Technology configured to enable verification of a data input process performed via a networked mobile device

Abstract

Abstract One embodiment provides a computer implemented method configured to perform verification of data input process, the method including: receiving input data generated based on interaction between a mobile device user and a mobile device user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to prompt the user to perform a data input process which includes: element; performing a physical inspection of a specified physical infrastructure inputting current condition data relating to the specified physical infrastructure element based on the performed physical inspection; and triggering upload of digital image data captured in a specified manner in relation to the specified physical infrastructure element; generating an inspection data set for the data input process, wherein the data set includes: (i) the current condition data for the specified physical infrastructure element; (ii) the digital image data; and (iii) data collected by one or more monitoring modules executing on the mobile device at a time including or defined relative to the capturing of the digital image data; performing a verification process in respect of the data input process, wherein the verification process includes: (i) (ii) extracting specified image metadata from the digital image data; extracting specified activity data from the data collected by one or more monitoring modules;(iii) identifying acceptable data attribute properties respectively for each of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data; (iv) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are satisfied for each of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data, determining that the inspection data set is verified; and (v) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are not satisfied for either or both of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data, determining that the inspection data set fails verification. Abstract

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates, in various embodiments, to technology configured to enable verification of a data input process performed via a networked mobile device. Embodiments of the technology are optionally deployed in a range of practical settings, including in situations where there is a need to determine via robust technology whether a data input process has been performed satisfactorily in the real world. This preferably occurs in combination with validating that required inputs have been provided to a user interface delivered via the mobile device. While some embodiments will be described herein with particular reference to those applications, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to such a field of use, and is applicable in broader contexts. BACKGROUND

[0002] Any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

[0003] Technology has, in recent years, greatly changed the manner in which a range of physical on-site audit procedures are completed. For example, at a fundamental level, paper checklists and reports have been replaced by user interfaces delivered on mobile devices. A user of a mobile device now performs the audit by performing real-world inspections / tests, and providing various inputs to a mobile device user interface.

[0004] There is a technical problem in the context of verifying whether input provided to the mobile device interface correlate to actual physical performance of real-world actions (for example a required inspection or test). For example, a user may theoretically complete computerised checklists and the like without actually performing required audit procedures, which clearly poses practical risks. This data, for application number 2020270497, is current as of 2026-10-15 11:40 AEDT 2026253948   115TOct 2026 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

[0006] Example embodiments are described below in the section entitled “claims”.

[0007] One embodiment provides a computer implemented method configured to perform verification of data input process, the method including:

[0008] receiving input data generated based on interaction between a mobile device user and a mobile device user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to prompt the user to perform a data input process which includes:

[0009] (i) performing a physical inspection of a specified physical infrastructure element;

[0010] (ii) inputting current condition data relating to the specified physical infrastructure element based on the performed physical inspection; and

[0011] (iii) triggering upload of digital image data captured in a specified manner in relation to the specified physical infrastructure element;

[0012] generating an inspection data set for the data input process, wherein the data set includes: (i) the current condition data for the specified physical infrastructure element; (ii) the digital image data; and (iii) data collected by one or more monitoring modules executing on the mobile device at a time including or defined relative to the capturing of the digital image data;

[0013] performing a verification process in respect of the data input process, wherein the verification process includes:

[0014] (i) extracting specified image metadata from the digital image data;

[0015] (ii) extracting specified activity data from the data collected by one or more monitoring modules; 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0016] (iii) identifying acceptable data attribute properties respectively for each of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data;

[0017] (iv) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are satisfied for each of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data, determining that the inspection data set is verified; and

[0018] (v) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are not satisfied for either or both of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data, determining that the inspection data set fails verification.

[0019] One embodiment provides a computer implemented method configured to perform verification of a mobile device assisted data input process, the method including:

[0020] receiving input data generated based on interaction between a mobile device user and a mobile device user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to prompt the user to perform a data input process which includes:

[0021] (i)   performing a physical inspection of a specified physical infrastructure element;

[0022] (ii) inputting current condition data relating to the specified physical infrastructure element based on the performed physical inspection; and

[0023] (iii) triggering upload of digital image data captured in a specified manner in relation to the specified physical infrastructure element;

[0024] generating an inspection data set for the data input process, wherein the data set includes: (i) the current condition data for the specified physical infrastructure element; and (ii) the digital image data;

[0025] performing a verification process in respect of the data input process, wherein the verification process includes:

[0026] (i) extracting specified image metadata from the digital image data; 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0027] (ii) identifying acceptable data attribute properties respectively for the specified image metadata;

[0028] (iv) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are satisfied for the specified image metadata, determining that the inspection data set is in a condition for verification; and

[0029] (v) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are not satisfied for either or both of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data, determining that the inspection data set is not in a condition for verification.

[0030] 22. A computer implemented method configured to perform verification of a mobile device assisted data input process, the method including:

[0031] receiving input data generated based on interaction between a mobile device user and a mobile device user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to prompt the user to perform a data input process which includes:

[0032] (i)   performing a physical inspection of a specified physical infrastructure element;

[0033] (ii) inputting current condition data relating to the specified physical infrastructure element based on the performed physical inspection; and

[0034] (iii) triggering upload of digital image data captured in a specified manner in relation to the specified physical infrastructure element;

[0035] generating an inspection data set for the data input process, wherein the data set includes: (i) the current condition data for the specified physical infrastructure element; and (ii) the digital image data; and;

[0036] performing a verification process in respect of the data input process, wherein the verification process includes:

[0037] (i) extracting specified image metadata from the digital image data; 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0038] (ii) identifying acceptable data attribute properties respectively for the specified image metadata;

[0039] (iv) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are satisfied for the specified image metadata, determining that the inspection data set is verified; and (v) in the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are not satisfied for the specified image metadata, determining that the inspection data set fails verification.

[0040] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “some embodiments” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in some embodiments” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

[0041] As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

[0042] In the claims below and the description herein, any one of the terms comprising, comprised of or which comprises is an open term that means including at least the elements / features that follow, but not excluding others. Thus, the term comprising, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to the means or elements or steps listed thereafter. For example, the scope of the expression a device comprising A and B should not be limited to devices consisting only of elements A and B. Any one of the terms including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that also means including at least the elements / features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising. 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0043] As used herein, the term “exemplary” is used in the sense of providing examples, as opposed to indicating quality. That is, an “exemplary embodiment” is an embodiment provided as an example, as opposed to necessarily being an embodiment of exemplary quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, byway of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0045] FIG. 1 provides a representation of an implementation of technology described herein according to one embodiment.

[0046] FIG. 2 illustrates a method according to one embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 3 illustrates a method according to one embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates a blockchain system according to one embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 5 illustrates a blockchain system according to one embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 6 illustrates an example computer system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The present invention relates, in various embodiments, to technology configured to provide enable verification of of a data input process performed via a networked mobile device. Embodiments of the invention are primarily directed to enable verification of whether a data input process has been performed satisfactorily in the real world, which occurs in combination with validating that required inputs have been provided to a user interface delivered via the mobile device. While some embodiments will be described herein with particular reference to those applications, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to such a field of use, and is applicable in broader contexts.

[0052] Technology has been of substantial use in assisting users in data input processes, for example data input processes used in the context of providing infrastructure audits (for example in the context of checking the condition and operation of infrastructure). 2026253948   115TOct 2026 Examples include checks for the purposes of fire safety and the like. Technology, for example mobile device applications, have replaced paper checklists, and provide a significant advantages in the sense that they are able to interactively guide a user through a process, for example providing real-time instructions in terms of what to check in relation to a specific piece of real-world infrastructure, for the purposes of a given real world inspection, and providing an input means to receive results of such a real-world inspection.

[0053] Unfortunately, perhaps even more so than paper checklists, technology assisted data input processes can be subjected to user abuse. For example, a user may decide to shortcut a data input process by inputting information into the mobile device without actually performing the inspection. Such abuse is sufficiently imaginable that often there are serious questions over whether safety audits were correctly performed in the event that there is a subsequent incident.

[0054] Accordingly, there is a technical problem to be solved in the context of verifying whether a real-world inspection of physical infrastructure has indeed been performed. An obvious approach would be use of GPS technology to track the location of a user, however limitations of GPS technology (particularly in underground / built environments) renders that approach problematic.

[0055] Technology described herein makes use of an approach whereby the data input process includes prompting the user to capture of image, and using metadata associated with that image, in combination with other data, thereby to perform a verification process in relation to the inspection. This allows for an additional layer of surety for inspection reports, and additionally enables for a retrospective review process that can be used to provide evidence that an inspection was carried out diligently (or otherwise).

[0056] Various embodiments provide computer implemented methods configured to perform verification of a mobile device assisted data input process. These may be methods performed based on execution of software instructions at a mobile device, methods performed based on execution of software instructions are server devices which are in communication with mobile devices over a network, and methods in which software is executed both at a device and server. The term “mobile device” refers to any portable computing device, for example a smartphone, tablet or “phablet”, which includes a display screen, user interface, and camera. For example, this may be a mobile device operating based on an iOS or Android operating system. 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0057] It will be appreciated that, although the data verification technology is described by reference to certain practical applications (for example data inputs for the purposes of infrastructure and / or safety audits), that the underlying invention relates to utilisation of computer technology in an unconventional manner to produce a new and valuable result in terms of technological utility, and that technological utility is optionally applied in specific practical settings to provide real world applications of economic significance.

[0058] FIG. 1 illustrates a technology framework according to one embodiment. As context, examples are described below primarily by reference to a scenario where a mobile software application (i.e. a collection of computer executable code stored on a memory device) is executed via one or more processors of a mobile device (for example a smartphone or tablet device having a camera module). The mobile device may be, for example, a device with an Android or iOS type operating system. The mobile device is connected to a network (for example a WiFi network or cellular telecommunications network), which allows the mobile software application to communicate with a server device that is configured to perform cloud-based processing steps to support the operation of the mobile application. It will be appreciated that various steps described herein may be shifted between local and cloud-based processing in further embodiments.

[0059] Whilst the use of a mobile device with software applications which communicate with application servers is generic, the manner by which the mobile device software and server-side software is configured to operates provides new non-standard functions to the mobile device, the server, and the system as a whole. These non-standard functions relate to data input verification.

[0060] Software executing at the mobile device and server system is described by reference to a plurality or “modules”. The term "module" refers to a software component that is logically separable (a computer program), or a hardware component. The module of the embodiment refers to not only a module in the computer program but also a module in a hardware configuration. The discussion of the embodiment also serves as the discussion of computer programs for causing the modules to function (including a program that causes a computer to execute each step, a program that causes the computer to function as means, and a program that causes the computer to implement each function), and as the discussion of a system and a method. For convenience of explanation, the phrases "stores information," "causes information to be stored," and other phrases equivalent thereto are used. If the embodiment is a computer program, these phrases are intended to express 2026253948   115TOct 2026 "causes a memory device to store information" or "controls a memory device to cause the memory device to store information." The modules may correspond to the functions in a one-to-one correspondence. In a software implementation, one module may form one program or multiple modules may form one program. One module may form multiple programs. Multiple modules may be executed by a single computer. A single module may be executed by multiple computers in a distributed environment or a parallel environment. One module may include another module. In the discussion that follows, the term "connection" refers to not only a physical connection but also a logical connection (such as an exchange of data, instructions, and data reference relationship). The term "predetermined" means that something is decided in advance of a process of interest. The term "predetermined" is thus intended to refer to something that is decided in advance of a process of interest in the embodiment. Even after a process in the embodiment has started, the term "predetermined" refers to something that is decided in advance of a process of interest depending on a condition or a status of the embodiment at the present point of time or depending on a condition or status heretofore continuing down to the present point of time. If "predetermined values" are plural, the predetermined values may be different from each other, or two or more of the predetermined values (including all the values) may be equal to each other. A statement that "if A, B is to be performed" is intended to mean "that it is determined whether something is A, and that if something is determined as A, an action B is to be carried out". The statement becomes meaningless if the determination as to whether something is A is not performed.

[0061] The term "system" refers to an arrangement where multiple computers, hardware configurations, and devices are interconnected via a communication network (including a one-to-one communication connection). The term "system", and the term "device", also refer to an arrangement that includes a single computer, a hardware configuration, and a device. The system does not include a social system that is a social "arrangement" formulated by humans.

[0062] At each process performed by a module, or at one of the processes performed by a module, information as a process target is read from a memory device, the information is then processed, and the process results are written onto the memory device. A description related to the reading of the information from the memory device prior to the process and the writing of the processed information onto the memory device subsequent to the process may be omitted as appropriate. The memory devices may include a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), an external storage medium, a memory device 2026253948   115TOct 2026 connected via a communication network, and a ledger within a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0063] In the example of FIG. 1, a mobile device 120 communicates with a server system 140 via an Internet connection, by way of a request / response management module 133 which provides request data for transmission to server system 140, where it is received and processed by an app data handling module 141. Module 141 is configured to receive and handle requests from a plurality of separate mobile devices such as device 120, which each execute the same or similar versions of module 130. Module 141 provides responses to the relevant mobile devices based on processing of the requests. In some cases module 141 transmits data to a specified mobile device, such as device 120, without a preceding request from that device. For example, this may be used to send a set of work instructions to a specific technician, thereby to assist that technician in performing work tasks (including physical inspect.

[0064] Device 120 is configured to render on its display screen 121 a mobile device user interface. As discussed in more detail further below, this user interface is configured to prompt a user to perform a data input process. The user interface is rendered and controlled based on software illustrated as a mobile app module 130. Mobile app module 130 may execute based on standalone code stored on device 120 (for example via a proprietary app) and / or based on code downloaded from a server for rendering in via local application (for example a web browser application).

[0065] Module 130 configures mobile device 120 to cause rendering of a user interface at the mobile device, wherein the user interface is configured to prompt the user to perform a data input process which includes: (i) Performing a physical inspection of a specified physical infrastructure element. (ii) Inputting current condition data relating to the specified physical infrastructure element based on the performed physical inspection; and (iii) Triggering upload of digital image data captured in a specified manner in relation to the specified physical infrastructure element. 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0066] For the sake of assisting in providing a meaningful description of embodiments, various practical implementation scenarios are discussed herein. These should not be confused in a manner which conflates the described data input verification process with a scheme or “business method”; they are provided as context. In that regard, in one embodiment the data input process relates to a fire equipment safety audit for a residential building (other forms of audits / inspections may also be performed, for residential, commercial, industrial, or other properties). In that example, a data collection rules module 144 accesses data representative of a set of physical infrastructure assets that exist at the relevant residential building, defined in terms of an asset type and a unique asset ID. Preferably the data additionally includes a location for the infrastructure asset. For example, for a given infrastructure asset, the data may be represented in a form such as “Fire Extinguisher Type A; ID FE123; Location 2nd floor””. Module 144 then provides to module 130 a set of data which enables a data collection rules module to prompt a user to perform inspection procedures for each infrastructure asset in the data representative of a set of physical infrastructure assets. The procedure for prompting a user to perform an inspection process for an asset of a given asset type may be defined in data accessible by module 144 and / or module 132. For example, a set of rules are defined for each asset type, these rules being executable to configure the user interface of device 120 to prompt the user to perform a data input process specific to an asset of that asset type. These are optionally defined via a template generation interface. The rules include rules for data input based on the following: (i) Performing a physical inspection of a specified physical infrastructure element. For example, the user is prompted as to the asset and form of inspection. (ii) Inputting current condition data relating to the specified physical infrastructure element based on the performed physical inspection. For example, this may be via a checklist which confirms “acceptable” or “unacceptable” condition. (iii) Triggering upload of digital image data captured in a specified manner in relation to the specified physical infrastructure element.

[0067] In practice, for a given facility (such as a residential or commercial property) there will be a plurality of physical infrastructure assets for which respective data input processes are to be performed based on physical inspections. For some categories of asset there may be multiple data input processes defined. It will be appreciated that by using a task list 2026253948   115TOct 2026 or the like, data input processes across a facility may be performed in parallel via a plurality of mobile devices such as device 120, with a server-maintained list being maintained to mark completion of each of the plurality of required data input processes upon completion (and, as discussed below, verification).

[0068] For each individual data input process perform based on prompts delivered via the user interface rendered on device 120, data is inputted by a user. This user is preferably identified and verified via a biometric process (e.g. fingerprint or facial recognition). This data may include alphanumeric data, confirmation buttons, and image data collected via a digital camera of the mobile device controlled by an image capture module 135. Based on the performance of the data input process, module 130 is configured to cause generation of an inspection data set for the data input process. This may include one or more local processes and / or one or more server-side processes performed by an inspection data set generation module 142. In some embodiments module 142 combines data received from device 120 with data obtained from other sources thereby to generate the inspection data set. Each inspection data set is stored in a storage module 180 which maintains data including inspection data sets. Each inspection data set includes: (i) the current condition data for the specified physical infrastructure element; (ii) the digital image data; and (iii) data collected by one or more monitoring modules 131 executing on the mobile device at a time including or defined relative to the capturing of the digital image data.

[0069] Initially data sets may be stored as “verification pending” data sets, which are subsequently transitioned to a status of “verified” or “verification failed” based on a data set verification process as discussed further below.

[0070] Data set verification module 145 is configured to perform a verification process in respect of each data input process for which an inspection data set has been generated. In some embodiments this is triggered upon generation of an inspection data set by module 142, whereas in some embodiments verification is performed at a later stage (for example in response to an incident). Whilst the example described herein relates to verification performed after data collection is complete, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments the technology is modified thereby to provide real-time verification such that a mobile device user is required to repeat a given data input process until the resulting inspection data set is able to be successfully verified.

[0071] An example verification process is illustrated in FIG. 2. The process includes: 2026253948   115TOct 2026 • Identifying an inspection data set for verification (block 200). • Extracting specified image metadata from the digital image data (process block 201). This may include extraction from the image itself, for extraction from a database location at which the metadata is stored, having been extracted via an earlier process (for example at the mobile device). • Extracting specified activity data from the data collected by one or more monitoring modules (process block 202). Preferably the monitoring modules monitor data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, for example motion sensors (e.g. accelerometer / IMU), ambient light sensors, a GPS unit, a device clock, or others. This step may include extraction from raw sensor data, extraction from data derived from sensor data, or extraction of data from a database location at which activity data is stored, having been extracted from raw sensor data, or from data derived from the raw sensor data via a pre-processing phase. Examples of activity data are discussed in more detail further below. • Identifying acceptable data attribute properties respectively for each of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data (process block 203). This process is described in more detail further below. In overview, in the illustrated embodiment a data attribute determination module 146 is configured to determine acceptable attribute data for each aspect of inspection data, including image metadata and activity data. This determination is made based on data including, for example: (i) attributes of an inspection process for which an inspection data set is generated (for example a location of a physical facility at which data collection is occurring); (ii) attributes of the infrastructure asset (for example asset type and asset location in the facility); • In the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are satisfied for each of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data, determining that the inspection data set is verified (decision blocks 205 and 206, process block 207). • In the case that the acceptable data attribute properties are not satisfied for either or both of the specified image metadata and the specified activity data, determining that the inspection data set fails verification (decision blocks 205 and 206, process block 208). 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0072] By way of example, the data attribute properties may be defined as follows: • For image metadata: timecode between A and B; longitude between C and D; latitude between E and F; altitude between G and H, wherein A-F are values defined in absolute terms, or by reference to other existing values (for example where values are comparative). • For motion data: “number of recorded steps” > X, wherein X is an integer defined based on a known or estimated separation of physical assets.

[0073] In some embodiments, where a facility inspection includes performing data input processes based on a plurality of physical assets, an initial faculty inspection is performed and verified manually. This inspection is used thereby to enable the following: • Determination of a set of infrastructure assets for which physical inspections are required. •   For each of the infrastructure assets, determination of an asset type. •   For each of the infrastructure assets, determination of location data. This location data may be defined descriptively (for example to enable the mobile device software to guide a user to the asset) and technologically (for example based on extraction of positional metadata from an image. • Determination is acceptable image metadata attributes for each physical infrastructure asset. This is preferably defined as a range, in view of inaccuracies associated with indoor data collection. Latitude and longitude acceptable metadata attributes are preferably defined based on ranges which are adequately wide to manage GPS inaccuracies. Altitude data may be normalised thereby to use relative readings, thereby to improve accuracy. For example a “first floor” baseline reading may be determined from one image, thereby allowing more accurate determination of floors of a building at which other images are captured, and the data attribute for altitude may require a threshold proximity range to the “first floor” reading or a threshold different from the “first floor reading” (e.g. defined to provide a “second floor” range and so on). 2026253948   115TOct 2026 • Generation of information used to determine acceptable data attributes for activity data, for example approximate physical distances between assets. In some embodiments this is used to determine acceptable data attributes based on motion sensor data, for example based upon an anticipated minimum number of steps that would be observed as a user moves from one inspection area to another.

[0074] The initial inspection may also include a process of applying tokens (for example QR codes) to locations and / or assets in a building thereby to allow designation of a server-stored identifier to those locations / assets. Such QR codes / identifiers may be used during subsequent inspection processes, for example to assist a user in determining whether he / she is in a correct location for a given inspection step.

[0075] References herein to GPS may be substituted for other positional information protocols other than GPS coordinates, for example the What3Words protocol, or triangulation approaches that include utilisation of network (e.g. WiFi and / or cellular network) infrastructure to determine position.

[0076] Referring to the extraction of specified image metadata from the digital image data (process block 201), the specified image metadata includes positional metadata (and optionally additional metadata, such as capture time). The positional metadata is preferably defined by a latitude, longitude and altitude, as it is currently a standardised practice to capture that metadata in relation to mobile device image capture. This is compared to the acceptable data attributes, which may include acceptable ranges for each of latitude, longitude and altitude, based on a known location of the relevant infrastructure asset (for example as determined from an initial inspection process as described further above).

[0077] The acceptable data attribute properties for the specified image metadata may alternately / additionally include a minimum positional separation from one or more further sets of specified image metadata respectively associated with further one or more data input processes performed in relation to other specified physical infrastructure. For example, there is a requirement of a minimum variation in position between image capture of a first infrastructure asset having a defined asset type, and a second infrastructure asset having the same defined asset type. Such an approach may negate a need to known specific locations of infrastructure assets in advance. 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0078] In some embodiments, image metadata is useful primarily in verifying whether images are captured at a correct physical facility and on a correct date, and roughly indicating whether a physical inspection has been carried out at a correct location in the facility. Activity data is used thereby to improve accuracy. This activity data may include: time data (for example a threshold period of time between image captures, based on an anticipated minimum number of steps and inspection time); motion data, derived from a mobile device accelerometer, based on an amount of moment (for example steps) that should precede each inspection of a unique physical infrastructure asset, and other data. Activity monitoring modules 113 are configured to generate this activity data, for example by monitoring a mobile device IMU in a period between image capture for one physical asset and image capture for a next physical asset.

[0079] In some embodiments, the verification process additionally includes performing an image classification process based on the digital image data thereby to classify the image data, with the inspection data set is verified only in the case that the image data is classified to represent a specified category associated with the specified infrastructure element. This is performed by an Al image classification module 147, which is trained based on a training image database 148. Database 148 is populated with labelled images of infrastructure assets, each labelled with the relevant asset type. This allows for the Al classifier module 147 to be trained to classify images thereby to allow determination of whether they show the correct type of asset.

[0080] In some embodiments a training image generation module 149 is configured to extract data from verified inspection data sets in data module 180 thereby to generate labelled image data for training of module 147. In such an approach, system 140 may initially operate without Al classification until an appropriate number of training images are generated, and thereafter Al classification is implemented as part of the verification process. In some embodiments image classification is performed substantially in real time, thereby to validate that an image captured by a user of a specific type of infrastructure asset indicates that the user has indeed inspected the correct asset type.

[0081] In some embodiments the respective inspection data sets for a plurality of data input processes are combined into an inspection report by a report output module 150, and the inspection report is validated in the case that each of its constituent inspection data sets are verified. 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0082] FIG. 3 illustrates a further embodiment in which blockchain technology is used to enhance technology described above. In overview, blockchain is used to create immutable records based on actions taken within an audit process. In this regard, a plurality of processes performed in connection with a given audit are treated as transactions which are written as entries to a blockchain ledger.

[0083] The example of FIG. 3 is described by reference to a use case whereby technology disclosed herein is applied for the purposes of performing in on-site inspection that results in generation of a certification report. Block 300 represents a process whereby a certificate issuer uploads credentials and insurance information to a server, where it is verified (optionally manually). A blockchain entry is made in relation to the verification, optionally including data representative of certification certificates and the like. Block 301 represents a process by which individual inspectors have their identities verified, for example using Know Your Customer technology (e.g. via plugins), and data representative of verified identifies is written to the blockchain for each verified inspector. Then, during an inspection, at the time of accessing the mobile app an inspector is biometrically verified (e.g. via facial recognition or fingerprint), and confirmation of current inspector user identity is written to the blockchain (block 302). Also, as shown by block 303, during this on-side inspection, physical assets are examined as described above, and data collected via the app (e.g. current conditions data and image data) is written to the blockchain. For the image data, image metadata may be written to the blockchain, and / or results of a verification process based on image metadata as described above.

[0084] Following input and verification of all data for a given inspection report, a blockchain record representative of this completion is generated and written to the blockchain (block 304). This may include confirmation of verification of image metadata and other data attributes, as discussed further above. Block 305 represents a process whereby a report is generated (for example in PDF format) which confirms successful certification based on the inspection process. This report includes a QR code (or other identifier), which is encoded to extract from the blockchain all blockchain entries relevant to that certification report (i.e. those generated from blocks 300 to 304), or a filtered subset of blockchain entries (for example filtered to exclude entries older than a certain date). That way, upon scanning of the QR code (block 306), a user is able to review and inspect data underlying the generation of the certification report, which is maintained in an immutable form via the blockchain. 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[0085] With reference now to FIG. 4, any transactions submitted to the blockchain are validated by a set of validator nodes 400 of the blockchain. Each validator node 402 performs a series of mathematical computations to determine whether a blockchain transaction is valid and also determines whether the transaction complies with the rules of the blockchain. A consensus of the set of validator nodes 400 is required to add a transaction to a block for appending to the blockchain.

[0086] With reference now to FIG. 5, in some aspects, the blockchain is stored in a decentralized manner on a plurality of nodes 500. Nodes 500 may each include memory 502 that stores at least a portion of the ledger 504 of the blockchain. In some aspects, every node 500 may store the entire ledger 504. In some aspects, each node 500 may store a portion of ledger 504. In some aspects, some or all of nodes 500 may be also be validator nodes 400. In some aspects, some or all of the blockchain may be stored in a centralized manner.

[0087] It will be appreciated that the above disclosure provides improved technology for enabling verification that a real-world asset inspection process has been performed correctly.

[0088] FIG. 6 illustrates an example computer or processing system that may implement any portion systems, methods, and computer program products described herein in one embodiment of the present disclosure. The computer system is only one example of a suitable processing system and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the methodology described herein. The processing system shown may be operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and / or configurations that may be suitable for use with the processing system may include, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

[0089] The computer system may be described in the general context of computer system executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer 2026253948   115TOct 2026 system. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The computer system may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.

[0090] The components of computer system may include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or processing units 601, a system memory 603, and a I / O interface I / O interface 605 that couples various system components including system memory 606 to processor 601. The processor 601 may include a software module 602 that performs the methods described herein. The module 601 may be programmed into the integrated circuits of the processor 601, or loaded from memory 603, storage device 604, or network 607 or combinations thereof.

[0091] I / O interface 605 may represent one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.

[0092] Computer system may include a variety of computer system readable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessible by computer system, and it may include both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

[0093] System memory 603 can include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory or others. Computer system may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage system 604 can be provided for reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (e.g., a “hard drive”). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD- 2026253948   115TOct 2026 ROM or other optical media can be provided. In such instances, each can be connected to I / O interface 605 by one or more data media interfaces.

[0094] Computer system may also communicate with one or more external devices 608 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 609, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computer system; and / or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system to communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input / Output (I / O) interfaces such as a display device 609.

[0095] Still yet, computer system can communicate with one or more networks 607 such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter 606. As depicted, network adapter 606 communicates with the other components of computer system via I / O interface 605. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardware and / or software components could be used in conjunction with computer system. Examples include, but are not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

[0096] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

[0097] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or 2026253948   115TOct 2026 Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0098] A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0099] Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[00100] Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages, a scripting language such as Perl, VBS or similar languages, and / or functional languages such as Lisp and ML and logic-oriented languages such as Prolog. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

[00101] Aspects of the present invention are described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the 2026253948   115TOct 2026 flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[00102] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[00103] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[00104] The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 2026253948   115TOct 2026

[00105] The computer program product may comprise all the respective features enabling the implementation of the methodology described herein, and which—when loaded in a computer system—is able to carry out the methods. Computer program, software program, program, or software, in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: (a) conversion to another language, code or notation; and / or (b) reproduction in a different material form.

[00106] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[00107] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements, if any, in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

[00108] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied as a program, software, or computer instructions embodied in a computer or machine usable or readable medium, which causes the computer or machine to perform the steps of the method when executed on the computer, processor, and / or machine. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to 2026253948   115TOct 2026 perform various functionalities and methods described in the present disclosure is also provided.

[00109] The system and method of the present disclosure may be implemented and run on a general-purpose computer or special-purpose computer system. The terms “computer system” and “computer network” as may be used in the present application may include a variety of combinations of fixed and / or portable computer hardware, software, peripherals, and storage devices. The computer system may include a plurality of individual components that are networked or otherwise linked to perform collaboratively, or may include one or more stand-alone components. The hardware and software components of the computer system of the present application may include and may be included within fixed and portable devices such as desktop, laptop, and / or server. A module may be a component of a device, software, program, or system that implements some “functionality”, which can be embodied as software, hardware, firmware, electronic circuitry, or etc.

[00110] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that there are other embodiments that are equivalent to the described embodiments. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrated embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

[00111] It should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, FIG., or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

[00112] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different 2026253948   115TOct 2026 embodiments, as would be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[00113] Furthermore, some of the embodiments are described herein as a method or combination of elements of a method that can be implemented by a processor of a computer system or by other means of carrying out the function. Thus, a processor with the necessary instructions for carrying out such a method or element of a method forms a means for carrying out the method or element of a method. Furthermore, an element described herein of an apparatus embodiment is an example of a means for carrying out the function performed by the element for the purpose of carrying out the invention.

[00114] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

[00115] Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term coupled, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limited to direct connections only. The terms "coupled" and "connected," along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Thus, the scope of the expression a device A coupled to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. "Coupled" may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as falling within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

2026253948  15 Nkv 2026120FIG. 1This data, for application number 2020270497, is current as of 2026-10-15 11:40 AEDT2026253948  15 Nkv 2026208FIG. 22026253948  15 Nkv 2026Certificate issuer credentials + insurance uploaded to server, and verified, data written to blockchain 300Inspector identity verified, identify record created, data written to blockchain 301302Inspector identity biometrically confirmed at / inspection time, data written to blockchainPhysical assets examined, inspector inputs current condition data and images, data written to blockchain (including image metadata) 303Inspection completed and data verified, data written to blockchain 304Report generated via report generation module, includes QR code 305QR code scanned, extracts from blockchain all underlying blockchain entries for report 306FIG. 3FIG. 44004022026253948  15 Nkv 2026FIG. 52026253948  15 Nkv 2026FIG. 6

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