METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR DOCUMENTING AND REPORTING EVENTS VIA GEO-REFERENCED ELECTRONIC DRAWINGS

• US 20100257477A1
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Farr, Jeffrey, Nielsen, Steven, Chambers, Curtis
• Application Number:
  US12/753,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257477A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/304 using merged images, e.g. merging camera image with stored images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

One or more electronic drawings may be generated to document and/or report an event, in which various elements of the drawing(s) include geographic reference information. A symbols library, a collection of images (e.g., geo-referenced images), geo-location data, and time and location data may be stored in memory for use in connection with such drawings, and a drawing tool graphical user interface (GUI) may be provided for electronically marking-up images on which one or more drawings are based. The marked-up images may be event-specific images, and may be integrated into various types of electronic reports for accurately depicting events of interest, such as personal injury events, vehicle accidents, and/or property damage events.

Claims

1. An apparatus for documenting an incident at an incident site, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface;

a display device;

at least one user input device;

a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processing unit communicatively coupled to the communication interface, the display device, the at least one user input device, and the memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processing unit, the processing unit;

controls the communication interface to electronically receive source data representing at least one input image of a geographic area including the incident site;

controls the display device to display at least a portion of the at least one input image so as to provide a displayed image;

acquires user input from the at least one user input device to provide a representation of at least a portion of the incident on the displayed image;

automatically acquires time and/or date information indicating a time and/or date that the user input was acquired;

generates a marked-up digital image including the representation of at least a portion of the incident based on the user input;

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document the incident with respect to the geographic area; and

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the time and/or date information in association with the information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document when the representation of the at least a portion of the incident was created.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

modifies the marked-up digital image to include a timestamp including the time and/or date information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

automatically acquires location information indicating a location where the user input was acquired; and

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the location information in association with the information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document where the representation of the at least a portion of the incident was created.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing unit:

modifies the marked-up digital image to include a location stamp including the location information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

further controls the memory to electronically store a media file at a first time and a first date; and

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store information indicating the first time and/or the first date in association with the media file so as to document when the media file was stored.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing unit:

modifies the media file to include the first time and/or the first date.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing unit:

further controls the communication interface to receive the media file.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

further controls the memory to electronically store a media file;

automatically acquires location information indicating a location where the media file was stored; and

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the location information in association with the media file so as to document where the media file was stored.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing unit:

modifies the media file to include the location information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

further controls a camera device to acquire image data;

automatically acquires directional orientation information indicating a directional orientation of the camera device when the image data was acquired; and

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the directional orientation information in association with the image data so as to document a directional orientation of the camera device when the image data was acquired.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing unit:

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the image data and the directional orientation information in association with the information relating to the marked-up digital image.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

further controls the communication interface to receive a media file comprising information relating to at least one condition at or near the incident site; and

further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the media file in association with the information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document the at least one condition at or near the incident site.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one weather condition.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one traffic condition.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one input image is geo-referenced.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit:

scales at least a portion of the representation based on a scale of the at least one geo-referenced input image.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least a portion of the representation comprises a symbol selected from a symbol library.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit:

acquires geographic location information corresponding to the incident site from a global positioning system; and

acquires, based on the geographic location information, the source data representing the at least one geo-referenced input image of the geographic area including the incident site.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one geo-referenced input image comprises a first geo-referenced input image, and wherein the processing unit:

generates, using geo-reference data associated with the first geo-referenced input image, a second geo-referenced input image having a different perspective than the first geo-referenced input image.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the incident involves a vehicle; and

the representation of at least a portion of the incident comprises a representation of the vehicle.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing unit:

scales the representation of the vehicle based on a scale of the at least one input image.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing unit:

selects a vehicle symbol corresponding to the vehicle from a plurality of vehicle symbols in a symbol library; and

wherein the representation comprises the selected vehicle symbol.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processing unit:

selects the vehicle symbol based on a vehicle identification number of the vehicle.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the incident involves a vehicular incident, and wherein the processing unit:

controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store a vehicular incident report including the marked-up digital image.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the incident involves a personal injury, and wherein the processing unit:

controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store a personal injury report including the marked-up digital image.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the incident involves property damage, and wherein the processing unit:

controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store a property damage report including the marked-up digital image.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the incident involves police-investigated activity, and wherein the processing unit:

controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store a police report including the marked-up digital image.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store an incident report including the marked-up digital image.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the processing unit:

controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store a descriptor file comprising;

information identifying the incident report; and

information identifying the marked-up digital image.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

controls the display device to display a symbol palette, the symbol palette comprising a selection of symbols for depicting objects and/or events.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the selection of symbols comprises at least one landmark symbol.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the selection of symbols comprises at least one vehicle symbol.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the selection of symbols comprises at least one person symbol.

34. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

controls the display device to display a sketching palette, the sketching palette comprising a selection of renderable shapes.

35. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit further:

categorizes the source data representing the at least one input image, and/or the representation of at least a portion of the incident, into a plurality of display layers of the marked-up digital image;

controls the display device and/or the at least one user input device so as to provide for independent enabling or disabling for display of at least some display layers of the plurality of display layers; and

controls the display device so as to display only enabled display layers of the plurality of display layers.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processing unit:

categorizes the source data representing the at least one input image as a reference layer; and

categorizes the representation of at least a portion of the incident as a symbols layer.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processing unit further controls the display device and/or the at least one user input device to provide for alternate enabling and disabling for display of at least one display layer of the at least some display layers so as to facilitate a comparative viewing of the at least some display layers.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processing unit further:

controls the display device so as to display a layer directory or layer legend pane respectively indicating all of the plurality of display layers; and

controls the display device and/or the at least one user input device to allowing for selection of at least one display layer of the plurality of display layers indicated in the layer directory or layer legend pane so as to enable or disable for display the selected at least one display layer.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein:

at least one display layer of the plurality of display layers includes a plurality of sub-layers;

the processing unit categorizes at least some of the source data representing the at least one input image, and/or at least some of the representation of at least a portion of the incident, into the plurality of sub-layers;

the processing unit controls the display device and/or the at least one user input device so as to provide for independent enabling or disabling for display of each sub-layer of the plurality of sub-layers of the at least one display layer; and

the processing unit controls the display device so as to display only enabled sub-layers of the plurality of sub-layers so as to provide the electronic rendering of the locate operation and/or the marking operation.

40. A method for documenting an incident at an incident site, the method comprising:

A) electronically receiving source data representing at least one input image of a geographic area including the incident site;

B) processing the source data so as to display at least a portion of the at least one input image on a display device;

C) adding to the at least a portion of the at least one input image, based on user input received via at least one user input device associated with the display device, a representation of at least a portion of the incident to thereby generate a marked-up digital image;

D) automatically acquiring time and/or date information indicating a time and/or date that the user input was acquired;

E) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document the incident with respect to the geographic area; and

F) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing the time and/or date information in association with the information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document when the representation of the at least a portion of the incident was created.

41. At least one computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on at least one processing unit, perform a method for documenting an incident at an incident site, the method comprising:

A) electronically receiving source data representing at least one input image of a geographic area including the incident site;

B) processing the source data so as to display at least a portion of the at least one input image on a display device;

C) receiving user input via at least one user input device associated with the display device;

D) automatically acquiring time and/or date information indicating a time and/or date that the user input was acquired;

E) adding, based on the user input, a representation of at least a portion of the incident to the displayed at least one input image to thereby generate a marked-up digital image;

F) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document the incident with respect to the geographic area; and

G) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing the time and/or date information in association with the information relating to the marked-up digital image so as to document at last generally when the representation of the at least a portion of the incident was created.