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

• US 20130147637A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 06/13/2013
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 8,830,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/901
• 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 marking operation performed by a locate technician, based on an electronic representation of the marking operation. The marking operation comprises 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 physical locate mark(s) is/are digitally represented on a display device so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the marking operation. A length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented physical locate mark(s) is determined and, based on the determined length, one or more aspects relating to the marking operation is/are automatically assessed. Exemplary aspects include a cost of the marking operation, a productivity of the locate technician, and/or a competence of the locate technician.

Claims

1. A method for assessing at least one aspect relating to a marking operation performed by a locate technician, the method based on an electronic representation of the marking operation, the method comprising:

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

the at least one physical locate mark includes at least one of non-white paint and a non-white flag; and

the at least one physical locate mark is applied during the marking operation, the marking operation being performed after generation of and pursuant to a locate request ticket relating to a dig area that is planned to be excavated or disturbed during prospective excavation activities, the marking operation comprising, in response to the locate request ticket, providing at least one visible warning to an excavator performing the prospective excavation activities, using the at least one physical locate mark, of a presence or an affirmative absence of at least one underground facility at the dig area specified in the locate request ticket;

B) determining a length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one physical locate mark; and

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

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one aspect is a cost associated with the 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:

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 marking operation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one other aspect associated with the representation of the 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 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 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 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 marking device.

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

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

D) determining a duration of time associated with the 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 marking operation performed by a locate technician, the method based on an electronic representation of the marking operation, the method comprising:

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

the at least one physical locate mark includes at least one of non-white paint and a non-white flag; and

the at least one physical locate mark is applied during the marking operation, the marking operation being performed after generation of and pursuant to a locate request ticket relating to a dig area that is planned to be excavated or disturbed during prospective excavation activities, the marking operation comprising, in response to the locate request ticket, providing at least one visible warning to an excavator performing the prospective excavation activities, using the at least one physical locate mark, of a presence or an affirmative absence of at least one underground facility at the dig area specified in the locate request ticket;

B) determining a length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one physical locate mark; and

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

24. An apparatus for making an assessment of at least one aspect relating to a marking operation performed by a locate technician, the assessment based on an electronic representation of the marking operation, 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 at least one physical locate mark so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the marking operation, wherein;

the at least one physical locate mark includes at least one of non-white paint and a non-white flag; and

the at least one physical locate mark is applied during the marking operation, the marking operation being performed after generation of and pursuant to a locate request ticket relating to a dig area that is planned to be excavated or disturbed during prospective excavation activities, the marking operation comprising, in response to the locate request ticket, providing at least one visible warning to an excavator performing the prospective excavation activities, using the at least one physical locate mark, of a presence or an affirmative absence of at least one underground facility at the dig area specified in the locate request ticket;

B) determines a length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one physical locate mark; and

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

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one aspect is a cost associated with the marking operation.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing unit:

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

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one aspect includes a productivity and/or a competence of the locate technician.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein in C), the processing unit automatically assesses the productivity and/or the competence using (i) an 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.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the processing unit:

D) determines a duration of time associated with the marking operation; and

wherein in C), the processing unit automatically assesses the productivity and/or the competence of the locate technician based at least in part on the length determined in B) and the duration of time determined in D).