METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING SEARCHABLE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS AND ASSESSING ASPECTS OF SAME

• US 20110279230A1
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Steven, Chambers, Curtis, Farr, Jeffrey, Block, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

Assessing at least one aspect relating to a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician based on an electronic representation of the locate and/or marking operation. The locate and/or marking operation comprises locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. The at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is digitally represented on a display device so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation. A length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one underground facility and/or at least one physical locate mark in the electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation is determined and, based at least in part on the determined length, the at least one aspect relating to the locate and/or marking operation is automatically assessed.

Claims

1. A method for assessing at least one aspect relating to a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician based on an electronic representation of the locate and/or marking operation, the locate and/or marking operation comprising locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising:

A) digitally representing, on a display device, the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

B) determining a length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one underground facility and/or at least one physical locate mark in the electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation; and

C) based at least in part on the length determined in B), automatically assessing the at least one aspect relating to the locate and/or marking operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one aspect is a cost associated with the locate and/or marking operation.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

D) automatically generating a bill based at least in part on the assessed cost.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

A) comprises digitally representing the at least one physical locate mark; and

B) comprises determining an approximate length associated with the at least one physical locate mark.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein B) comprises determining a distance between first and second points of the digitally represented at least one physical locate mark based at least in part on first geographic coordinates associated with the first point and second geographic coordinates associated with the second point.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one aspect includes a cost associated with the locate and/or marking operation.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

D) automatically generating a bill based at least in part on the assessed cost.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein C) comprises automatically assessing the cost using (i) the approximate length associated with the at least one physical locate mark, and (ii) a price per unit length associated with the at least one physical locate mark.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the price per unit length is input via a user input device associated with the display device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the price per unit length is preprogrammed.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein C) comprises automatically assessing the cost based at least in part on (i) the approximate length associated with the at least one physical locate mark, and (ii) at least one other aspect associated with the electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one other aspect associated with the representation of the locate and/or marking operation relates to an environmental feature identified by the locate technician.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one other aspect associated with the representation of the locate and/or marking operation relates to a tie-down.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one other aspect associated with the representation of the locate and/or marking operation relates to a type of the at least one underground facility.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one other aspect associated with the representation of the locate and/or marking operation relates to a location of the dig area.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one aspect includes a productivity and/or a competence of the locate technician.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one aspect includes the productivity of the locate technician.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one aspect includes the competence of the locate technician.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein C) comprises automatically assessing the productivity and/or the competence using (i) the approximate length associated with the at least one physical locate mark, and (ii) a duration of time associated with the creation of the at least one physical locate mark.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein time data indicating the duration of time associated with the creation of the at least one physical locate mark is acquired from a data-enabled locating and/or marking device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the time data relates to an elapsed time between initiation and completion of the locate and/or marking operation.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

D) determining a duration of time associated with the locate and/or marking operation; and

wherein C) comprises automatically assessing a productivity and/or a competence of the locate technician based at least in part on the length determined in B) and the duration of time determined in D).

23. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on at least one processing unit, perform a method for assessing an aspect relating to a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician based on an electronic representation of the locate and/or marking operation, the locate and/or marking operation comprising locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising:

A) digitally representing, for display on a display device, at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

B) determining a length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one underground facility and/or at least one physical locate mark in the electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

C) based at least in part on the length determined in B), automatically assessing the at least one aspect relating to the locate and/or marking operation.

24. An apparatus for assessing at least one aspect relating to a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician based on an electronic representation of the locate and/or marking operation, the locate and/or marking operation comprising locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the apparatus comprising:

a display device;

a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processing unit coupled to the display device and the memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processing unit, the processing unit;

A) controls the display device to display the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

B) determines a length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one underground facility and/or at least one physical locate mark in the electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation;

C) based at least in part on the length determined in B), automatically assesses the at least one aspect relating to the locate and/or marking operation.