rotating the aerial image to a second angle different from the first angle;

scanning the aerial image at the second angle to obtain second image intensity data;

processing the first and second image intensity data to automatically identify a plurality of lines in the aerial image corresponding to one or more features of the roof;

constructing a two-dimensional model of the roof using the plurality of lines identified in the aerial image; and

manipulating the two-dimensional model into a three-dimensional model of the roof by displaying the two-dimensional model superimposed onto an oblique image of the roof and allowing the user to click and drag perimeter and interior points of the two-dimensional model to corresponding points on the oblique image of the roof.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface for displaying the aerial image of the building, the estimation engine automatically delineating the plurality of lines in the aerial image.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the two-dimensional model further comprises a two-dimensional wireframe model of the roof, the two-dimensional wireframe model including the plurality of lines delineated by the estimation engine.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the estimation engine superimposes the two-dimensional wireframe model of the roof on the oblique image.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the three-dimensional model comprises a three-dimensional wireframe model of the roof.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the estimation engine processes the three-dimensional wireframe model to calculate roof dimensions and pitches, and generates a report including the calculated roof dimensions and pitches.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the estimation engine processes the three-dimensional wireframe model to calculate material costs associated with the roof, and generates a report including the calculated material costs.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the estimation engine crops the aerial image around the building.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the estimation engine automatically aligns the aerial image.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the estimation engine applies at least one filter to the image.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the estimation engine allows a user to adjust one or more of the plurality of lines automatically identified by the estimation engine.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the estimation engine automatically identifies perimeter and interior lines in the aerial image corresponding to one or more features of the roof.

13. A method for construction estimation, comprising the steps of:

receiving at a computer system at least one aerial image of a building;

processing the aerial image with a filter to compute a likelihood for each point in the aerial image indicating whether the point represents a roof line;

scanning the aerial image at a first angle to obtain first image intensity data;

rotating the aerial image to a second angle different than the first angle;

scanning the aerial image at the second angle to obtain second image intensity data;

processing the first and second image intensity data using an estimation engine in the computer system to automatically identify a plurality of lines in the aerial image corresponding to a plurality of features of a roof;

constructing a two-dimensional model of the roof using the plurality of lines;

manipulating the two-dimensional model into a three-dimensional model of the roof by displaying the two-dimensional model superimposed onto an oblique image of the roof and allowing the user to click and drag perimeter and interior points of the two-dimensional model to corresponding points on the oblique image of the roof; and

processing the three-dimensional model of the roof using the estimation engine to generate a report including information about the roof of the building.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating and displaying a graphical user interface including the aerial image of the building, the estimation engine automatically delineating the plurality of lines in the graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of generating the two-dimensional model comprises generating a two-dimensional wireframe model of the roof, the wireframe model including the plurality of lines.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising superimposing the two-dimensional wireframe model of the roof on the oblique image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of manipulating the two-dimensional model comprises deforming the two-dimensional wireframe model into a three-dimensional wireframe model of the roof.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising processing the three-dimensional model to calculate roof dimensions and pitches, and including the calculated roof dimensions and pitches in the report.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising processing the three-dimensional model to calculate material costs associated with the roof, and including the calculated material costs in the report.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising cropping the aerial image around the building.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising automatically aligning the aerial image.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising applying at least one filter to the image.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising allowing a user to adjust one or more of the plurality of lines automatically identified by the estimation engine.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising automatically identifying perimeter and interior lines in the aerial image corresponding to one or more features of the roof.

25. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform the steps comprising:

receiving at the computer system at least one aerial image of a building;

processing the aerial image with a filter to compute a likelihood for each point in the aerial image indicating whether the point represents a roof line;

scanning the aerial image at a first angle to obtain first image intensity data;

rotating the aerial image to a second angle different than the first angle;

scanning the aerial image at the second angle to obtain second image intensity data;

processing the first and second image intensity data using an estimation engine in the computer system to automatically identify a plurality of lines in the aerial image corresponding to a plurality of features of a roof;

constructing a two-dimensional model of the roof using the plurality of lines;

manipulating the two-dimensional model into a three-dimensional model of the roof by displaying the two-dimensional model superimposed onto an oblique image of the roof and allowing the user to click and drag perimeter and interior points of the two-dimensional model to corresponding points on the oblique image of the roof

processing the model of the roof using the estimation engine to generate a report including information about the roof of the building.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing the computer system to perform the steps of generating and displaying a graphical user interface including the aerial image of the building, the estimation engine automatically delineating the plurality of lines in the graphical user interface.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the step of creating the two-dimensional model comprises generating a two-dimensional wireframe model of the roof, the wireframe model including the plurality of lines.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing the computer system to perform the step of superimposing the two-dimensional wireframe model of the roof on the oblique image.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the step of manipulating the two-dimensional model comprises deforming the two-dimensional wireframe model into a three-dimensional wireframe model of the roof.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing the computer system to perform the steps of processing the three-dimensional model to calculate roof dimensions and pitches, and including the calculated roof dimensions and pitches in the report.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing the computer system to perform the steps of processing the three-dimensional model to calculate material costs associated with the roof, and including the calculated material costs in the report.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing the computer system to perform the step of cropping the aerial image around the building.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing the computer system to perform the step of automatically aligning the aerial image.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further comprising computer-readable instructions for causing the computer system to perform the step of applying at least one filter to the image.