Computer-aided data collection system for assisting in analyzing critical situations

• US 5,124,915 A
• Filed: 05/29/1990
• Issued: 06/23/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Krenzel, Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Dale M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bodendorf, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US07/529,385
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 364/420, 364/200, 364/900
• US Class Current: 702/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/00 Photogrammetry or videogrammetry, e.g. stereogrammetry; Photographic surveying
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods not provided for in groups G01V1/00 - G01V8/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A system for providing informational data regarding an emergency situation that is accurate and is relatively recent information, which information is referenced to a common database and time-base, so that decision-makers may readily grasp the gravity of the emergency-situation, and react accordingly. The present invention combines the speed and high resolution of electronic imaging with the accuracy of computers to enhance information-flow to emergency-managers. The system of the invention integrates established data-base information, such as those contained in computer-based maps, registered orthophotographs, surveyed information, etc. with high-resolution electronic-imaging to permit a more accurate assessment of current situations. Through the use of the system of the invention, the situation-managers now can view a situation with high resolution, accurate, multi-spectral imaging, in near real-time and display a histogram of change.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving informational data representing the current, physical state of a physical, critical situation, such as a forest fire, oil spill, and the like, and for processing the informational data into managerial information for generating current, physical information upon which decisions may be based for taking necessary actions, comprising, in combination:

a mobile data-sensing and retrieving station;

said mobile data-sensing and retrieving station comprising;

first sensor means for gathering informational data at a site of said critical situation at a specific time;

first computer means operatively coupled to said first sensor means for receiving said informational data from said first sensor means and for processing said informational data;

first transmission means operatively coupled to said first computer means for transmitting the processed informational data from said first computer means to a land-based site;

a land-based data-analysis station;

said land-based data-analysis station comprising;

second computer means operatively coupled with said first transmission means for receiving the transmitted informational data from said first transmission means;

said second computer means comprising means for receiving and storing the transmitted informational data from said first transmission means, means for storing prior informational data of the same said site, said stored prior informational data representing the state of said critical-situation site at a point in time prior to said specific time, and means coupled to said means for storing prior informational data for comparing said transmitted informational data to said prior, stored informational data of the same said site;

said means for comparing said transmitted informational data to prior, stored informational data of the same said site comprising means for generating a first reference digital-map representation of said site before said critical situation developed, and for comparing the transmitted informational data to said reference digital-map representation, whereby the status of said critical site may be gauged;

said means for comparing said transmitted informational data to prior, stored informational data of the same said site also comprising means for generating a second reference digital-map representation of said site at a previous point in time, and for comparing the transmitted informational data to said second reference digital-map representation, whereby the status of said critical site may be gauged.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor means comprises at least one of a video camera and an infrared-sensing camera operatively coupled to said first computer means;

said first sensor means also comprising means operatively coupled to said first computer means for converting said informational-data into binary-coded format for storage in and processing by said first computer means.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said first transmission means comprises at least one of a:

modem, radio transceiver.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said means for receiving the transmitted informational data from said first transmission means comprises at least one of a:

modem, and a radio transceiver.

5. A system for retrieving informational data representing the current, physical state of a physical, critical situation, such as a forest fire, oil spill, and the like, and for processing the informational data into managerial information for generating current information upon which decisions may be based for taking necessary actions, comprising, in combination:

a mobile data-sensing and retrieving station;

said mobile data-sensing and retrieving station comprising;

first sensor means for gathering informational data at a site of said critical situation at a specific time;

first computer means operatively coupled to said first sensor means for receiving the informational data from said first sensor means and for processing said informational data;

first transmission means operatively coupled to said first computer means for transmitting the processed informational data from said first computer means to a land-based site;

a land-based data-analysis station;

said land-based data-analysis station comprising;

second computer means operatively coupled with said first transmission means for receiving the transmitted informational data from said first transmission means;

said second computer means comprising means for receiving and storing the transmitted informational data from said first transmission means, means for storing prior informational data of said site, said stored prior informational data representing the physical state of said site at a point in time prior to said specific time, and means coupled to said means for storing prior informational data for comparing said transmitted informational data to said prior, stored informational data of the same said site;

a second sensor-means operatively coupled to said first computer means for gathering informational data at said site representative of the critical situation at the same time that said first sensor means gathers information, said first computer means also receiving the informational data from said second sensor means.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said means for comparing comprises means for comparing the transmitted informational data of said first and second sensor means to prior, stored informational data of the same critical-situation site of said means for storing prior informational data of the same critical-situation site, said means for comparing further comprising means for generating a reference digital-map representation of the critical-situation site after the critical situation developed based upon the prior, stored informational data of said means for storing prior informational data of the same critical-situation site, and for comparing said transmitted informational data from both of said first and second sensor means to said reference digital-map representation, whereby the current emergency status of the critical site may be gauged.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein said means for comparing comprises means for comparing the transmitted informational data of said first and second sensor means to prior, stored informational data of the same said site of said means for storing prior informational data of the same said site, said means for comparing further comprising means for generating a reference digital-map representation of said site before said critical situation developed based upon the prior, stored informational data of said means for storing prior informational data of the same said site, and for comparing said transmitted informational data form both of said first and second sensor means to said reference digital-map representation, whereby the current status of the critical site may be gauged.