METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GEOSPATIAL DATA SHARING

• US 20100023206A1
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Paquette, Daniel R., Rosswog, James C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/921 Spatial

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for processing non-authoritative observational data during a coordinated operation, such as a military mission. Actuation of a trigger control initiates a retrieval procedure for collecting observational data from at least one system incorporated in a vehicle. Categories associated with an observational event may be selected to classify the observational data, and the selected category may be stored with the observational data in a memory. The observational data may be stored in the memory as one or more data structures called “tags.” A tag may be transmitted in real time to one or more operators in the coordinated operation via a wireless network. Stored observational information may be reviewed and edited by an operator to add additional annotations to a tag. A secondary review by supervising personnel may determine if the non-authoritative tag should be added to an authoritative source used for planning of future missions.

Claims

1. A method of collecting observational data associated with an event, the method comprising acts of:

(A) actuating a trigger control in a first vehicle to initiate a retrieval procedure for the event, wherein the retrieval procedure collects at least some observational data from at least one system incorporated in the first vehicle;

(B) selecting at least one tag category to associate with the event; and

(C) storing the at least one tag category, and the least some observational data associated with the event, in a database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts:

(D) transmitting the at least some observational data to at least one server;

(E) adding at least one annotation to at least one datum of the at least some observational data on the at least one server; and

(F) labeling the at least one datum as having been reviewed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the at least some observational data comprises:

creating a data structure comprising at least one first field for storing the at least one tag category and at least one second field for storing the observational data; and

populating the data structure with the at least some observational data collected during the retrieval procedure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein actuating a trigger control comprises pressing a button integrated on a display unit in the first vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein actuating a trigger control is performed in response to receiving a notification related to the event, on the display unit.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts:

(D) transmitting at least a portion of the at least some of the observational data to a receiver located in a second vehicle and

(E) receiving a confirmation message that the transmitted observational data was successfully received.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting at least a portion of the at least some of the observational data comprises wirelessly transmitting the at least some of the observational data over a network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the network is a peer-to-peer network.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the network is a Global Information Grid (GIG).

10. A computer readable medium, encoded with a series of instructions, that when executed on a computer, perform a method, the method comprising:

detecting an actuation of a trigger control;

sending a request to at least one system to provide at least some observational data in response to the detecting the actuation; and

storing the at least some observational data in at least one data structure.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer is located in a vehicle, and the method further comprises transmitting at least a portion of the at least some observational data to a receiver located outside of the vehicle.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein actuation of the trigger control is a voice activated actuation.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one data structure comprises a portion of a local database stored in a memory associated with the computer.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises updating a central database with the portion of the local database.

15. A system for sharing observational data in real time during a coordinated military operation comprising a first vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one trigger control;

a controller configured to send, in response to actuation of the at least one trigger control, a request to at least one sensor to provide at least some observational data related to an event;

a memory to store the at least some observational data; and

a network interface configured to transmit via a wireless transmitter at least a portion of the at least some observational data to a receiver located outside of the first vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the coordinated military operation further comprises a second vehicle, and the receiver is located in the second vehicle.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one global positioning system receiver and at least one image capture device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one operational module for providing operational status data associated with an operational status of the first vehicle.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first vehicle is an aircraft vehicle.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first vehicle is an unmanned vehicle.