Telematic, microfluidic analysis with a handheld device

Abstract

Fluid analysis system comprising: a handset that includes: a fluid analysis control module, wherein the fluid analysis control module is configured to initiate the taking of a sample of a fluid and to provide the sample to a microfluidic analyzer for performing a microfluidic analysis; and a telematics device connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured with a wireless transceiver; a management system located remotely from the telematics device, the management system being configured to wirelessly receive microfluidic analysis results transmitted from the telematics device; and an analysis controller connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured to initiate a first type of analysis of the sample in response to the occurrence of an analysis trigger and a second type of analysis of the sample in response to the results of the first type of analysis, wherein the first and second types of analysis are different; wherein the analysis trigger is selected from the group consisting of: altitude of the handset and geographic location of the handset as determined by a global navigation satellite system receiver.

Description

CURRENT STATE OF THE ARTAt present, a up-to-date operational workplace does not always keep the survey of technological advances in all areas. For example, it is not uncommon for a store that rents or sells modern equipment to maintain its store with methods such as pen and paper or EDV systems that are three to five generations back behind current computer technology. One of the best known keywords to rely on an legacy management system is "if it is not broken, then more repeatedly it is not.".As modern technology advances, many plants recognize and incorporate the advantages of certain products into the legacy system. For example, a rental company may rental an asset with an initial rental contract that was entered on an early generation personal computer in a DOS program. Moreover, when the rental car is returned, the same rental company can check the vehicle back into the system using a pencil and paper check-in method. That is, there is someone walking around the returned asset at the farm and visually inspecting the asset for service actions, any damage, hours of operation, mileage, etc.Each of these metrics can be used by the attending person at the farm to determine whether the asset requires maintenance or other treatment before re-incorporation into the rental fleet. The response obtained is then written to a piece of paper and attached to the returned asset. In some cases, the asset may require more than one type of treatment, resulting in an asset having a plurality of notes attached to the asset. The asset is then allocated anew accordingly and possibly returns to the rental office at a later point in time. Moreover, the piece of paper or pieces of paper may need to be updated, added, or otherwise changed as the asset traverses the various return to rental status process or processes.At the same time, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver may also be attached to the rental asset. The rental company may have attached the GNSS to, for example, reduce the cost of insurance, aid in re-obtaining stolen items or the like, or the asset has already been provided with an attached GNSS. In some cases, the GNSS may be used by the user operating the asset to find the route from one location to another, or the GNSS may be used to determine the location of the asset. For example, the GNSS may be used by the law enforcement agencies to recover from a stolen asset; the GNSS may be used by emergency workers to find the location of the asset to help; or the like.Although the management methods described herein use rental companies as an example, the problems with asset management are not limited to rental companies. An operating company may have the same asset management protocols and problems. For example, the enterprise may have an asset checked out into the field by an operator taking and releasing the asset. In the same way, the asset can be returned to the farm and the operator simply returns the keys at the warehouse location. After the asset continues, the only way to know what the asset is making on that day whether it is in the proper location or whether it is deployed for the proper task is to contact the operator during the work day or to interrogate the operator at the end of the day.As marges in the asset business business such as construction and the like become smaller and smaller, it becomes more and more important to properly manage assets. For this reason, most asset companies require their employees to carry a phone. In this manner, when the asset is in the field, the operator can be contacted and instructed where to operate the asset and which task to perform.This guiding structure is unreliable and may lead to adverse effects. For example, the operator may not know his location or is in the error about his location. In addition, the operator may mispreceive which task is to be performed, or spend more time with pauses than actually with the operation of the asset. Each(s) of these errors and omissions further impair the already narrow margins with which the asset business is faced.Furthermore, many assets (e.g., including vehicles and other construction machines as described herein) contain fluids that are critical to their continued and proper operation. These fluids are frequently analyzed to determine, among other things, whether they retain the characteristics required for proper asset operation and determine the wear behavior of the asset based on the chemical / metallurgical content of the analyzed fluid. For example, fluid analysis is often performed during routine preventative maintenance to provide information about lubricant and machine condition. By tracking analysis results over the entire life of a machine, trends can be detected and / or monitored in a manner that can contribute to eliminating or predicting the need for repairs.After taking a fluid sample from an asset, it is typically required that a technician send that fluid sample by mail to a remote laboratory or otherwise physically deliver it there. There are lab-on-a-chip ("LOC") devices that speed up this process by integrating one or more of multiple laboratory functions on a single chip. A microfluidic analyzer may be an example of a LOC. Microfluidic analyzers are common in biotechnology because they allow technicians to analyze body fluids without sending the results to a remote laboratory. LOC devices and methods for microfluidic analysis can also be used by a trained field technician to analyze a sample of the fluid of an asset in situ, without having to resort to sending the fluid sample of the asset to a remote laboratory for analysis.Often, end users of assets do not have sufficient experience with fluid analysis or with regard to protocols for sampling fluids. This can be problematic, among other things, if, for example, an asset is in use at a remote, difficult-to-access worksite and / or if an asset is leased or in use for long periods of time in a situation where no one is trained or enabled or even manifested in performing the analyses and / or the sampling of fluids.US 2011 / 028 26 31 A1 discloses a fluid analysis system in which an electronic control module is coupled to an asset and a telematics device. The electronic control module causes a sample of the fluid of an asset to be detected and analyzes the sample in response to an analysis trigger. An asset management system remote from the asset and telematics device wirelessly receives the results of the fluid analysis via the telematics device.US 2010 / 027 93 09 A1 discloses microfluidic chips, systems comprising at least one integrated microfluidic chip operatively connected to hardware (e.g. docking device, high voltage electrodes, portable fluorescence microscope, computer, etc.), and methods for analyzing peptides (e.g. toxins), proteins (e.g. cancer biomarkers, recombinant human growth hormone, recombinant human erythropoietin) and protein expression in biological samples (e.g. human serum, urine or tissue, marine organisms, seafood, etc.).U.S. Pat. No. 8,054,091 B2 discloses a microfluidic device for measuring the stability of thin liquid films of water-in-oil emulsions by electrochemical interference of the interfaces. This device can be used for rapid classification of the de-emulsifiers used in the petroleum industry.WO 2008 / 028 124 A1 discloses an impedance biosensor for detecting a contaminant in a starting material, the biosensor comprising a housing, an input device supported by the housing, an output device supported by the housing, a microfluidic cell supported by the housing, wherein the starting material can be contacted with the microfluidic cell, and an impedance analyzer supported by the housing, which can be operated to measure the impedance of the starting material to detect the presence of a contaminant.DE 103 19 493 A1 discloses a diagnostic / prognosis system for monitoring the line of a vehicle or other equipment, wherein the vehicle comprises several operating components. Each operating component has a specific desired operating state and generates electrical signals corresponding to its operation. A data acquisition memory in the vehicle stores samples of these electrical signals in a circular buffer. An analyzer in the vehicle responds to the electrical signals to detect a triggering event indicative of at least one potential deviation of an operating component from its desired operating state. A data center located remotely from the vehicle has a database storing representations of electrical signals to classify the desired and fault operating states of the operating components. A transmitter is activated by the triggering event to transmit at least some of the samples stored in the circular buffer at the time of the triggering event to the data center. The data center receives these transmitted samples and classifies them according to the desired and error operating states.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Unless otherwise indicated, it should be understood that the drawings referred to in this specification are not drawn to scale.The following are shown: FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary deployed computer system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a network diagram of an exemplary method for asset management, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a network diagram of an exemplary method for asset management including an asset information report generator and its modules, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary asset management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for asset management in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary GUI display of an asset information report generated by the asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary printable format of an asset information report generated by the asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary asset management system in communication with a customer application, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example method for providing asset management information to a customer application, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an expanded block diagram of an asset information report generator employed in connection with an exemplary asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for providing user-defined asset management, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an exemplary printable format of an asset information report user-defined by an asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 illustrates an asset management system communicating with a customer, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method for restricting access to asset management information, according to an embodiment. FIG. 14 illustrates an asset management system for facilitating messages related to an asset, according to an embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram of an example of a state machine connected to an asset, according to an embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of a method for facilitating messages related to an asset, according to an embodiment. FIG. 17 is a block diagram of associating various forms of the reporting source with different assets based on the characteristics of the assets and goals of construction according to an embodiment. FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a mountable reporting source according to an embodiment. FIG. 19 illustrates an asset management system for receiving information regarding a construction plan, according to an embodiment. FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of a method for receiving information regarding a construction plan, according to an embodiment. FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a relationship among manufacturers of construction assets, rental companies rental construction assets, and construction companies according to an embodiment. FIG. 22 illustrates various assets leased two construction companies from a dealer and service trucks owned by a dealer, according to one embodiment. FIG. 23 is a block diagram of an asset management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating using permissions to restrict access to asset management information, according to one embodiment. FIG. 25 is a flow diagram of a method for restricting access to asset management information, according to an embodiment. FIG. 26 is a network diagram of an exemplary method for externally enhanced asset management, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 27 is a block diagram of an exemplary externally enhanced asset management system in communication with an optional customer application, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for providing externally enhanced asset management, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 29 is a block diagram of an exemplary asset management system used as an improvized asset tracking system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 30 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for spontaneously tracking asset locations, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 1 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the improved asset location tracking according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 32 is a block diagram of an exemplary printable format of an asset information report generated by an asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 33 is a block diagram of an exemplary GUI display of an asset information report generated by an asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 34 is a block diagram of an exemplary asset management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 35 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for incorporating asset management information, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 36 is a block diagram of an example asset returned to an asset rental company, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 37 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for providing integrated asset management information, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 38 is a block diagram of an example asset management system configured with an optional process failure detector, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 39 is a flow diagram of an example method for detecting construction machine process failure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 40 illustrates example construction machine assets associated with an elevation of mountains of material at a worksite. FIG. 41 illustrates an example process failure report displayed on an example receiver device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 42 is a block diagram of an exemplary asset information report generator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 43 is a block diagram of an exemplary printable format of a user-defined asset information report generated by an asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 44 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for using historical data in an asset management environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 45A is a block diagram of an example reporting source connected to an asset, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 45B is an illustration of an exemplary reporting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 46 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for automatically classifying an asset in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 47 is a flow diagram of an example method for automatically associating an asset with a graphical representation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 48 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for automatically classifying an asset, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 49A is an illustration of an exemplary system for controlling the power consumption of a stationary reporting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 49B is an illustration of an exemplary system for controlling power consumption of a mobile reporting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 50 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for energy management and reporting a state change of a reporting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 51 is a flow diagram of an example method for energy management of a reporting device in response to detecting displacement of an asset, in accordance with embodiments of the invention. FIG. 52 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for controlling power consumption of a reporting apparatus in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 53A is a block diagram of an exemplary portable computing device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 53B is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 54A is a block diagram of an exemplary list of top-level user-selectable items for defining a GUI instrument panel, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 54B is a block diagram of an example list of lowest level user-selectable items for defining a GUI instrument panel, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 55A is a block diagram of an example custom top-level GUI instrument panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 55B is a block diagram of an example custom second level GUI instrument panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 56 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for providing customized asset information to a device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 57 is a diagram of an example of an asset connected to an electronic control module, a fluid analysis control module, and a telematics device, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 58 is a block diagram of an example of a telematics microfluidic asset analysis system according to various embodiments. FIG. 59 illustrates an example of a system that provides fluid analysis results, according to embodiments. FIGS. 60A-60D are a flow diagram of an example method for analyzing fluids, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 61 is a block diagram of an example of a portable telematics microfluidic analysis system according to various embodiments. FIG. 62 illustrates an example of a portable telematics microfluidic analysis system that includes a single microfluidic analyzer, according to embodiments. FIG. 63 illustrates an example of a portable telematics microfluidic analysis system that includes a plurality of microfluidic analyzers, in accordance with embodiments. FIGS. 64A-64D are a flow diagram of an example method for analyzing fluids, according to various embodiments.BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTIONReference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Although the invention will be described in connection with these embodiments, it will be appreciated that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. In the following description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, articles, and compounds have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily complicate aspects of the present invention.Example Computer SystemReferring now to FIG. 1, shown is a block diagram of an embodiment of an exemplary computer system 100 used in accordance with the present invention. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the computer system 100 is not strictly limited to a computer system. As such, the computer system 100 of the present embodiment may be capable of being any type of computing device (e.g., server computer, portable computing device, desktop computer, cellular telephone, pager, personal digital assistant, etc.). Within the scope of the present description of the present invention, certain processes and steps are discussed, which in one embodiment are realized as a series of instructions (e.g., software program) residing within the computer readable storage units and executed by a processor(s) of the computer system 100. When executed, the instructions cause the computer system 100 to perform specific actions and have a specific behavior, which may be described in detail herein.The computer system 100 of FIG. 1 includes an address / data bus 110 for communicating information, one or more central processors 102 coupled to bus 110 for processing information and instructions. The central processing unit(s) 102 may be a microprocessor or any other type of processor. The computer system 100 also includes data storage functions such as a computer usable volatile memory unit 104 (e.g., random access memory (RAM), static RAM, dynamic RAM, etc.) coupled to bus 110 for storing information and instructions for the central processor(s) 102, a computer usable read only memory unit 106 (e.g., read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.) coupled to bus 110 for storing static information and instructions for the central processor(s) 102. Computer system 100 also includes one or more signal generating and receiving devices 108 connected to bus 110 to enable computer system 100 to interface with other electronic devices and computer systems. The communication interface(s) 108 of the present embodiment may / may include wired and / or wireless communication technology.Computer system 100 may optionally include an alphanumeric input device 114 including alphanumeric keys and function keys connected to bus 110 for communication of information and command selection to central processor(s) 102. Computer system 100 may include an optional cursor control or cursor guidance device 116 connected to bus 110 for communicating user input information and command selection to central processor(s) 102. The cursor guidance device 116 may be implemented using a number of well known devices, such as, but not limited to, a mouse, a trackball, a trackpad, an optional tracking device, and a touch screen. Alternatively, those skilled in the art may appreciate that a cursor may be tracked and / or actuated via input from an alphanumeric input device 114 using special keys and key sequence commands. The present embodiment is also well suited for guiding a cursor by other means, such as voice control.The computer system 100 of FIG. 1 may also include one or more optionally computer usable data storage devices118, such as a magnetic or optical disk and floppy disk drive (e.g., hard disk or floppy disk) coupled to the bus 110 for storing information and instructions. An optional display device 112 may be connected to bus 110 of computer system 100 for displaying video and / or graphics. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the optional display device 112 may be a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen, liquid crystal flat panel (LCD) screen, field emission (FED) screen, plasma display screen, or other display device suitable for displaying video and / or graphics images and alphanumeric characters to a user.Construction Services IndustryThe construction services industry is an industry consisting of both horizontal and vertical subscribers. Generally, horizontal participants are those involved in actual activities of some kind at the construction site, while the vertical participants typically take a role as a direct enabler of the horizontal participants. In some cases, a single person or a right unit may be considered a horizontal party, a vertical party, or both, depending on the type of activity to be performed. Various embodiments of the present invention, as described in detail below, are directed to subscribers to the construction services industry.Examples of horizontal participants include: machine suppliers (e.g., Caterpillar® dealers, John Deere dealers, etc.), construction employees (both general contract employees and sub-order employees), construction material suppliers (e.g., suppliers of materials such as gravel, steel, concrete, wood, gypsum board, asphalt, etc.), construction equipment rental companies, construction equipment maintenance companies, surveying companies (when working at the construction site), geologists (when working at the construction site), construction engineering companies, construction project management companies, and the like, which enumeration is not exhaustive.Examples of vertical participants include, but are not limited to: construction insurance companies (e.g., companies that provide insurances for construction equipment, finishing, accidents, and the like), security inspection companies, providers of construction project management software, fuel suppliers, construction material suppliers, machine suppliers, geologists, utilityers, construction engineering companies, construction project management companies, construction equipment rental companies, construction equipment maintenance companies, contract employees, and the like.Section I: Asset ManagementOverviewThe embodiments described herein provide a method and system for asset management. The embodiments described herein generally employ a plurality of disparate sources for monitoring an asset. Each disparate source provides an asset report that fills in a database. The database is organized such that the plurality of asset reports result in an organized single source of asset information. The resulting database represents an enormous abundance of asset management data with a substantially greater depth than a single information source can provide.By employing a plurality of disparate sources to provide information, the asset perception of the asset manager can be further substantially increased, while substantially reducing the possibility of loss of assets due to the failure of the asset source reporter. In other words, a single asset source reporter failure will not result in a complete loss of asset management performance for the asset manager.Because of the asset management capability described herein, an essential business management tool is implemented. That is, because the asset management system is useful at all levels of asset management, the asset management system provides substantial additional value added functions at the level of manufacturing, rental / leasing, and owners. Moreover, the value-added functions may most likely be functions that "sell themselves.".The present example focuses on the exemplary construction of a supermarket in the case example. Although the following example is provided in the construction context, the asset management system described herein is well suited for assets other than those of the construction. The use of construction assets is a well-rounded example and is used herein for brevity and clarity only.In the construction business, there are a variety of assets required to complete a project, such as construction of a supermarket. The construction site must first be measured and marked, which requires measurement equipment. The construction site must then be honed and levelled, requiring excavators, dozers, saws, debris evacuation vehicles, etc. After the road and leveling of the construction site, construction may begin, requiring excavators, paving machines, concrete vehicles, delivery vehicles, cranes, tools, etc. The number and cost of all assets required is considerable even at this exemplary construction site.Due to the substantial cost and specialization of large parts of the construction equipment used at the construction site of supermarket construction, some assets may be owned and leased by the construction company depending on the company and the cost / convenience of the asset in question. It may be less expensive to lease or lease an asset that is, for example, rarely used, while it may be less expensive to buy a frequently used asset than lease or lease it.The present asset management system is advantageous throughout the property, leasing, rental and manufacturing area. The asset management system described in detail herein enables a user to track an asset including its location and operation, for example. Thus, a maintenance plan can be provided by the asset management system. Moreover, the asset management system also detects excessive wear or improper maintenance needs.Therefore, because the asset location is tracked by the asset management system even when maintenance is or becomes necessary, the need for maintenance is known and the location of the asset may also be known. Therefore, the maintenance can be performed on the field machine. This results in a substantial reduction in asset downtime, replacement order stall, unexpected excessive machine operations, and the like.For example, if a bulldozer is operating at peak operation for an unexpectedly extended period of time, such as when used in disaster assistance, the asset management system recognizes the scheduled maintenance requirements and updates its future maintenance prediction based on the current increase in operating time. The bulldozer may thus be serviced on demand at the time of scheduled field service, rather than skipping scheduled service intervals intentionally or unintentionally, as is presently done.Because of the maintenance and other information tracked by the asset management system described herein, the manufacturer may begin offering a scheduled / unscheduled maintenance program along with their sales or leasing. The manufacturer sells the bulldozer to, for example, a construction company. The manufacturer will then employ the asset management system to track the asset. At the time of scheduled maintenance, the manufacturer could call the buyer to clear the maintenance or visit the asset at the site and perform scheduled maintenance during the shutdown time of the bulldozer.The asset management system may determine that the operation plan of the bulldozer includes using 6 o'clock to 20 o'clock on 7 days of the week. The manufacturer could then visit the bulldozer on site for the period of 21 o'clock to 5 o'clock and perform scheduled maintenance without hindering operation of the bulldozer. This would allow the manufacturer to make additional revenues from service agreements, while the buyer could make the additional advantage of reduced downtime for the asset.However, since service agreements are not limited to the manufacturer, a rental company could employ the same method described above for providing the same service to a rental party. The rental company could also keep track of the asset's operation and location to ensure that the terms of the rental contract have not been violated and that the asset is not operated in an unacceptable manner. For example, the rental company may track the burden on the asset, the speed at which the asset was operated, improper maintenance issues occurring at the asset that the rentaler may ignore or be unaware of, and the like. The asset management system thus provides the rental company with asset security in addition to arriving from the service contracts, while the rental company would benefit the additional advantages of reduced rental asset service downtime and possible reduced emergency repairs.The owner of the asset could also similarly employ the benefits noted above for ensuring proper handling of the appliances, for monitoring operators of the appliances, for managing the asset with respect to scheduled / unscheduled maintenance, and the like.In addition, the manufacturer / rental company / owner could also use the asset management system to track the location of the asset to reduce the possibility of abuse and speed the recovery from theft or loss. An area, such as a geofence, as described in detail herein, could be defined as a location within which the asset should remain. If the asset leaves the specified area, the asset management system could provide an alarm regarding that event. The user would then be able to view the location of the asset and inform the responsible party of the event. In the event of theft, for example, the police could be notified, while in the event that the operator unintentionally leaves the location, connection could be quickly made to the operator to clarify the matter and reduce any accompanying damage that may have occurred.Due to the substantial advantages, such as cost savings, asset downtime reduction, and the like, the asset management system has the ability to propagate its own distribution. For example, the manufacturer will first employ the asset management system. The acquirer will soon realize in such a case that the scheduled maintenance is performed during the regular downtime of the asset and the scheduled maintenance takes place before the asset is completely destroyed or the problem becomes remarkably visible. As the manufacturer knows, the acquirer would be particularly interested in knowing when scheduled maintenance is due or that a problem arises. Once the acquirer realized the profit of operation time as well as the reduction of costs due to missed maintenance and the like, the acquirer would want to have the same findings for his own assets.The same business method applies to the rental model in which a rental company notes the rental company's capabilities. The method extends even to the peer-to-peer model, where a manufacturer / tenant / owner of an asset determines that another manufacturer / tenant / owner of an asset has reached new maintenance contributions, reduced asset downtime, increased asset life due to regular maintenance, and the like.Asset Management NetworkReferring now to FIG. 2A, a network diagram of an example method for asset management is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The asset management network 200 includes a database 205 and a plurality of reporting sources 208.The database 205 receives information from at least two reporting sources 208, and the data within the database 205 is organized such that the information can be determined with respect to the asset. For example, the data within database 205 may be organized such that the information may be determined or accessed with respect to a particular asset or plurality of assets.In one embodiment, database 205 is a single database on a single computer system, such as computer system 100. In another embodiment, database 205 may even consist of a plurality of databases on a single computer system or a plurality of computer systems. The plurality of databases may also be located at the same location or range of extent across a plurality of locations. The plurality of databases may also be wired or wirelessly connected to form a network of databases on which the asset information may be stored. In one embodiment, the asset may be a machine tool, a vehicle, an electrical or mechanical device, an immovable object, or any other trackable item.The plurality of reporting sources 208 include, but are not limited to, devices such as the permanently mounted device 210, the asset mountable / removable device 215, the portable computing device 220, the personal digital assistant 225, the smartphone 230, the mobile phone 235, human source insight collection (Humint) 240, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) survey reader 245, and the machine control system 247. Although a plurality of reporting sources 208 are shown, the list is exemplary. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the reporting source 208 may include any number of reporting sources and reporting source methods, including audio, video, text, blind text, encryption, keywords, and the like. The reporting sources 208 may include, for example, electronic devices, GNSS-enabled devices, machine controllers, video-enabled devices (e.g., camera-enabled handheld devices (such as a cellular phone with camera / video, PDA with camera / video, a wristwatch with camera / video, etc.), video cameras, webcams, and the like), human sources, the asset under surveillance, other assets, and the like. In one embodiment, each or all of the reporting sources 208 is / are capable of providing asset information including location information, operating information, and status information, but this enumeration is not exhaustive.In one embodiment, the asset mountable / removable device 215 may be a TrimTrac TM device, a CrossCheck® device (both provided by Trimble Navigation Limited), a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, a video device providing video feed, and the like. Each reporting source 208 may also include capabilities such as position fixation, photography, SMS messages, mailbox messages, data transmission, radio frequency identification mark reading, and the like. In one embodiment, each / all of the reporting sources 208 may also be / may be capable of monitoring asset operation. Each / all of the reporting sources 208 may be / may be capable of being connected to the asset for monitoring aspects of the asset, including a J-bus, a CAN-bus, processors connected to the asset, a diagnostic evaluator, an engine microprocessor, an odometer, a speed indicator, a tachometer, an oil pressure indicator, a tire pressure indicator, a hydraulic indicator, an engine timing monitor, an ignition switched power source, and the like, which list is not exhaustive.Referring now to FIG. 2B, a network diagram of an example method for asset management according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In one embodiment, the asset management network 250 includes a database 205 and a plurality of reporting sources 208 similar in shape and function to those of FIG. 2A and not described in detail again for brevity and clarity. However, the asset management network 250 also includes the optional asset information report generator 350 and optional asset information report 360. Further details of the description and operation of optional asset information report generator 350 and optional asset information report 360 are provided within the description of FIG. 3.The asset management network 250 also includes an automatic asset assignment module 355, an automatic reporting source assignment module 356, a reporting source grouping 357, and an asset grouping 358. These ingredients are generally optional and are used to provide further organization to the asset information report 360. For example, a setting for grouping a plurality of assets may be selected based on location, etc., as described in more detail herein.The automatic asset assignment module 355 is principally configured to assign an asset to a section in the asset information report 360. The automatic reporting source assignment module 356 is configured to assign the first reporting source 208A, the second reporting source 208B, and any or all of the other reporting sources 208 to a portion in the asset information report 360. The reporting source handler 357 is configured to group the first reporting source 208A, the second reporting source 208B, and any or all of the other reporting sources 208 into at least one source group based on the location. The asset grouper 358 is configured to group at least one asset into at least one group.Asset Management SystemReferring now to FIG. 3, shown is a block diagram of an example asset management system 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the asset management system 300 receives input from a first reporting source 208A and a second reporting source 208B.The first reporting source 208A and the second disparate reporting source 208B are generally selected from the group of reporting sources 208 of FIG. 2A. The first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B may further be similar or different reporting sources. Further, there may be more than two different reporting sources providing information to the asset management system 300. For example, there may be three, four, seven, fifteen, or any number of different reporting sources that provide information to the asset management system 300. The use of two different reporting sources is shown herein for brevity and clarity only. In one embodiment, the reporting sources input to the asset management system 300 is information about an asset, such as operation, location, status, and the like, but this enumeration is not exhaustive.In one embodiment, the asset management system 300 includes a data receiver 330 and a database 205. Data receiver 330 is generally a wired or wireless connection that provides a connection between asset management system 300 and external reporting sources, such as first reporting source 208A and second reporting source 208B. In one embodiment, the connection is a network connection, such as a local area network (LAN) connection, a wide area network (WAN) connection, a virtual private network (VPN), a cellular network, or the like. In another embodiment, data receiver 330 receives the information from the reporting sources over a direct connection. For example, the first reporting source 208A may be communicatively connected to the data receiver 330 (either wired, such as via a universal serial bus (USB), FireWire, or other data port, or wirelessly, such as Bluetooth, or the like), and the information may be received directly at the data receiver 330.The data receiver 330 then passes (wired or wireless, via mobile phone, WiFi, etc.) the received asset information to the database 205, in which the information related to the asset is stored. Database 205, as stated herein, may be a single database on a single computer system or may even consist of a plurality of databases on a single computer system or on a plurality of computer systems. The plurality of databases may also exist at the same location or range of extent across a plurality of locations. The plurality of databases may also be wired or wirelessly connected to form a network of databases on which the asset information may be stored.In one embodiment, the asset management system 300 may also include an optional report generator 350, which may provide an optional asset information report 360. Optional report generator 350 is generally one of numerous possible methods for organizing and presenting the information stored in database 205. A user may make a request to the asset management system 300 for one or more assets. The asset management system 300 may simply provide the results of the request to the optional report generator 350. Optional report generator 350 then generates an optional asset information report 360 that includes the responses to the user's request. The optional asset information report 360 may be presented in a variety of ways depending on the user's setting, system requirements, and the like. The optional asset information report 360 may be displayed, for example, in a visual format such as a piece of paper, a graphical user interface (GBO) displayed on a mobile phone, a PDA or laptop, or desktop computer system. In another embodiment, the optional asset information report 360 may be provided in a tone format or in a blinded text or the like.Asset Management OperationReferring now to FIG. 4, shown is a flow diagram of an example method for asset management in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Referring now to 402 of FIG. 4 and to FIG. 3, an embodiment receives information about an asset from a first reporting source 208A. As described in detail herein, in one embodiment, the information is received at database 205 via data receiver 330. The information may be wired or wirelessly, as well as by directly connecting the reporting source and data receiver 330, or received over a network.In one embodiment, data receiver 330 receives asset location data from a first reporting source 208A. The asset location data generally relates to the geographic location information. For example, if the asset is a vehicle, then the location data may include, but is not limited to, data regarding whether the vehicle is at a location, on the road, in the proper area of the location, etc. The asset location data may generally be received from sources such as a TrimTra TM device, a CrossCheck® device (both provided by Trimble Navigation Limited), a cellular telephone, a video device, a personal digital assistant, a portable computing device, a radio frequency identification device, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and human source insight (Hum lnt), which enumeration is not exhaustive.In another embodiment, data receiver 330 receives asset location data from a first reporting source 208A. The asset location data generally relates to actual asset operation. For example, if the asset is a vehicle, then the operational data may include the speed of the asset, the mileage, the hours of operation, the time of oil change, or other scheduled maintenance, unusual sounds the vehicle actually make or previously make, and the like. The asset operation data may further include the actual or previous operation of the vehicle. The asset operating data could generally be generated by operating monitors including, but not limited to, a J-bus, a CAN-bus, an asset processor, a diagnostic evaluation device, a machine microprocessor, an odometer reading device, a speedometer, a tachometer, an oil pressure reading device, a tire pressure reading device, a hydraulic reading device, an engine time reading device, an ignition switched power source, and the like.Referring now to 404 of FIG. 4 and to FIG. 3, an embodiment receives information about an asset from a second reporting source 208B. As described in detail herein, in one embodiment, the information is received at database 205 via data receiver 330. The information may be wired or wirelessly, as well as by direct connection of the reporting source and data receivers 330, or may be received over a network.In one embodiment, data receiver 330 receives asset location data from a second reporting source 208B. Asset location data generally relates to the geographic location information. For example, if the asset is a vehicle, then the location data may include, but is not limited to, data regarding whether the vehicle is located at a location, on the road, in the proper area of the location, etc. The asset location data may generally be received from sources such as a TrimTra TM device, a CrossCheck® device (both provided by Trimble Navigation Limited), a cellular telephone, a video device, a personal digital assistant, a portable computing device, a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and human source insight (Humlnt), which enumeration is not exhaustive.In another embodiment, data receiver 330 receives asset operational data from a second reporting source 208B. Asset operation data generally refers to the actual operation of the asset. For example, if the asset is a vehicle, then the operational data may include the speed of the asset, the mileage, the hours of operation, the time of oil change, and other scheduled maintenance, unusual sounds the vehicle actually make or previously make, and the like. The asset operation data may further include the actual or previous operation of the vehicle. The asset operating data could generally be generated by operating monitors including, but not limited to, a J-bus, an asset processor, a diagnostic evaluation device, a machine microprocessor, an odometer reading device, a speed indicator, a tachometer, an oil pressure reading device, a tire pressure reading device, a hydraulic reading device, an engine time monitoring device, an ignition switched power source, and the like.Further, as described herein, although two reporting sources 208 are shown, the present invention is well suited to receiving information from more than two reporting sources 208 (as shown in FIG. 2A ). For example, in one embodiment, data receiver 330 may receive asset information from a variety of sources, such as any or all of sources 210-240.Referring now to 406 in FIG. 4 and to FIG. 3, one embodiment fills database 205 with information from first reporting source 208A and second reporting source 208B such that the information related to the asset can be determined from database 205. In one embodiment, database 205 provides real-time monitoring capabilities regarding position and / or operation for the asset. In another embodiment, database 205 provides near real-time monitoring capabilities for position and operation for the asset.That is, any or all of the reporting sources 208 that provide information regarding the asset may be configured to provide the information continuously, provide regularly scheduled updates, or provide information updates only when requested by a user. For example, the reporting source may represent a PDA 225 that includes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver having positioning capabilities based on signals from Galileo, GPS, Glonass, WAAS wide area augmentation service, Egnos, and the like. The GNSS PDA 225 may continuously provide information updates to the database. This may be important if the asset changes position regularly or if it is important to track its movement. For example, the asset could include items such as, but not limited to, tracking a concrete truck or load in the truck, an armoured truck, a vehicle that performs many movements, or the like. In the same way, any information regarding the asset may be continuously updated; use of position information herein is provided for brevity and clarity only as an example.However, if the actions of the asset do not require consecutive updates, the information is not necessarily continuously provided to the database 205. To reuse the position example when the asset is in the same area, e.g., it is broken, not in use, waits for maintenance, or the like, the position information may be provided only after a scheduled update interval. The position of the asset may be checked in the morning, for example, and then again in the evening, or only once a day, or only once a week, etc. In addition, the asset information may be modified based on the asset status. That is, when the asset is not in use, the asset information may be updated only periodically. However, when the asset is put into operation, the information may be updated more regularly or continuously.Further, in one embodiment, the asset information is presented in the form of an asset information report 360 generated from the data in the database 205. In one embodiment, the data presented in the asset information report 360 is a combination of all information obtained from each reporting source 208 regarding an asset. However, in another embodiment, the information shown in the asset information report 360 is a combination of only the portions of the information obtained from any or all of the reporting sources 208 related to an asset.For example, database 205 may include redundant information regarding the asset from a plurality of reporting sources 208. That is, more than one reporting source 208 may provide asset location information. In one embodiment, all information related to the asset, including the redundant information, may be used in the database by the report generator 350 when generating the asset information report 360. However, in another embodiment, the report generator 350 may remove the redundant information before the asset information report 360 is generated to reduce bandwidth, enhance clarity of the report, or the like. In yet another embodiment, the redundant information at the database level may be deleted to keep the size of the database 205 under control.Further, in one embodiment, the asset information report 360 may be presented on a GUI or paper, audibly provided, digitally provided to another database or application software, or provided in another format selected by the user. For example, the asset information report may be provided to a user in a non-visual format, e.g., during times when the asset information report is provided over a communication network or a vision impaired user or a user that cannot relate to a visual asset information report for operational / safety reasons, or the like.Asset Information ReportReferring now to FIG. 5, an exemplary GUI version of the asset information report 360 is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the asset information report 360 includes an asset 540, an asset column 510, an information source column 508, a map portion 520, and a user toolbar portion 530. In general, user toolbar portion 530 provides a means for user interaction with asset information report 360.In one embodiment, asset 540 is automatically assigned to asset column 510 in database 205, which may be further viewed in asset information report 360. Further, an embodiment automatically allocates the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B to the information source saving 508 of the asset information report 360. In another further embodiment, the asset information report 360 automatically provides an icon for the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B. For example, the icon is based on at least one property of the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B.The asset information report 360 also provides a grouping capability for grouping the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B into at least one group in the asset information report 360. In one embodiment, the grouping of the sources providing asset location information is organized according to grouping methods, such as location of the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B, e.g., the same worksite, geofence location, etc.; the type of the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B, e.g., GNSS 225, laptop 220, etc.; the allocated area of the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B, e.g., the same worksite, geofence location, etc.; the user assigned to the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B, the enterprise providing the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B, the enterprise utilizing the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B, and the like, and this enumeration is not exhaustive.In another embodiment, the asset information report 360 provides grouping capability for grouping a plurality of assets into at least one group on the asset information report 360. In one embodiment, the grouping of the plurality of assets is selected from the grouping methods such as the location of the asset, the type of the asset, the allocated area of the asset, the user allocated to the asset, the enterprise providing the asset, and the enterprise using the asset, and this enumeration is not exhaustive.Moreover, when the asset information report 360 is provided on a GUI, a map image 520 may also be automatically provided. In one embodiment, map image 520 is a satellite image. In another embodiment, map image 520 is selected from various types of images, such as a topographical image, a road plan image, a hybrid image, a layout, a CAD file, a geo-information system (GIS) map, and the like, but this enumeration is not exhaustive. Further, in one embodiment, a user modifiable geofence 550 may be positioned on a portion of the map image 520. Generally, a geofence 550 is a user-selectable boundary that can be drawn or positioned on the map image 520.For example, when a user concentrates on an area of interest, the user may selectively select the area of interest on map image 520 by drawing a boundary around the area. Then, the report generator 350 updates the asset information report 360 to show the boundary line, and recognizes the coordinate of the boundary line as geofence 550. The geofence 550 can then be used as a virtual fence per se. That is, when an asset 540 is located in a geofence 550, the information regarding the asset 540 may be configured to generate an alarm or message of any type when the asset 540 leaves the area defined by the geofence 550.Additionally, in one embodiment, an lcon (or other type of recognition, such as name, capacity, etc.) may be automatically provided to the asset 540 on the asset information report 360. Here, the lconis based on at least one property of the asset 540 received from at least one of the first reporting source 208A and the second reporting source 208B. For example, the asset is a truck, weight 5 tons, and reporting source 208A reports information received from diagnostic systems such as the J-bus or the like. Part of the asset information report may include a chassis number (VIN) or other identifying characteristics related to the asset. When the information is retrieved from the database 205 by the report generator 350 and provided on the asset information report 360, the information is automatically converted to a tag of the asset. In one embodiment, the information is directly translated into a tag, e.g., when the diagnostic system is defined as a system for a truck, weight 5 tons. However, in another embodiment, the report generator 350 may recognize the VIN number (or other tag) and access another database, e.g., the Internet, and search for the VIN number to identify the asset type. Then, the report generator 350 may either issue the identity description in the asset information report 360 or may further access an icon database (such as a local database, the Internet, or the like) and pair the description of the asset with an icon. For example, the description "truck, weight 5 t" may result in a 5 t truck icon or simply a large truck icon. That is, the description and icon may be exactly the same or the icon may represent only a close proximity. Furthermore, the asset identity description may or may not be provided with the asset icon, depending on the user's desire.As set forth herein, in one embodiment, the asset information report 360 does not necessarily include information regarding each asset stored in the database 205, or any information regarding a particular asset stored in the database 205. For example, a user may have different levels of access to database 205, and thus obtain an asset information report 360 that is limited in scope due to the user's level of access. Although a user may have database restrictions within the formats of the asset information report 360, the restrictions of specific user access will be described in connection with FIG. 6.Referring to FIG. 6, a block diagram of an example printable format 600 of an asset information report 360 generated by the asset management system 300 is shown herein in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the asset information report 600 includes the asset type 601, the item 602, the operation 603, scheduled maintenance 604, and others 605. Three assets are shown in the asset information report 600. The number of assets shown and the asset information provided are, however, merely exemplary. That is, the configuration of the asset information report 600 is one of a variety of possible report configurations and is provided herein for brevity and clarity only.Further, as set forth herein, the asset information report 600 may include repeated data from a plurality of information sources 208, or the asset information report 600 may be shortened to display only information related to a selection of the information sources 208, or only non-redundant information, or the like.Generally, the asset information report 600 is used herein to illustrate access and configuration issues that may be utilized by the asset management system 300. For example, in one embodiment, the entire asset information database 205 includes five assets (e.g., asset 540A- 540E) and five types of information (asset type 601, location 602, operation 603, scheduled maintenance 604, and others 605). Thus, a complete asset information report comprising all data in database 205 would look similar to asset information report 600. However, it is absolutely possible that an asset information report 600 comprises less than all asset information in the database 205.Thus, if each asset were located in database 205 under the control of a single user, the user's asset information report 600 could include each asset as well as any or all of the user-selected information relating to the asset. However, if not every asset in database 205 is under control of a single user, then each user's asset information report may include only portions of illustrated asset information report 600.For example, a rental company may have five assets (540A-540E) in the database and use the asset information report 600 to track the asset location 602, the operation 603, scheduled maintenance 604, and others 605. However, if the asset is leased, the rental company may reduce its own access to the database 205 and allow the tenant to have limited access to the database 205. For example, the rental company rents asset 540B. Then, for privacy reasons, the rental company may restrict its access to the asset's location 602. In other words, the rental company may create a geofence that limits the information regarding location 602 to whether it is inside or outside an area. At the same time, the rental company may continue to monitor the asset's operation 603 and scheduled maintenance 604.Additionally, the rentaler may obtain limited access to the rental company database 205, and thus obtain an asset information report 600 that includes any or all of the information related to the specific leased asset (e.g., 540B). For example, the rentaler may obtain the information regarding position 602 and operation 603, but may not see the information regarding scheduled maintenance 604. In another embodiment, the tenant may only gain access to portions of the information, such as whether or not the machine is running, but not the speed at which it is moving.By utilizing the methods of partitioning, restricting, and access management of the asset information report 600 described herein, the present invention allows information relating to an asset to be provided as few or as many users as desired. In addition, the present invention also provides any or all of the users with different information access levels based on user request or other information management schedules.Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide an automated asset management system and method. Embodiments further provide an automated asset management system and method that includes asset location information. Embodiments further provide an automated asset management system and method that includes asset operating information. Embodiments further provide an asset management system and method that can be configured by the user and displayed in a variety of formats and configurations depending on the user and system manager intent. For example, the displayed results may be provided at user selected refresh rates, system selected refresh rates, due to billing methods, or the like.Section II: Advancement of Asset ManagementAdvanced Asset Management SystemAn advanced asset information system is one that enhances the effectiveness, convenience, or methods by which the asset information may be utilized. This may include supplements or modifications to the asset information system 300 that allow asset information reports to be customized and / or formatted or associated with customer applications, such applications being separate from the asset information system.Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary more developed asset management system 700 in communication with a customer application 710 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention g is shown. The asset management system 700 is comprised of the data receiver 330, database 205, and asset information report generator 750.In general, data receiver 330 is configured to receive information regarding an asset from multiple reporting sources (such as sources 208A and 208B). The data receiver 330 reports this asset information to the database 205, which is then populated with a first portion of the information regarding an asset from a first reporting source 208A, a second portion of the information regarding an asset from a second reporting source 208B, and so forth, for other reporting sources 208 reporting information regarding an asset. Further, the database 205 may similarly receive and manage information for a plurality of assets. The specific functions and operation of the data receiver 330 and database 205 have been described above and will not be described again herein for brevity and clarity, except that differences and characteristics not described above are provided.The asset information report generator 750 operates in the same manner and has the same characteristics as the optional asset information report generator 350 described above. Thus, as the asset information report generator 350, the asset information report generator 750 is configured to be in communication with the database 205 to generate an asset information report 360 from the asset information provided by the database 205. As described above, an asset information report 360 includes data, such as operational data or position data for at least one asset. However, as shown in the embodiment of the asset management system 700, the asset information report generator 750 is additionally configured to be selectively in communication with a customer application 710 (or multiple customer applications (710a, 710b...710n )) to provide an asset information report 360 from the database 205 of the customer application. That is, in addition to the methods described above for providing asset information about reports 360, the embodiment of the asset management system 700 is configured to provide one or more asset information report(s) 360 to one or more customer application(s) 710.A customer application 710, as discussed herein, is a software application that is used to report, manage, view, process, or manipulate information. For example, a customer application is a software application such as a spreadsheet application, word processing application, database application, accounting application, project management application, lobby and content billing application, billing application, rental item management application, inventory application, database file, computer server, and the like, but this enumeration is not exhaustive. Often, customers have one or more process(s) on customer applications 710 that may benefit from the use of asset management information stored in database 205. Previous descriptions of the asset management report 360 have described asset management information that has been output in formats such as a printed report or in a GUI by the asset information report generator 350. In addition to such report formats, the asset information report generator 750 is also configured to generate an asset information report 360 from the database 205 to the customer application 710, in an electronic format compatible with use by the customer application 710.FIG. 8 is a flow diagram 800 of an example method for providing asset management information to a customer application 710 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, elements 402, 404 and 406 have been described previously, and for brevity and clarity, they will not be described again herein. Reference will be made instead to the foregoing description of the elements of this flowchart.Referring now to element 808 of FIG. 8 and to FIG. 7, one embodiment provides an asset information report 360 from database 205 of a customer application 710. In such situations where a customer using the asset management system 700 desires to utilize asset management information in their own customer application 710, establishing a communication link between asset management information from the database 205 and a customer application 710 provides beneficial increases in efficiency in many cases. For example, the direct or indirect communication connection of an asset information report 360 to a customer application 710 provides a significant saving in time and labor as compared to printing and reviewing a report 360 and subsequent manual input of the information from the report to the customer application 710. This can reduce or avoid process bottleneckes, which are often associated with manual input of data into a customer application. Reducing or avoiding such data entry bottleneck offers useful access to the asset information in a customer application 710 in real-time or near real-time, without delaying access to the asset information by hours or even days arising from present day data entry methods.Take the example of a machine rental company that uses a database to track maintenance requirements for construction machine assets and other rental assets leased by the company. For purposes of this example, the rental company maintenance database may be considered a customer application 710. The printed asset information report 600 shown in FIG. 6 displays data fields (style information 601, position information 602, operational information 603, scheduled maintenance information 604, and other leased asset information 605), a computer 504A, a truck 540B, and a jack 540C. In this example, all of this asset information is used in the rental company's maintenance database. Rather than printing this report and then manually inputting the information from the report to the maintenance database, the asset information report generator 750 allows the information to be directly or indirectly coupled to the customer application with minimal workload on an operator side of the asset management system 700.For example, in one embodiment, a user of the asset information report generator 750 selects a database file type (or other file type, depending on the customer application 710) as the output format of an asset information report 360. In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 sends a request for the desired asset information to the database 205. In one embodiment, this request indicates that the customer application 710 for which the data is to be formatted is a particular type of maintenance database (or other type of customer application 710), or indicates the proper type of electronic file, such as a database file in which the asset information report 360 is to be provided to the customer application 710. In one embodiment, database 205 responds to the request by providing an asset information report 360 formatted as an electronic file, such as a database file that can be read and used by customer application 710 (a maintenance database in this example). The asset information report generator 750 then stores this asset information report 360 as an electronic file or forwards it to the customer application 710, depending on the user's desire.In another embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 sends a request to the database 205 for asset information. In one embodiment, such as in the case of a customized report, this request is generated by a customized report module (described below) to which information report generator 750 has access. The asset information report generator 750 then formats the asset information obtained from the database 205 as the asset information report 360 in an electronic file that can be read by the customer application 710 (which in this example represents a maintenance database). In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 refers to instructions in a customized reporting module in formatting the asset information report 360 in a correct electronic file format for the customer application 710. In one embodiment, after the asset information report 360 has been properly formatted, e.g., as a database file, it is forwarded to the customer application 710. In another embodiment, the asset information generator 750 instead stores the formatted asset information report 360 as an electronic file.Storing the asset information report 360 allows the user to select a means by which to transmit the electronic file to the customer application 710, such as: transmitting the file to a portable medium (floppy disk, USB stick, etc.) and copying the file manually to a computer system or network on or from which the customer application 710 is running; sending the file via email to an account accessible from the computer system or network on which the customer application 710 is located; Manual or automatic access to stored files via wired or wireless connection between the asset management system 700 and the customer application 710, such as Bluetooth, an intranet, a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, a radio network, a mobile telephone network, or other similar wired or wireless information means for transmitting information.Although the flowchart 800 describes a method for reporting a single asset, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments the database 205 receives information for a plurality of assets. In such embodiments, providing an asset information report 360 from the database 205 may include receiving an asset information request related to a grouping of a plurality of assets. Many such groupings are possible, such as groupings based on: a certain time of operation of an asset (such as a day, date, time, time range, etc.); the operating position of an asset (such as within a certain geofence); the type of asset (truck, clearing vehicle, computer, etc.), the area allocated to an asset (such as a geofence around a worksite); the user allocated to an asset (such as a particular worker); and the enterprise allocated to an asset (such as an enterprise rentaling, owning, or operating the asset). As previously described, the asset information report generator 750 then stores or forwards the asset information obtained in response to such a request. In some embodiments, as described above, the asset information report generator 750 performs formatting if necessary to format the asset information report 360 as a proper electronic file type for a customer application 710 identified as a recipient of the asset information 360.Thus, an asset information report 360 in an electronic format that may be used by a customer application 710 may be directly or indirectly connected to the customer application 710. Compared to manually inputting information from the asset information report to the customer application 710, time is saved, operating efficiency of a company is improved, and data errors are reduced.Custom Asset Information ReportIn some cases, a standard asset information report 360 generated with the asset information report generator 750 may contain more or less information than is needed for a specific customer application 710. Also, a standard asset information report 360 generated by the asset information report generator 750 may organize the asset information in a manner that is not desired by the customer or is not compatible or consistent with an arrangement of asset information used in a customer application 710. Further, in some cases, the asset information report generator 750 may not be configured to provide an asset information report 360 in a desired electronic file format compatible with a specific customer application 710. In such cases, it may be desirable to have a custom asset information report 360. In one embodiment, capability for generating customized asset information reports 360 is provided by configuring the asset report generator 750 to recognize and use one or more connectable customized report generator modules.Referring now to FIG. 9, an extended block diagram of an asset information generator 750 used in conjunction with the example asset management system 700 is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the asset information report generator 750 is comprised of an automatic asset assignment module 355, an automatic reporting source assignment module 356, a reporting source grouper 357, and an asset grouper 358, all of which have been described previously. The embodiment of the asset information report generator 750 illustrated in FIG. 9 also includes a first customized report module 959A and a second customized report module 959B. It should be appreciated that fewer or more customized report modules may be included in other embodiments of the asset information report generator 750, depending on the number of customized asset information reports a user wants to generate.FIG. 10 is a flow diagram 1000 of an example method for providing custom asset management information in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, elements 402, 404 and 406 have already been described above and will not be described again herein for brevity and clarity. Reference is made to the previous descriptions of these flow chart elements instead.Referring now to 1008 of FIG. 10 and to FIGS. 7 and 9, an embodiment receives a first customized asset information database request from a first customized reporting module 959A. For example, the first customized report module 959A issues a customized asset information request to the database 205 via the asset information report generator 750 to obtain information for a customized asset information report 360. In one embodiment, the one is a customized request for specific information related to a specific asset or grouping of assets. In one embodiment, the request is a standard or customized request about an asset to which the response will be customized according to instructions given by the first customized reporting module 959A.Referring now to 1010 of FIG. 10, and to FIGS. 7 and 9, one embodiment provides an asset information report 360 in a first format specified by the first customized reporting module 959A. In one embodiment, the first customized reporting module 959A formats the information obtained from the database 205 in response to the request. For example, the information may be formatted in the custom asset information report 360 arrangement and then output as an electronic file, printed report, GUI. Such a report may also be stored, output, or provided to a customer application 710.In one embodiment, providing an asset information report 360 includes providing an asset information report 360 in a customized electronic format type that can be used by a customer application 710. This is particularly useful if creating an asset information report 360 for a particular customer application 710 is not otherwise supported by the asset information generator 750. For example, the electronic file type may be a file type used by a customer application 710, such as a spreadsheet application, a word processing application, a database application, a accounting application, a project management application, a lobby and content billing application, a billing application, a rental item management application, a stock keeping application, and the like, but this enumeration is not exhaustive.In one embodiment, providing an asset information report 360 includes providing an asset information report 360, wherein the asset information is presented in a customized configuration, such as a customized visual configuration. This may include a visual representation of icons on a map, a particular arrangement of rows and columns of data, or other customized visual arrangement of asset information required by a customized reporting module, such as customized reporting module 959A. In one embodiment, providing an asset information report includes providing the asset information report with a particular set of asset information requested by the first customized reporting module 959A. This is useful, for example, when a standard asset information report 360 available from the asset information report generator 750 contains too much information or not enough information for a customer.Referring to FIG. 11, a diagram of an exemplary printable format 1100 of a customized asset information report 360 generated by the asset management system 700 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, an asset information report entitled "WEEKLY LOAD USAGE REPORT" 1110 was generated by the customized reporting module 959A. The report was formatted with information from a customized request for asset information regarding asset 540B, a truck. The information is arranged in a custom configuration of rows and columns, each row representing asset 540B and each column representing particular asset information related to asset 540B. Column 601 represents the asset type. Column 1104 represents a day of a work week. Column 1106 represents a calendar date associated with the specific day of the week. Finally, column 1108 represents the total hours during which asset 540B was in use on a specific day and date.This customized printable format 1100 is used, for example, by a lobby and revenue billing department to determine whether the hours during which an asset was actually in operation match the automated timer inputs of the asset operator. In this example, the employee is a truck driver wearing an RFID badge that initiates a timer input when the employee's badge is in the operator's cab of the truck 540B. If the timer inputs show that the employee (or precisely his badge) was in the truck operator's cab for eight hours on each working day (Monday through Friday), it is easy to note that there could be a discrepancy between the time designated for the employee by the timer and the hours (5,7) during which the asset 540B was in operation on the Friday, the 18th August. A check can show that the employee has not operated for slightly more than two hours and left his badge to lie simply in a vehicle that was not in operation, or that truck 540B was not operated as efficiently as possible during the working day. Further, in one embodiment, block 1120 may be automatically marked or backlit to indicate a large variance from the expected operating time of asset 540B when eight hours of operating time is the default amount of the expected operating time.A customized reporting module, such as customized reporting module 959A, may be implemented in many ways. For example, in one embodiment, the customized reporting module 959A includes a file accessible by the asset information report generator 750. In one embodiment, this file may include a set of predetermined database requests for issuance to the database 205. These requests may be issued manually by a user, or automatically, such as at start-up or at predetermined intervals. In an embodiment, where the asset information report generator 750 is implemented in a Windows® operating environment, each customized report module is implemented as a dynamically linked library (DLL) file stored in a directory to which the asset information report generator 750 automatically has access. For ease of programming, the asset information report generator 750 is implemented using a.NET programming language in one embodiment. This allows a custom reporting module to be written in a.NET compatible language as well, thereby promoting rational cooperation with the functionality, the user interfaces provided, and other modules of the asset information report generator 750. In such an embodiment, a customized reporting module written in a.NET programming language may also be stored in a directory that the asset information report generator 750 has access to, for example, as a DLL file.If additional custom asset information reports 360 are desired, additional custom report modules (959B...959n) are added to the asset information generator 750 to enable the generation of the desired reports. For example, the asset information report generator 750 is shown configured with a second customized report module 959B in FIG. 9. In one embodiment, the second customized report module 959B automatically issues a second customized asset information request to the database 205 to generate a second customized asset information report 360. A second asset information report is then provided in a second format specified by the second customized reporting module 959B from the asset information report generator 750. Additional Customized Reporting Modules (959B... 959n) are implemented and function in a manner consistent with the implementation and operation of the customized reporting module 959A.By incorporating the ability to identify and use customized reporting modules, such as customized reporting module 959A, many parties are permitted to implement connectable customized reporting modules for asset information report generator 750. For example, the original manufacturer of the asset management system 700 may create a customized reporting module 959A for use by one or more customers. This is useful for upgrades or for adapting the asset management system 750 to the needs of a particular customer. Likewise, a technically kunish customer may create his own customized reporting module 959A. In addition, the manufacturer, customer, or both have the flexibility to make a stand-alone customer to create a customized reporting module 959A that meets a specific need.Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide more sophisticated asset management systems and methods. The embodiments also provide automated methods that can be used to adapt the asset information reports to certain requirements both visually and electronically. The embodiments also provide automated methods by which asset information reports can be provided to customer software applications that operate independently of the more advanced management system. In addition, methods and systems are provided for formatting an electronic file stored for use in a customer application, or for manually or automatically providing such a formatted file to a customer application.Section III: Provision of Status Information Related to an AssetOverviewReferring to FIG. 3, information about assets from more than one reporting source 208A and 208B may be received by the asset management system 300 and stored in the database 205. According to one embodiment, the asset management system 300 may be provided by a rental company. According to one embodiment, construction company employees may use a client computer to request and display the information stored in database 205. For example, they may use a client computer to display visual representations, including circuit plans or pictorial representations, as well as the assets deployed at the worksite.According to one embodiment, the asset information may include status information about an asset received from at least one reporting source 208A or 208B. Examples of status information are alarms and warnings. According to an embodiment, status information related to an asset may be provided to a client, e.g., for the purpose of displaying a visual representation of the status information of the asset.Asset Management SystemFIG. 12 illustrates an asset management system communicating with a client, according to one embodiment. The blocks representing features in FIG. 12 may be arranged differently than shown and may implement additional or fewer features than described herein. Further, the blocks represented in FIG. 12 may be combined in various ways. The system 1200 may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.FIG. 12 illustrates a client 1210, a display 1220, an asset management system 1230, and a database 1240. The asset management system 1230 includes a multiple reporting source asset information storage 1232 and a multiple reporting source asset information provider 1234. Database 1240 includes assets and asset status information 1252 information 1250.The asset management system 1230 may receive information about an asset from more than one reporting source 208. According to one embodiment, the information about the asset is stored in a database 1240 resulting in stored information 1250. According to one embodiment, the asset information 1250 also includes status information about the asset 1252. According to an embodiment, the status information related to an asset may be provided to a client 1210, for example, for the purpose of displaying a visual representation (VirtRep) 1222 of the status information 1252 of the asset.AssetsExamples of assets include dozers, dozers, saws, utility transport vehicles, excavators, paving machines, concrete trucks, delivery trucks, cranes, tools, service trucks, pneumatic machines, and so forth, but this list is not exhaustive. Although many of the descriptions of the embodiments provided herein relate to worksite assets, various embodiments are equally suitable for other types of assets. For further information on assets, reference is made to Section I, among others.Reporting SourcesReferring to FIG. 2A, examples of reporting sources 208 are a permanently installed device 210, an asset mountable / removable device 215, a portable computing device 220, a minicomputer (PDA) 225, a smartphone 230, a handy phone 235, and human intelligence 240, which enumeration is not exhaustive. For further information on reporting sources, reference is made to the description of reporting sources 208 in section I.Information on an assetAccording to one embodiment, information about an asset is received from a first reporting source and information about the asset is also received from a second reporting source. The information received from the two reporting sources may be stored in a database 1240 resulting in stored information 1250. For further information about the mounting of a database, reference is made to the description of step 406 (FIG. 4 ).According to one embodiment, information 1250 is asset location data. Examples of asset location data are whether a vehicle is at a location, on a road, or in the correct area of a location, and this enumeration is not exhaustive. In one embodiment, information 1250 is asset operation data. Examples of asset operational data include the speed at which the asset is moving, the amount of time since the last oil change or service was performed on the asset, any evidence of potential asset operational disturbances, and the activity at which the vehicle is currently participating or previously participating, which enumeration is not exhaustive. A quiet may indicate an indication of a potential operational disorder of the asset.Information 1250 may be used to determine how often the asset has been used, where the asset is located, whether it has been properly used, whether it has left a designated area marked, e.g., by a geometric fence, when the asset requires maintenance, which maintenance truck would be best to perform the maintenance, and so forth. For further information about "information about an asset", reference is made to the description of steps 402 and 404 (FIG. 4 ) of Section I.Status InformationAccording to one embodiment, the asset information 1250 may include status information 1252 about an asset received from at least one reporting source 208A or 208B. Examples of status information 1252 are alarms and warnings.According to an embodiment, status information 1252 related to an asset may be provided to a client 1210, e.g., for the purpose of displaying a visual representation 1222 of the asset's status information 1252. An asset management system 1230 may provide the status information 1252 to the client 1210 in the form of notifications. A client 1210 may request the status information 1250 from the asset management system 1230, e.g., by periodically querying the asset management system 1230 in real-time.Examples of status information 1252 are alarms and warnings, such as that an asset may have moved outside of a geometric fence, that an asset may need or be about to need maintenance, that an asset may have been improperly used, or that an asset may be in a hazardous situation. Another example of status information relates to productivity, such as a warning that a dozer has scheduled only 1000 feet if it should have scheduled 2000 feet. Another example of status information relates to whether an asset has been used outside its suitability or tolerance. These are just a few examples of status information. Embodiments of the present invention may be used for many different types of status information that an owner or user of assets would like to know.According to an embodiment, the asset status information 1252 may be deleted, e.g., after someone has viewed a visual representation of the status information 1222. A person using client 1210 may delete status information 1252 about a particular asset from database 1240 after viewing visual representation 1222 of that asset's status information.Visual Representations of Status InformationThe display 1220 of the client 1210 can be used to display a visual representation of a construction site as well as visual representations of the assets deployed at that construction site. The visual representation of the construction site can be a map of the construction site. The visual representation of the assets may consist of icons. The visual representations of the assets may be positioned to indicate their corresponding locations on the worksite map. The visual representations of the assets can see similar to the assets they represent. A visual representation of a service truck may look like a delivery truck, for example.According to an embodiment, a visual representation of status information is at least part of a visual representation of an asset. A visual representation of an asset may include, for example, a visual representation of the asset's status information.According to one embodiment, the visual representation of an asset may change in color to display status information 1252 about the asset. The visual representation may be, for example, red to indicate a critical condition, yellow to indicate a warning, and green to indicate status information that is neither critical nor a warning. According to an embodiment, the color of the entire visual representation or a part of the visual representation may be changed.According to one embodiment, status information 1252 about an asset may be displayed by demarking a visual representation of an asset by a color. According to an embodiment, the boundary indicative of the status information is considered to be part of a visual representation of an asset. According to a further embodiment, status information 1252 is displayed by fading in and out a visual representation 1222 (also referred to as "blinking"). The rate at which the visual representation 1222 "blinks" may also be used to convey status information 1252. The visual representation 1222 may blink faster, for example, in the case of higher priority status information. According to another embodiment, various methods may be combined to display a visual representation 1222 of status information 1252. For example, an icon may become red and flash rapidly to indicate a critical situation. According to another embodiment, status information 1252 is displayed when client 1210 detects that a user has caused a cursor to position in close proximity to hover over the visual representation of an asset.Example of operation of a method for providing status information related to an assetAccording to one embodiment, FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method for restricting access to asset management information. Although specific steps are disclosed in flow diagram 1300, such steps are exemplary only. That is, the embodiments of the present invention are particularly well suited to performing various other steps or variations of the steps employed in flowchart 1300. It should be understood that the steps in flowchart 1300 may be performed in an order other than that illustrated, and that not all of the steps in flowchart 1300 need be performed.All or a portion of the embodiments described in flowchart 1300 may be implemented using computer readable and computer executable instructions residing, for example, in computer usable media on a computer system or similar device. As described above, in one embodiment, certain steps of the present invention are implemented as a series of instructions (e.g., a software program) residing within the computer readable memory of a computer system and are executed by the computer system. When executed, the instructions cause the computer system to implement the functionality of the present invention as described below.The method begins with step 1310.In step 1320, information from a first reporting source and a second reporting source via an asset is stored in a database. Information from first and second reporting sources 208 may be received for assets as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10. For purposes of explanation, it may be assumed that the first reporting source is an asset mountable / removable device 215. The device 215 may be mounted to the assets. The device 215 may be used to collect information about an asset as the asset moves, for example. For purposes of explanation, the second reporting source may be assumed to be a minicomputer 225 (PDA). A staff member of a construction company or dealer may walk around and input information regarding the assets to the PDA 225. Thus, information about an asset may be received from more than one reporting source 208, according to one embodiment. Reference is made to the subsection "Information" in Section III and the discussion of Step 404 for further information on the receipt of information about the asset from a first and a second reporting source.A multiple reporting source asset information store 1232 (FIG. 12 ) may store the received information resulting from the stored information 1250. Reference is made to the description of step 406 (FIG. 4 ) of Section I for further information about storing information in a database (also known as populating a database).For purposes of explanation, the asset may be assumed to be a bulldozer. The device 215 may periodically send location information to the asset management system 1230 (FIG. 12 ) via the bulldozer. The asset management system 1230 may compare the location of the bulldozer to a geometric constraint. For purposes of illustration, it may be assumed that the bulldozer is moved outside of the geometric confinement. By comparing the location of the bulldozer to the geometric constraint, the asset management system 1230 may determine that the bulldozer has been moved outside the geometric constraint. According to one embodiment, the asset status information 1252 for the bulldozer reflects that the bulldozer has been moved outside of the geometric confinement.In step 1330, the status information is provided to a client via the asset. The status information may be used to display a visual representation of the status information for the client. For example, client 1210 may query asset management system 1230 to obtain asset status information 1252. The client 1210 may receive status information 1252 indicating that the bulldozer has been moved outside the geometric confinement. The client 1210 may display a visual representation 1222 of the status information 1252. For example, an icon of the bulldozer may become red or begin flashing rapidly. Reference is made to the subsection "Visual Representation of Status Information" in section III for further information.The method is ended with step 1340.Section IV: Enable notifications about an assetOverview.Referring to FIG. 21, construction companies 2130 typically have a core set of assets that they use to perform work on a construction site. If construction company 2130 needs more assets than it owns, it may lease the additional assets from a rental company 2120. The rental company may be a merchant 2122 or a non-merchant 2125. A rental company 2120 may also have assets that do not lease them. For example, the rental company may have service trucks that use it to perform services on other leased assets.Referring to FIG. 3, information about assets from more than one reporting source 208A and 208B may be received from an asset management system 300 and stored in a database 205. According to one embodiment, the received information is used to enable the provision of notifications regarding the assets to construction and / or rental companies.Asset Management SystemAccording to one embodiment, FIG. 14 illustrates an asset management system for enabling notifications regarding an asset. The blocks representing the features in FIG. 14 may be arranged differently than shown and may implement additional or fewer features than described herein. Furthermore, the features represented by the blocks in FIG. 14 may be combined in various ways. The system 1400 may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.System 1400 illustrates device 1410, notification 1420, asset management system 1430, and database 1440. The asset management system 1430 includes a multiple reporting source information receiver 1432 and a multiple reporting source state machine maintainer 1434. Database 1440 contains information 1442 about assets and state machines 1444 related to the assets.The asset management system 1430 can receive information about an asset from more than one reporting source 208. The information that the multiple reporting source information receiver 1432 receives from the multiple reporting sources 208 may be stored in a database 1440, resulting in stored information 1442. According to one embodiment, the multi-reporting source information receiver 1432 communicates the received information to the multi-reporting source state machine maintainer 1434 which uses the received information to manage the state machines 1444 that relate to the assets. According to one embodiment, state machines 1444 enable the provision of notifications 1420 pertaining to the assets.FIG. 15 is a diagram of an example of a state machine 1500 associated with an asset, according to an embodiment. State machine 1500 (FIG. 15 ) is an example of state machine 1444 (FIG. 14 ). Referring to FIG. 15, an initial state may be associated with an asset. As the event occurs, the state associated with the asset may change. For example, if event 1 occurs, state machine 1500 for the asset transitions from the initial state to state 1. When event 3 occurs, state machine 1500 transitions from state 1 to state 2, and so on with event 4, event 3, and event 5. Event 2 results, for example, in the state remaining unchanged.Certain events may result in notifications being communicated to a device. Reference is made to the Configure subsection of Section IV, among other things, for further information about events that result in a notification being communicated to a device.According to one embodiment, the state machines and / or notifications may be stored in the database. In the event of a system failure, the stored state machines and / or notifications may be used as part of restarting and potential post-processing.AssetsExamples of assets include dozers, dozers, saws, utility transport vehicles, excavators, paving machines, concrete trucks, delivery trucks, cranes, tools, service trucks, pneumatic machines, and so forth, but this list is not exhaustive. Although many of the descriptions of the embodiments provided herein relate to worksite assets, various embodiments are equally suitable for other types of assets. Reference is made to Section 1, among other things, for further information on assets.Reporting SourcesReferring to FIG. 2A, examples of reporting sources 208 include, without limitation, a permanently installed device 210, an asset mountable / removable device 215, a portable computing device 220, a minicomputer (PDA) 225, a smartphone 230, a handy phone 235, and human intelligence 240. Reference is made to the discussion of reporting sources 208 in Section I for further information about reporting sources.Information on an assetAccording to one embodiment, information is received from a first reporting source via an asset and information about the asset is also received from a second reporting source. The information received from the two reporting sources may be stored in a database 1440, resulting in stored information 1442. Reference is made to the description of step 406 (FIG. 4 ) for further information about the mounting of a database.In one embodiment, information 1442 is asset location data. Examples of asset location data, whether a vehicle is at a location, on a road, or in the correct area of a location, are not exhaustive. In one embodiment, information 1442 is asset operational data. Examples of asset operating data are the speed at which the asset is moving, the time since the last oil change or service was performed on the asset, any evidence of potential asset operating disturbances, and the activity at which the vehicle is currently participating or previously participating, which enumeration is not exhaustive. A quiet may indicate an indication of a potential operational disorder of the asset.The information 1442 may be used to determine how often the asset has been used, where the asset is located, whether it has been properly used, whether it has left a designated area marked, e.g., by a geometric fence, when the asset requires maintenance, which maintenance truck would be best to perform the maintenance, and so forth. Reference is made to the description of steps 402 and 404 (FIG. 4 ) of Section I for further information about "information about an asset.".States and EventsAs shown in Figure 15, a state machine 1500 contains states and events. According to one embodiment, the events are used to determine how to transition from one state to another. Examples of states are, for example, that an asset is located within a place of use (WithSite), that the asset is located outside a place of use (OutsideSite), that the asset is switched on (IgnitionOn), that the asset is moving (Moving), that the door of the asset is open (DoorOpen), and that the asset requires maintenance (MaintenancePending). Examples of events are that an asset has been moved to a place of use (EnterSite), that an asset has left a place of use (LeaveSite), that an asset has been turned on (IgnitionOn), that an asset has been turned off (IgnitionOff), that an asset has started moving (StartedMov), that an asset has stopped moving (StoppedMov), that the door has been opened (DoorOpen), that the door has been closed (DoorLose), that maintenance is due (MaintenanceDu) and that maintenance has been completed (MaintenanceOne).According to one embodiment, information about, among other things, dispatch, monitoring assets, disposition of assets, payload of an asset may be used to determine events and / or conditions.According to one embodiment, time may be used as part of defining an event. The time may be set in terms of a time period. Examples of using time to define events are "Place-of-Use Lincoln Office" between 09:00 and 17:00" and "No IgnitionOn occurs between 09:00 and 09:15". As can be seen, a state may reflect time information that may be used as part of defining an event that causes the transition to the state.According to one embodiment, the number of times a state or event occurs or has been entered may be used. Examples of this are "more than 1 speed override event during a layer" or "no position update events in the last 30 minutes".Further examples of states and events are "NotWitSite 'Lincoln Office' at 17:00", "WithSite 'PickupPoint' at any time between 10:00 and 10:30", "IgnitionIsOn at 17:00", or "Event IgnitionIsOn did not occur between 09:00 and 09:15".According to an embodiment, states and / or events may also be combined. For example, "MaintenanceIsPending if EnterSite 'Lincoln Office' is between 09:00 and 17:00.". Another example of combining states and / or events is "DoorIsOpen occurred as StartedMov.".In one embodiment, information describing an event may originate from one or more reporting sources and databases located external to an asset. For example, a compressor may have been moved out of the storage location, however, the asset management system 300 indicates that the compressor is not yet ready to be used, thus generating an alarm. In another example, the condition of an asset may indicate that the asset is at a location for a particular use, that the asset requires maintenance within 20 hours, and a weather service predicts a storm that will reach the worksite in the morning. However, for financial reasons, it would be better to perform maintenance morning although a storm was predicted.According to one embodiment, states and / or events may be combined by implementing a state machine within a state. For example, a state of moving may include a state machine that, among other things, sets events such as DoorOpen, transitioning to a DoorOpen state. In another example, the motion state may also include a LeaveSite event, which transitions to an OutsideSite state.According to one embodiment, a state machine may be implemented using lists. For example, a state machine 1444 for a bulldozer may include a list of which events relate to bulldozers and which events cause a transition between particular states. According to another embodiment, a state machine 1444 may be implemented using an object oriented design pattern called "state.". For further information, reference is made to "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software", by Gamma et al. ISBN 0201-63361-2, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.NotificationsAccording to one embodiment, the logic associated with a state may specify that its notification 1420 is communicated to a device 1410. For example, the MaintenanceEnd state may specify that a notification 1420 that maintenance is pending is transmitted to a device 1410. According to one embodiment, there are various types of notifications 1420. There are, among other things, alarm notifications, warning notifications, and information notifications. An alarm notification may relate to an asset being moved outside of a geometric revenue, an asset passing the maximum speed, an asset being near a steep wall, or an asset requiring oil. A warning notification may relate to maintenance that is due, for example, within a certain period of time. Information notifications may relate to an asset that is located or moved at a particular location.Notifications 1420 may be communicated to a device 1410, e.g., in the form of an email, a fax, or a page to a device 1410. These are just a few examples of how notifications 1420 may be communicated to a device 1410. The notifications 1420 may include timing information. For example, a notification 1420 may indicate how long a state has affected an asset, when the state has begun, when the state has ended, how often an event has arrived, or how often a state has begun or ended. In a specific example, a notification 1420 may indicate that an asset has been moved from location a to b at times x and y. In another example, a notification 1420 may indicate that the ignition of an asset was from 09:00 to 17:00 on July 16, 2006.According to one embodiment, notifications 1420 do not necessarily need to be communicated to a device 1410 immediately after their detection. For example, an information notification may not be immediately sent to a device 1410. It may be stored in a database 1440 for a period of time. The asset management system 1430 can regularly check the stored notifications and determine whether they should be transmitted to the corresponding device.According to one embodiment, notifications 1420 are communicated, for example, when an asset is appended with the wrong type of attachment. For example, a notification may be communicated when a large bucket is suspended from a small machine, which may potentially result in damage to the machine.configuringA user of a device 1410 can specify which assets, states, or events they wish to obtain notifications 1420. It may also be determined what form the notification 1420 is to take, such as an email or a page to the device 1410. According to one embodiment, a state machine 1444 may be configured for a particular asset by setting, among other things, which states, events affect the asset. The IgnitionOn state may relate, for example, to a bulldozer but not to the blade which can be attached to the bulldozer. Therefore, the state machine 1444 for a bulldozer may include an IgnitionOn state, while a state machine 1444 for a bucket includes only an IgnitionOn state.According to one embodiment, a user may cooperate with their device 1410 to configure for which states and events for a particular asset they wish to receive notifications. The device 1410 may then transmit the configuration to the asset management system 1430. The asset management system 1430 may use the configuration to generate a state machine 1444. State machine 1444 may be used to determine which notifications 1420 to send, when to send notifications 1420, and what to include notifications 1420, among other things.Example of operation of a method for activating notifications related to an assetAccording to one embodiment, FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of a method for enabling notifications pertaining to an asset. Although specific steps are disclosed in flowchart 1600, such steps are considered exemplary. That is, the embodiments of the present invention are best suited to performing various other steps or variations included in the flowchart 1600. It should be appreciated that these steps in flowchart 1600 may be performed in a different order than shown and that not all of the steps in flowchart 1600 need be performed.All or a portion of the embodiments described in flowchart 1600 may be implemented using computer readable and computer executable instructions residing, for example, in computer usable media on a computer system or similar device. As described above, in one embodiment, certain steps of the present invention are implemented as a series of instructions (e.g., a software program) residing within the computer readable memory of a computer system and executed by the computer system. When executed, the instructions cause the computer system to implement the functionality of the present invention as described below.The method begins with step 1610.In step 1620, information from a first reporting source and a second reporting source via an asset is stored in a database. Information from first and second reporting sources 208 may be received for assets as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10. For purposes of explanation, it may be assumed that the first reporting source is an asset mountable / removable device 215. The device 215 may be mounted to the assets. The device 215 may be used to collect information about an asset as the asset moves, for example. Further, the device 215 may be connected to a J-bus associated with the asset and thus is capable of detecting, among other things, whether the asset is powered on or not.For purposes of illustration, the second reporting source may be assumed to be a minicomputer 225 (PDA). A staff member of a construction company or dealer may walk around and input information regarding the assets to the PDA 225. Thus, in one embodiment, the multiple reporting source information receiver 1432 may receive information about an asset from more than one reporting source 208 Reference is made to the subsection "Information" in Section III and the discussion of Step 404 for further information about the receipt of information about the asset from a first and a second reporting source.Further, the received information may be stored in database 1440, resulting in stored information 1442 (FIG. 14 ). Reference is made to the description of step 406 (FIG. 4 ) in section I for further information on receiving and storing information in a database. Storing information in a database is also known as populating a database.According to one embodiment, vehicle tracking and communication used by a fleet management system may be used as part of the communication information via an asset. For further information on vehicle tracking and communication used by a fleet management system, see U.S. Patent Serial No. 6,611,755B1 by Coffee et al. filed December 19, 1999, entitled "VEHICLE TRACKING, COMMUNICATION AND SPARK PARK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM" issued to Trimble Navigation Ltd. in Sunnyvale CA (US). According to one embodiment, a PROTAK system or a Galileo system (each of which is a PROTAK and Galileo, either alone or with various pendant supplements, a trademark of Fleet Management Services, Inc., of Chandler, Ariz.) may be used as part of communication information about an asset.In step 1630, a state machine for an asset is maintained based on the received information. When an event occurs, state machine 1444 is used to determine whether a transition from one state to the other state is to be made. For example, assume that an asset is seated on a worksite. It is off and the door is closed. An operator would like to enter the asset and use it. In this illustration, and before the operator enters the asset, the WithhinSite state is met. The operator's event to open the door causes the entry DoorOpen. At this point in this illustration, the state machine for this asset reflects the states WithhinSite and DoorOpen. The operator closes the door, so that the DoorOpen state is no longer correct for the asset. When the events IgnitionOn and StartedMov occur, the state machine transitions to the move state. At this point in the illustration, the WithhinSite and Moving states apply to the asset.The method is ended with step 1640.Section V: Receiving information concerning a construction projectAccording to one embodiment, a construction company receives information about assets such as bulldozers, backhoes, backhoes, compressors, as part of managing a construction project. For example, construction company employees want to know where a particular asset is located, what the asset is doing, and so on. Employees can use this information to determine, among other things, whether an asset should be brought to another location or be performing another activity.As described in Section I, information about assets from, among other things, more than one reporting source 208A and 208B may be received from an asset management system 300 and stored in a database 205. Different types of assets are used for different types of design activities and cost different amounts. Since assets have different capabilities, a construction project uses different types of assets for different activities, which are examples of construction project objectives. Different types of reporting sources also have different capabilities and cost different amounts. According to one embodiment, different types of reporting sources are associated with different assets based on the capabilities of the assets and objectives of the construction project. According to one embodiment, the capabilities of an asset are considered part of the "features" of the asset.AssetsExamples of assets include, but are not limited to, dozers, dozers, saws, utility transport vehicles, excavators, paving machines, concrete trucks, delivery trucks, cranes, tools, service trucks, air blast machines, and so forth. Although many of the descriptions of the embodiments provided herein relate to worksite assets, various embodiments are equally suitable for other types of assets. Reference is made to Section 1, among other things, for further information on assets.Features of Assets and Objectives of Construction ProjectsExamples of asset features include the cost of the asset, the mobility of the asset, the amount of information communicated via the asset, the ability of the asset to supply power to a reporting source, the size of the asset, the accuracy of the location information that may be provided via the asset, and the up-to-dateness of the provision of information via the asset. Examples of objectives of the construction project include, but are not limited to, how the asset is used for a construction project, the amount of information that an asset management system would need to obtain to manage the asset, the accuracy of the location of the asset that an asset management system would need to obtain to manage the asset. Another example of objectives of a construction project relates to the relative cost of a reporting source as compared to the relative cost of an asset. For example, the expensive an asset, the more jurisdiction is to associate a relatively expensive reporting source with the asset. For example, the more force and capabilities a reporting source has, the more expensive the reporting source becomes. An CrossCheck® is relatively more expensive than a reporting source of the RFID tag type. The cost of the TrimTrac™ and mountable reporting source (MRS)) 1800 is intermediate. A construction project may include one or more construction sites.Reporting SourcesReferring to FIG. 2A, examples of reporting sources 208 include, without limitation, a permanently installed device 210, an asset mountable / removable device 215, a portable computing device 220, a minicomputer (PDA) 225, a smartphone 230, a handy phone 235, and human intelligence 240. Reference is made to the discussion of reporting sources 208 in Section I for further information about reporting sources. Examples of asset mountable / removable devices 215 include CrossCheck® TrimTrac™ mountable reporting sources (FIG. 18 ), and an RFID tag type reporting source.For further information on TrimTrac™ reference is made to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10 / 952,607 to Nichols et al., filed September 28, 2004, and entitled "Method and System for Controlling Valuable Movable Article", having Serial No. TRMB -1319.CIP4 assigned to the assignee of the present invention and to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11 / 076,923 to Workman et al., filed March 31, 2005, entitled "A portable motion activated position sensing device," having serial no. TRMB -1319. CIP7 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Reference is also made to Section VIII for further information on reporting sources of the RFID tag type.Different types of reporting sources have different capabilities. An CrossCheck® typically has a constant current source and is capable of communicating relatively large amounts of asset information often beyond relatively large distances. A reporting source of the RFID tag type has no power source and is capable of communicating relatively small amounts of asset information, such as an identification device, over a relatively short distance. The more capabilities a reporting source has, the more expensive si is typically. Therefore, it is a business sense to associate expensive reporting sources with relatively inexpensive assets. According to one embodiment, this problem is solved, among other things, by associating different types of reporting sources with different assets based on the characteristics of the asset and the objectives of the construction project.Information on an assetAccording to one embodiment, information from its first reporting source is also received via an asset and information from its second reporting source is received via an asset. The information received from the two reporting sources may be stored in a database, resulting in stored information. Reference is made to the description of step 406 (FIG. 4 ) for further information about the loading of a database.According to one embodiment, the information is asset location data. Examples of asset location data include, but are not limited to, whether a vehicle is at a location, on a road, or in the correct area of a location. According to one embodiment, the information is asset operation data. Examples of asset operational data include, without limitation, the speed at which the asset is moving, the amount of time since the last oil change or service was performed on the asset, any evidence of potential asset operational disturbances, and the activity at which the vehicle is currently or previously involved. A quiet may indicate an indication of a potential operational disorder of the asset.The information may be used to determine how often the asset has been used, where the asset is located, whether it has been properly used, whether it has left a designated area marked, e.g., by a geometric fence, when the asset requires maintenance, which maintenance truck would be best to perform the maintenance, and so forth. Reference is made to the description of steps 402 and 404 (FIG. 4 ) of Section I for further information about "information about an asset.". The information about an asset may indicate which events are occurring with respect to an asset.associating reporting sources with assetsAccording to one embodiment, a block diagram of the association of different types of reporting sources with different assets based on the features of the assets and the objectives of the construction project is shown in FIG. 17. Figure 17 illustrates a bulldozer 1712, a large compressor 1718, a hack saw 1720, and a bulldozer blade 1716. The assets are evaluated by their cost, the likelihood of being moved around, and the amount of information about the assets that are typically collected. For example, as compared to compressors 1718, bulldozers 1712 are more expensive, are moved around more often, and participate in more activities through which information is collected. In particular, a bulldozer 1712 is typically continuously moved around a worksite while a compressor 1718 is normally relatively stationary. A bulldozer blade 1716 provides no flow and is subjected to relatively many shocks.Cost, mobility, and the amount of information about an asset are some examples of features of an asset. How the asset is used as part of a construction project, as well as the amount of information that an asset management system would need to collect to manage an asset, are examples of objectives of a construction project.Thus, according to one embodiment, various types of reporting sources, a CrossCheck® 1722, a TrimTrac™ 1724, an MRS 1800, and an RFID tag 1728 are associated with the assets. FIG. 17 illustrates multiple reporting sources associated with different assets, according to one embodiment. Typically, bulldozers 1712 are continuously in motion and are more commonly used for complicated activities. Therefore, a relatively large amount of information can be available concerning a bulldozer 1712. Furthermore, an asset management system may wish to pay good attention to the bulldozer 1712. Therefore, a reporting source, such as a Crosscheck® 1722, that has a continuous supply of power and is capable of frequently transmitting information about the bulldozer to the asset management system may be associated with the bulldozer 1712.A large compressor 1718, on the other hand, is moved substantially less. Therefore, a device capable of only efficiently outputting power, such as a TrimTrac™ 1724, can be used. TrimTrac™ 1724 may detect when compressor 1718 has been associated with motion. If the asset is idle, the TrimTrac™ 1724 goes to sleep, thus saving power. If the TrimTrac™ 1724 detects that the asset is being moved, it enters the operational state and begins to transmit information about the asset now requiring more power.According to one embodiment, mountable reporting source (MRS) 1800 does not require current from the asset to which it is connected. According to one embodiment, mountable reporting source 1800 is capable of transmitting information to an asset management system via an asset, such as a hack saw. The RFID tag reporting source 1728 does not require power and is robust and thus would be suitable for assets such as a bulldozer blade 1716 that does not require power and is subject to relatively many shocks.The more expensive an asset is, the greater the skill to associate a relatively expensive reporting source with the asset. The more power and capabilities a reporting source has, the more expensive the reporting source will be. The CrossCheck® is relatively more expensive than the RFID tag type reporting source. The costs of the TrimTrac™ and the MRS 1800 are intermediate.According to one embodiment, the CrossCheck® TrimTrac™ and MRS 1800 are all capable of communicating information about an asset associated with an asset management system, which is an example of "active" reporting. According to one embodiment, the RFID tag reporting source is used as part of a "passive" reporting. A rental company or construction company typically has an area on land where assets such as compressors are stored until they are leased or used. An employee may walk around with a data collector that is capable of capturing the identifications conveyed by the RFID tags associated with the assets. The data collector may be a device that can hold a person in hand. The data collector may communicate the identification device from the RFID tag of the asset as well as the general location that it has detected in the presence of the identification device of the asset to an asset management system, among other things.Data DetectorsA data capturer is a device that can hold a person in his hand. As already indicated, an employee in the area may go around with a data collector capable of receiving the identification transmitted by the RFID tags associated with the assets. The data capturer may transmit the identification to the asset management system along with other information about the asset. The employee may enter information into a data repository in communication with, e.g., an asset management system. The employee may display information about an asset on the data repository in any desired manner that is advantageous to the employee. For example, the data detector may output a sound signal and indicate "backhoe loader 123 has just arrived.".A data collector according to an embodiment uses wireless technology. Examples of data detectors are data detectors of the Trimble® Recon® and the GIS type. Mobile Tech International™ also manufactures data collectors. In one embodiment, a data collector may be a data collector as described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10 / 651,586, issued August 29, 2003, entitled "Portable Electronic Instrument with Field-Replaceable Battery / Input / Output Module," and attorney docket No. TRMB1412 owned by the assignee of the present invention.A mountable reporting sourceFIG. 18 shows a block diagram of a mountable reporting source according to an embodiment. The blocks representing features in FIG. 18 may be arranged differently than in the illustration and may implement additional or fewer features than described herein. Furthermore, the features represented by the blocks in FIG. 18 can be combined in different ways. The mountable reporting source 1800 may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.Mountable reporting source 1800 according to an embodiment includes a controller 1810, a survey component 1820, a positioning component 1830, and an asset information fusion communication component 1840. The mountable reporting source 1800 may be associated with an asset, e.g., by mounting the reporting source 1800 to the asset. The asset to which mountable reporting source 1800 is mounted is referred to herein as a "linked asset.". According to one embodiment, mountable reporting source 1800 is associated with an asset based on the characteristics of the asset and the goals of the construction project. Additional information for assigning mountable reporting sources to assets can be found, among other things, under section V with the subsection "Assigning mountable reporting sources to assets.".The controller 1810 is connected to and controls the inquiring component 1820, the positioning component 1830, and the asset information merging communication component 1840. The controller 1810 controls receiving and executing commands to determine a geographic location and to communicate the location of the associated asset to, e.g., an asset management system, according to one embodiment. The controller 1810 controls the delivery of associated asset information to the asset management system, according to another embodiment.The interrogation component 1820 may store a received identification at the mountable reporting source, according to one embodiment. The interrogation component 1820 may access the stored identification and may communicate the identification to the asset management system along with other relevant information about the associated asset, according to another embodiment. According to one embodiment, the interrogation component 1820 stores the identification in a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and receives the identification from the RFID tag. The identification can transmit together with other information about the asset, for example, to an asset management system.The positioning component 1830 determines the location of the associated asset, according to one embodiment. The positioning component 1830 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna and a GPS receiver, according to one embodiment. However, various embodiments of the present invention are well suited to use different terrestrial and satellite based positioning systems.The asset information fusion communication component 1840 transmits asset information to, e.g., an asset management system, according to one embodiment. According to one embodiment, wireless communication is used, among other things, to communicate information about the asset, e.g., to the asset management system. The asset information merging communication component 1840 may communicate a portion of information about an asset to an asset management system. For example, mountable reporting source 1800 may communicate the location of the asset and information regarding whether the asset needs to be maintained to an asset management system.The asset management system may also receive a second portion of information about the same asset from another reporting source. For example, an employee may use a portable reporting source implemented with a personal digital assistant (PDA) to communicate when the asset is at a hazardous location. In this way, the asset management system is allowed to merge two pieces of information about the asset.According to one embodiment, the asset information fusion communication component 1840 is capable of transmitting information to the asset frequently. According to another embodiment, the asset information fusion communication component 1840 is capable of transmitting information to the asset less frequently. For example, reporting source 1800 (FIG. 18 ) includes memory that can store information about an asset, according to one embodiment. The asset information merging communication component 1840 regularly communicates the stored information, e.g., to an asset management system.The asset information merging communication component 1800 [sic!] may use various technology to communicate with, e.g., an asset management system. For example, the asset information merging communication component 1800 may [sic!] Use wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), satellite, or Internet Protocol (IP) radio to communicate. Further information can be found in the subsection "Communication".According to one embodiment, a mountable reporting source 1800 may use a motion detector that detects changes in the motion of the associated asset to conserve energy. For example, mountable reporting source 1800 may be in an idle mode, thus saving energy when stationary. The motion detector may detect that the mountable reporting source 1800 is being moved by detecting vibration and communicate this motion to the controller. When motion is detected, mountable reporting source 1800 may transition to the operating mode that consumes more energy. The motion detector may be an accelerometer, a tilt sensor, a rotation sensor, a gyroscope, etc. Various motion detection devices are suitable for use as a motion detector.A mountable reporting source 1800 may be added to assets after, e.g., being manufactured, purchased, and / or leased. A mountable reporting source 1800 according to an embodiment may be added to assets manufactured by various manufacturers. Thus, a mountable reporting source 1800 may be used as part of providing overall insight over a construction project regardless of who are manufacturers of the assets. According to another embodiment, a mountable reporting source 1800 is battery powered.In yet another embodiment, the Hewlett Packard™ (HP™) "memory spot" may be used as part of the implementation of a mountable reporting source 1800. The memory spot of HP™ is a small wireless data chip that can store between 256 kilobit and 4 megabits of information in flash memory. The memory spot of HP™ provides an RFID tag and also provides data transfer rates several orders of magnitude above that of a conventional RFID tag. The memory spot may store more than 250 times the data amount of an RFID and may transmit data more than 20 times faster. The memory spot can also encrypt the data.Asset Management SystemFIG. 19 illustrates an asset management system for receiving information about a construction project, according to an embodiment. The blocks representing features in FIG. 19 may be arranged differently than in the illustration and may implement additional or fewer features than described herein. Furthermore, the features represented by the blocks in FIG. 19 can be combined in different ways. The system 1900 may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.FIG. 19 illustrates an asset management system 1900 that includes an asset information receiver 1910 and a database 1920. The asset management system 1900 may include an asset information report generator 1930 that may generate an optional report 1940. The asset management system 1900 may receive information about an asset from more than one reporting source 1902 and 1904. For example, the first reporting source 1902 may report a first portion of information about an asset, and the second reporting source 1904 may report a second portion of information about the asset. One of the reporting sources 1902 and 1904 may be a mountable reporting source 1800 (FIG. 18 ). The asset management system 1900 may merge the two pieces of information about the asset and fill the database 1920 with the information about the asset. Similarly, asset management system 1900 may receive portions of information about other assets and populate database 1920. The asset information generator 1930 may access the asset information stored in the database 1920 and generate a report 1940.CommunicationAccording to one embodiment, a short message service (SMS) is used to communicate between, e.g., devices and / or systems such as a reporting source, a data collector, and an asset management system. According to one embodiment, unused portions of communication channels are used to communicate small information packets between the devices and / or systems. According to an embodiment, different channels are sampled for different technologies such as digital, analog, 800 MHz, 1900 MHz, radio packet technologies, and a channel providing the best or at least acceptable quality of service is selected. Examples of packet radio technologies include GPRS over GSM and 1XRTT over CDMA, which enumeration is not exhaustive. Robustness and general coverage are provided because it can be selected from many channels.According to another embodiment, the small information packets are transmitted to a central hub via an existing signaling system 7 (SS #7). Remote Access Application Messaging™ (RAAM™) may be used as part of transmitting the small information packets over the selected channel. The hub may identify a service provider that is the intended recipient of the small information packets and transmit small information packets to the service provider via, e.g., a back-end link. The back-end link may include the Internet, a dial-up, and a dedicated connection.Operation Example of Method for Receiving Information on Construction ProjectFIG. 20 shows a flow diagram of a method for receiving information about a construction project according to an embodiment. Although flowchart 2000 discloses certain steps, these steps are merely exemplary. That is, embodiments of the present invention are well suited for carrying out various other steps or modifications of the steps of flowchart 2000. It should be appreciated that the steps of flowchart 2000 may be performed in an order different from that illustrated, and that not all steps of flowchart 1600 need be performed.All or part of the embodiments described by flowchart 2000 may be implemented using computer readable and computer executable instructions disposed on, for example, computer usable media of a computer system or similar device. As described above, in one embodiment, certain processes and steps of the present invention are realized as a series of instructions (e.g., a software program) residing in a computer readable memory of a computer system and executed by that of the [sic!] of the computer system. When executed, the instructions cause the computer system to implement the functions of the present invention, as described below.In step 2010, the method begins.In step 2020, different assets are associated with different types of reporting sources based on properties of the assets and goals of the construction project. Referring to the discussion of FIG. 17, in the subsection "Associating Reporting Sources with Assets", different reporting sources 1722-1728 have been associated with different assets 1712-1720 based on features of the assets and goals of the construction project. More specifically, a CrossCheck® 1722 has been associated with the bulldozer 1712. The bulldozer 1712 is a very expensive asset that produces a large amount of information. Further, it may be a kit to attentively monitor the bulldozer 1712. Thus, a relatively expensive reporting source such as a CrossCheck® 1722 is justified, which has a continuous power supply and is capable of conveying information to the bulldozer 1712 frequently. In contrast, a bulldozer blade 1716 is less expensive, does not provide power, and is rather stationary, and therefore an RFID tag 1728 would be appropriate for it.In step 2030, asset information receivers are used to receive information about the asset from the reporting sources. Examples of asset information receivers are data collectors and an asset information receiver 1910 (FIG. 19 ). According to one embodiment, a data collector forwards received information to the asset information receiver 1910. Some reporting sources, such as CrossCheck® 1722, are capable of providing relatively large amounts of information to assets over long distances relatively frequently. Other reporting sources, such as the RFID tag 1728, may provide only small amounts of information about short-range assets. The asset information receivers used conform to the capabilities of the reporting sources, according to one embodiment. For example, a data collector satisfies the capabilities of the RFID tag-type reporting source 1728 because a person may carry it in relatively close proximity to the RFID tag-type reporting source 1728. In contrast, the asset information receiver 1910 (FIG. 19 ) corresponds to the capabilities of the CrossCheck® 1722, the TrimTrac™ 1724, and the MRS 1800.Two or more reporting sources are enabled to provide information about a particular asset. For example, the asset information merging communication component 1840 may communicate a portion of information about an asset to an asset management system 1900. For example, mountable reporting source 1800 may communicate the location of the asset and information regarding whether the asset needs to be maintained to an asset management system 1900. The asset management system 1900 may also receive a second portion of information about the same asset from another reporting source. For example, an employee may use a portable data repository to communicate that the asset is at a hazardous location. In this manner, the asset management system 1900 is permitted to merge two pieces of information about the asset.In step 2040, the method ends.Section VI: Restriction of Access to Asset Management InformationOverviewAccording to an embodiment, information on assets may be selectively provided to various entities such as rental companies and construction companies. According to one embodiment, the information is stored in a database and includes information about assets associated with a rental company and about assets leased to different construction companies. According to an embodiment, the information is selectively provided to different entities based on security aspects. For example, a construction company C1 may have permission to access only information for the assets leased by it, while a construction company C2 may have permission to access only information for the assets leased by it. The merchant may access information for any or all assets associated therewith, according to one embodiment. According to another embodiment, access to asset management information is restricted based on user settings, as will become apparent later. Although many embodiments are illustrated with reference to a dealer, various embodiments described herein may also apply to a rental company other than a dealer.Business ModelFIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a relationship between manufacturers of construction assets, rental companies 2120 that rented construction assets, and construction companies 2130, according to an embodiment. In the past, construction companies 2130 have typically acquired all their construction assets. In view of decreasing winning margins, construction companies 2130 increasingly tend to purchase a core set of assets and lease additional assets if they do not have sufficient assets to perform a large construction project. Construction companies 2130 may subscribe to these additional assets from either dealers 2122 or rental companies 2124, which are not dealers. Dealers 2122 are typically centermans between a particular manufacturer 2110 of construction assets, such as Johns Deere™ and Caterpillar™ and construction company 2130. Examples of non-merchant rental companies 2124 include United™ Flertz™ and Volvo™. Examples of construction companies 2130 include Kuwaiti™ Turner & Jacobs™ and Rudolph and Sletten™ which are not exhaustive.As construction companies 2130 continue to lease a certain portion of the assets they require, dealers sell less construction equipment. Thus, dealers 2122 operate in the rental store to replace the winnings they no longer make sales.FIG. 22 illustrates various assets that lease two construction companies from a dealer and service vehicles belonging to a dealer, according to one embodiment. The assets shown in FIG. 22 are three planning machines G 1, G 2, and G 3, a bulldozer BD, two geofences GF 1 and GF 2, and two maintenance vehicles ST 1 and ST 2. For purposes of illustration, it is to be assumed that construction companies C 1 and C 2 are two construction companies 2130. For purposes of illustration, it is to be assumed that one construction company C1 has leased the bulldozer BD and the geofence GF1, and a second construction company C2 has leased three grading machines G1, G2, and G3 and one geofence GF2.According to one embodiment, information about the assets of FIG. 22 is stored in a database. According to one embodiment, access to the asset management information is restricted based on security aspects. For example, construction companies C 1 and C 2 wish to be able to obtain information about their own assets. However, one construction company 2130 is likely not to want another construction company 2130 to have access to its information. Thus, in one embodiment, enterprise C1 only sees its own assets BD and GF1. Likewise, the construction company C 2 only sees the own assets G 1, G 2, G 3, and GF 2.Also, merchant 2122 will want to obtain information about the assets that it owns, leases, and / or waits. For example, dealer 2122 wants to obtain information on ST 1, ST 2, BD, GF 1, G 1, G 2, G 3, and GF 2. In particular, it is advantageous if dealer 2122 can determine when and how often an asset was used. For example, dealer 2122 may use various embodiments to determine whether a construction company 2130 has used an asset more frequently than it has paid for. In another example, dealer 2122 may use various embodiments to determine whether one of the assets needs to be maintained, as will become apparent later.There are many different ways a dealer 2122 may increase its winning through the various embodiments described herein. In an example, a dealer 2122 may sell reporting sources 208 (FIG. 2A ) to the construction company 2130. Construction company 2130 may use reporting sources 208 to collect information that is transmitted to an asset management system associated with dealer 2122. The construction company 2130 may use the asset management system to access information about assets that it owns or rents. For example, dealer 2122 may charge construction company 2130 monthly for use of the asset management system. The dealer 2122 may also charge a service fee to the construction company 2130 when the dealer 2122 performs maintenance work on assets that the construction company 2130 rents or owns.Asset Management SystemFIG. 23 shows a block diagram of an asset management system 2300, according to an embodiment. The blocks representing features in FIG. 23 may be arranged differently than in the illustration and may implement additional or fewer features than described herein. Furthermore, the features represented by the blocks in FIG. 23 can be combined in different ways. The system 2300 may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.The asset management system 2300 includes an information storage device 2310 and a device for selectively providing information 2320. The means for selectively providing information 2320 includes an approval module 2322. The information storage device 2310 may store information about the assets in a database 2330 resulting in stored information 2340. The means for selectively providing information 2320 uses the approval module 2322 to allow a first entity to access a first subset 2342 of the information 2340 stored in the database 2330, while not allowing a second entity to access the first subset 2342 of the information 2340, as will become more apparent below. According to one embodiment, database 2330 is a relational database. According to one embodiment, database 205 (FIG. 2A ) is an example of database 2330 of FIG. 23. According to one embodiment, SQL is used as a part of retrieving information 2340 from database 2330.AssetsExamples of assets include, but are not limited to, dozers, levelers, blade crawlers, saws, debris transport vehicles, excavators, paving machines, concrete mixing vehicles, utility vehicles, cranes, tools, service vehicles, geofences, compressors, etc. Although many of the descriptions of embodiments provided herein relate to construction assets, various embodiments are well suited to other asset types.According to one embodiment, the assets belong to a rental company 2120. Rental company 2120 may rental assets to construction company 2130. According to another embodiment, the assets are owned by the construction company 2130. A rental company 2120 may use various embodiments to manage the assets that the construction company 2130 rents or owns. Further information on assets can be found in Section I.Reporting SourcesReferring to FIG. 2A, examples of reporting sources 208 include, but are not limited to, permanently mounted devices 210, asset mountable / removable devices 215, handheld computer device 220, personal digital assistants (PDAs) 225, smart phone 230, cellular phones 235, and human intelligence 240. For more information on reporting sources, see the discussion of reporting sources 208 in Section I.InformationAccording to one embodiment, information is received from a first reporting source to an asset, and information about the asset is also received from a second reporting source. The information from the two sources may be stored in a database 2330 resulting in stored information 2340. Further information for filling a database can be found in the description of step 406 (FIG. 4 ).According to one embodiment, information 2340 is asset location data. Examples of asset location data include, but are not limited to, information regarding whether a vehicle is at a location, on a road, in the proper area of the location. According to another embodiment, the information 2340 is asset operation data. Examples of asset operating data include, but are not limited to, information regarding the speed of travel of an asset, the time since the last oil change or other scheduled maintenance work on an asset, indications of possible failures of the asset, and the activity the vehicle currently is or has previously performed. Quiet tones can be an indication of a possible disruption of the asset.Information 2340 may be used to determine how much an asset was used where the asset is located, whether it is properly used, whether it has left a predetermined area, e.g., marked by a geofence, when the asset needs to be serviced, which service vehicle would be best suited to performing the service, etc. Further information regarding "information regarding an asset" is found in the description of steps 402 and 404 (FIG. 4 ) of Section I.Permissions and Security AspectsFIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating using permissions to restrict access to asset management information, according to an embodiment. FIG. 24 shows control fields 2410, data fields 2430, and links 2420 between control fields 2410 and data fields 2430 According to one embodiment, a database 2330 includes control fields 2410, data fields 2430, and links 2420. Data fields 2430 according to an embodiment include information on assets such as ST 1, ST 2, GF 1, BD, GF 2, G 1, G 2, and G 3. A control panel 2410 may include a password associated with a device, such as a dealer 2122 or construction company C1, C2. According to one embodiment, the dealer's password is associated with all assets ST 1, ST 2, GF 1, BD, GF 2, G 1, G 2, and G 3, while respective keywords for the construction companies 2130 are associated with the assets they lease. The solid lines indicate the links between the construction companies C 1 and C 2 and the respective assets rented by them. The dashed lines indicate the links between dealer 2122 and the assets owned by dealer 2122.As shown in FIG. 24, all assets are property of the merchant 2122. However, according to another embodiment, the assets may also belong to a construction company 2130. For purposes of illustration, it is to be assumed that construction company C1 includes planning machines G4 and G5. In this case, data fields 2430 may include information about the scheduler engines G 4 and G 5. Links 2420 may indicate that the construction company C1 password may be used to access information about the planning machines G4 and G5. In contrast, the password of construction company C2 would not allow construction company C2 to access information about planning machines G4 and G5. According to another embodiment, links 2420 may also indicate that the dealer's password may be used to access information to planning machines G 4 and G 5, thus allowing dealer 2122 to perform maintenance work on planning machines G 4 and G 5 belonging to construction company C 1.User SettingsAccording to another embodiment, access to the asset management information is restricted based on user settings. For example, a project leader working for a construction company 2130 may be responsible for multiple projects. According to one embodiment, the project leader may access information regarding any or all of the projects for which it is responsible. Likewise, local lease, regional lease, or supraregional lease may access information regarding any or all assets associated with them based on user settings.Other examples of user settings include queries to determine how many of a particular asset type are located in a particular business location. For example, a customer such as a construction company employee 2130 at a business office may ask for a backhoe. Using various embodiments, an employee of rental company 2120 may query how many backhoes are available at the business office for rental at that location. Further, using various embodiments enables not only to determine whether an asset is available, but also whether it is in a sufficiently good state for rental. For example, assume that a customer 2130 wishes to lease a bulldozer. Rental company 2120 employee may use asset management system 2300 according to an embodiment to find the bulldozers available at the rental business office 2120 location. Assume that three bulldozers are available. However, two of the bulldozers must be maintained soon. Since the asset management system 2300 has access to the information for maintenance, the asset management system 2300 may enable the rental company 2120 employee to determine that the bulldozer is leased that does not require maintenance, according to one embodiment.In another example, a user may indicate that he desires information about assets that need to be maintained within a particular time period. The assets may be associated with either dealer 2122 or construction company 2130. The assets may be maintained at the rental company 2120 location or at the worksite. Further, dealer 2122 may use information 2340 stored in database 2330 to determine which maintenance vehicle ST 1 or ST 2 is located closer to an asset that needs maintenance.According to one embodiment, construction companies C 1, C 2 pay dealer 2122 for maintenance of assets. Dealer 2122 may maintain the assets leased by dealer 2122 or belonging to construction company C 1, C 2.Examples of possible users of an asset management system 2300 include project managers, rental company employees, area managers, regional managers, rental company owners, and construction company employees. According to various embodiments, a user of the asset management system 2300 may change the user settings used, whereupon the assets accessed by the user are also changed accordingly. For example, a project leader may request access to project A and later access to project C. The selective information provider 2320 may provide information to the appropriate assets based on the requested user settings. According to one embodiment, SQL is used to retrieve information 2340 from database 2330 based on user settings.Dynamic Changes to the InformationThe information 2340 stored in the database 2330 may be changed while being viewed by different users. According to one embodiment, asset management system 2300 handles these types of dynamic changes to information 2340. For example, two rental business office employees A and B can simultaneously look at which backhoes are available. Assume that employee A rents a backhoe while employee B continues to view the display of the available backhoes.According to one embodiment, the asset management system 2300 may prevent the same backhoe from being leased to two customers. For example, the asset management system 2300 may immediately update the information displayed for the employee B as soon as the backhoe is rented. In another example, the asset management system 2300 does not immediately update the displayed backhoes that the employee B is viewing. In this case, the employee B may attempt to rental the same backhoe. Then, the asset management system 2300 may inform the employee B that the backhoe has already been leased.Operation Example of Method for Restricting Access to Asset Management InformationFIG. 25 is a flow diagram of a method for restricting access to asset management information, according to an embodiment. Although flowchart 2500 discloses certain steps, these steps are merely exemplary. That is, embodiments of the present invention are well suited for carrying out various other steps or modifications of the steps of flowchart 2500. It should be understood that the steps of flowchart 2500 may be performed in an order different from that illustrated, and that not all steps of flowchart 2500 need be performed.All or part of the embodiments described by flowchart 2500 may be implemented using computer readable and computer executable instructions disposed on, for example, computer usable media of a computer system or similar device. As described above, in one embodiment, certain processes and steps of the present invention are realized as a series of instructions (e.g., a software program) residing in a computer readable memory of a computer system and executed by the computer system. When executed, the instructions cause the computer system to implement the functions of the present invention, as described below.In step 2510, the method begins.In step 2520, information is received from a first reporting source to an asset. For example, information may be received from a first reporting source 208 for assets, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 24. For purposes of illustration, assume that the first reporting source is an asset mountable / removable device 215. The device 215 may be mounted on the assets ST 1, ST 2, BD, G 1-G 3, etc.A reporting source, such as asset mountable / removable device 215 used in step 2520, may automatically identify when an asset is returned to a dealer, and may cause an asset management system to automatically update database 2330 and indicate that the asset has been returned. Further, a reporting source may communicate any information already described herein to database 2330.Other types of information about the asset may also be received. Additional information for receiving information about an asset from a first reporting source can be found in the discussion of step 402. For further information on the types of assets over which information can be received, see subsection "Assets" of Section VI. For further information on the types of information that can be received, see subsection "Information" of Section VI.In step 2530, information is received from a second reporting source to the asset. For example, information may be received from a second reporting source 208 for assets, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 24. For purposes of illustration, assume that the second reporting source is a personal digital assistant 225 (PDA). An employee of a construction company C 1, C 2 or a dealer 2122 may go around and input information on the assets ST 1, ST 2, BD, G 1-G 3 to the PDA 225. In this way, according to one embodiment, information about an asset may be received from more than one reporting source 208, as already described in Section I.As mentioned above, the device 215 may be used to automatically determine that an asset has been returned to a rental company and cause an asset management system 2300 to update a database 2330. Similarly, a second reporting source, such as a PDA 225, used in step 2530 may be used to cause an asset management system 2300 to update a database 2330 when an asset is returned. Other types of information about the asset may also be received. Additional information regarding "receiving information about an asset from a second reporting source" can be found in the subsection "Information" of Section I and in the discussion of Step 404.In step 2540, the information from the first and second reporting sources is stored in the database. For example, an information storage device 2310 may store the information received in steps 2520 and 2530, thereby yielding stored information 2340 (FIG. 23 ). Additional information for storing information in a database (also referred to as filling a database) is found in the description of step 406 (FIG. 4 ) in section I.In step 2550, a first entity is allowed to access a first subset of the information stored in the database, while a second entity is not allowed to access the first subset of the information stored in the database. For purposes of illustration, assume that the first entity is a construction company C1 and the second entity is a construction company C2, as discussed in connection with FIG. 22. For purposes of illustration, it is further assumed that the information storage device 2310 stores information for the assets (ST1, ST2, GF1, GF2, BD, G1, G2, and G3) that belong to the dealer 2122 and that he may rent in the database 2330. For purposes of illustration, it is also assumed that the subset 2342 of information 2340 relates to the assets BD and GF1 that rent the construction company C1. According to one embodiment, approval module 2322 grants access to subset 2342 of information 2340 to construction company C 1, while not granting access to subset 2342 of information 2340 to construction company C 2.According to another embodiment, approval module 2322 grants dealer 2122 access to subset 2342 of information 2340 while not granting construction company C2 access to subset 2342 of information 2340. For purposes of illustration, assume that the information stored in database 2330 pertains to a particular merchant 2122, and in one embodiment, subset 2122 [sic!] includes all information 2340 about the assets stored in database 2330.For example, if a device wants to access information 2340, it may enter its password into a graphical user interface that communicates with an asset management system 2300 (FIG. 23 ), according to one embodiment. The approval module 2322 may use the password to determine whether the subset 2342 of information 2340 may be accessed. The means for selectively providing information 2320 may provide the subset 2342 of information 2340 when the approval module 2322 grants access to the subset 2342. Further information can be found in the subsection "permissions" in section VI.According to another embodiment, access to the information to assets may also be restricted based on user settings. For example, a project leader, area leader, supraregional enterprise, etc. may use user settings to limit access to information in which they are seriously interested. For example, a project leader may be interested in viewing information about project C. Then, he may be interested in viewing information about project B. In another example, a rental company owner may be interested in how many assets of a particular type are available for immediate rental.In another example of user settings, a user may indicate that he desires information about assets that need to be maintained within a particular time period. The assets may be associated with either dealer 2122 or construction company 2330. The assets may be maintained at the rental company 2120 location or at the worksite. Further information on user settings can be found in subsection "User settings" in section VI.In step 2560, the method ends.Final Conclusion:Various embodiments of the present invention may be used to restrict access to asset management information. Access may be restricted based on security aspects or based on user settings. By allowing customers, such as construction companies, to access the appropriate level of information, rental companies, which are dealers or non-dealers, may improve their relationship to their customers, which may result in increased winning.By allowing rental companies to invoke the appropriate level of information, rental companies are less likely to leave the opportunity to rental assets. For example, common rental companies use a manual process to update their asset tracking systems, thus taking a long time for a returned asset to be entered into the system. Thus rental companies using common methods may assume that they do not have assets in inventory, although this is actually the case, leading to lost rental opportunities. However, using various embodiments of the present invention, the asset management system is updated immediately when an asset is returned, and rental companies therefore miss fewer opportunities. Further, various embodiments enable a rental company to determine how long an asset has been used. If the asset was used for longer than a period of time a construction company has paid, the rental company has the ability to charge more fees to the construction company. Various embodiments also allow a rental company to determine whether an asset has been properly utilized, etc.Although many embodiments are illustrated with reference to a dealer, various embodiments described herein may also apply to a rental company other than a dealer. Although many embodiments described herein relate to dealers, rental companies, and construction companies, various embodiments may be used for other types of business that include asset management. Although many embodiments described herein relate to construction assets, various embodiments may be used to restrict access to information about other asset types.Section VII: Externally Enhanced Asset ManagementOverviewEmbodiments described herein provide a method and system for externally enhanced asset management. In general, embodiments described herein use multiple different sources to monitor an asset and its environment. The different sources provide asset operation and environmental information that fills a database. The database is ordered to combine the asset and environment information, resulting in an ordered single source of asset information. The resulting database provides a wide range of asset management data with a depth substantially greater than a single source of information it can provide.In addition, by using multiple different sources to provide asset and environmental information, the asset awareness of the asset manager is substantially increased while the chance of an asset fault is substantially decreased. In other words, failure of a single asset or environment source reporter does not result in the asset manager's complete loss of asset management capabilities.In addition, because of the asset management capabilities described herein, an meaningful business management tool is provided. Namely, since the asset management system is useful at any level of asset management, the asset management system provides meaningful value-added features at the producer level, rental / leasing level, and owners. The value-added features may also well be features that "sell themselves.".Referring to FIG. 26, a network diagram of an exemplary method for externally enhanced asset management according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The asset management network 200 includes a database 205, a plurality of reporting sources 208, at least one environmental condition reporting source 2608 and a local business intelligence database 2653.In general, database 205 receives information from at least two reporting sources 208, and the data within database 205 is ordered such that information about an asset can be checked. For example, the data in database 205 may be ordered such that information about a particular asset or about multiple assets may be checked. This capability has been described with reference to FIG. 2A and is not repeated here for brevity and clarity.In one embodiment, database 205 is a single database on a single computer system, such as computer system 100. In another embodiment, database 205 may actually consist of multiple databases on a single computer system or on multiple computer systems. Moreover, the plurality of databases may be located at the same location or distributed among multiple locations. Moreover, the plurality of databases may be wired or wirelessly connected to each other to form a network of databases in which the asset information may be stored. In one embodiment, the asset may be an engine, a vehicle, an electrical or mechanical device, animate object, or any other trackable element.Environment reporting source(s) 2608 include devices such as a weather reporting station 2610, a traffic reporting station 2615, and an image provider 2620, which enumeration is not exhaustive. Moreover, reporting sources 2608 may include resources such as electronic devices, human sources, the monitored asset, other assets, and the like. The local business intelligence database 2653 may be a local data source to the environment, such as a local library or database in which environment data is maintained. In one embodiment, the environmental data may include ground maps, geological maps, geographic maps, layout files, images (e.g., satellite images, video images, still images), historical features, environmental protection regulations, protected flora and fauna, visual landmarks, and the like. In one embodiment, any or all of environment reporting sources 2608 may be capable of providing environmental condition information, including, but not limited to, traffic information, weather information, environmental information, video or still images, and the like.In general, weather reporting station 2610 may be an Internet weather resource, a weather satellite, a weather broadcast, a weather station, a human weather report, or the like, that provides local, general, or other weather related information. For example, weather reporting station 2610 may provide daily / weekly temperature ranges, precipitations, unweet information, sky descriptions (e.g., cloudy, clear, neblig, etc.), predictions, and the like. That is, the weather reporting station 2610 provides supplemental environmental information to the database 205 to provide the actual weather conditions for a region in which the asset may be operated, a region in which the asset is to be operated, a region in which the asset was previously operated, or a combination thereof.In general, the reported weather information can be used for both short-term and long-term planning. For example, if an asset is needed in more than one location in the short term, the weather information for the respective project locations may be checked. If the weather is not suitable for the asset at the first location, but at the second location, the asset may be allocated to the second location. In this way, the asset is not sent to the first project location with improper weather conditions that would result in limited use or non-use of the asset, but the asset is instead deployed in an operating environment. In the long term, the weather profile can be checked to extrapolate expected working days, likely ground conditions, initial conditions for the construction work and the like. In one embodiment, long term planning may provide a means for assigning assets, providing an initial personnel mission plan, etc.Generally, the traffic reporting station 2615 may be an Internet traffic resource, a traffic camera, a traffic broadcast transmission, a traffic meter, a human traffic report, or the like, that provides local, general, or other traffic related information. For example, traffic reporting station 2615 may provide daily / weekly traffic messages, accident reports, delays, and the like. That is, the traffic reporting station 2615 provides supplemental environmental information to the database 205 to provide the actual traffic conditions for a region in which the asset can be operated, a region in which the asset is to be operated, a region in which the asset was previously operated, or a combination thereof. For example, if an asset is going to a location, the traffic reporting may be used to generate the best route, provide real-time redirection based on current traffic conditions, and the like. Moreover, the traffic information may provide a predicted route based on time of day, traffic accidents, road work, etc.The image providing device 2620 may be an Internet camera, a traffic camera, a satellite, a human-made shot, or the like that provides local, general, or other images related to environmental conditions. For example, the image provider 2620 may provide daily / weekly / monthly / annual images of a selected environment such as a work location, a selected location, and the like. That is, the image provider 2620 provides supplemental environment information to the database 205 to provide actual images for a region in which the asset can be operated, a region in which the asset is to be operated, a region in which the asset was previously operated, or a combination thereof.In one embodiment, each reporting source 2608 may have capabilities such as position fixation, photography, text messages, voice messages, data messages, radio frequency identification tag readout, and the like. Further, any or all of these reporting sources 2608 may be capable of monitoring the environmental conditions for one or more locations. For example, any or all of reporting sources 2608 may be capable of providing precise location information, general region information, and the like.Referring to FIG. 27, an exemplary externally enhanced asset management system 700 in communication with an optional customer application 710 is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The asset management system 700 includes a data receiver 330, a database 205, and an optional asset information report generator 750.In general, data receiver 330 is configured to receive information about an asset from a plurality of reporting sources (such as sources 208A and 208B). In addition, the data receiver 330 is configured to receive environmental information from at least one environment reporting source 2608. The data receiver 330 reports this asset information to the database 205, which is then populated with a first portion of information about an asset from a first reporting source 208A, a second portion of information about an asset from a second reporting source 208B, and so forth for other reporting sources reporting information about an asset. Moreover, database 205 may similarly receive and manage information for multiple assets. The specific functions and operation of data receiver 330 and database 205 with respect to the asset information reporting sources (e.g., 208A and 208B) have been previously described and will not be re-described for brevity and clarity unless necessary to identify any differences or features not yet described.At least one environment reporting source 2608 provides environment condition information to database 205 in any or all of several methods. In general, the environmental information received from database 205 may relate to an asset location, a region where the asset is operated, or a region where the asset is to be operated. For example, when the asset is to be moved to an expressway, the environmental information received from the database 205 may include traffic information, accident information, weather information, images of the expressway, and the like. Moreover, in one embodiment, the environmental information received from database 205 may be time stamped and include location information, or otherwise annotated to ensure that both time and location are auditable. In another embodiment, on the other hand, the environmental information received from database 205 may be time stamped only or may include location information. In another embodiment, the environmental information received from database 205 may not be time stamped and may not include location information or other annotations.The specific functions and operation of optional asset information report generator 750, optional report 360, and optional customer application 710 have been described and will not be repeated for brevity and clarity of discussion.FIG. 28 is a flow diagram 2800 of an exemplary method for providing externally enhanced asset management according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 28, elements 402 and 404 have already been described and will not be described again in the interest of brevity and clarity of discussion. Rather, reference is made to earlier descriptions of these elements of the flow chart.Referring to 2806 of FIG. 28 and to FIG. 27, an embodiment receives environmental condition information about an asset from a third reporting source 2608. As described in detail herein, in one embodiment, the environmental condition information is received from the database 205 via the data receiver 330. The information may be received in a wired or wireless manner, as well as by a direct connection between the reporting source and the data receiver 330, or via a network.In one embodiment, data receiver 330 receives environmental condition data from third reporting source 2608. As described herein, environmental condition data refers to environmental conditions related to a geographic location. For example, if the asset is a vehicle, the environmental condition data may include, but is not limited to, weather (e.g., sunny, neblig, rainy, etc.) in which the vehicle is travelling, road conditions (e.g., decelerations, accidents, locks, etc.), and the like. Generally, the environmental condition data may be received from sources such as a weather station, the Internet, a radio station, a traffic camera, a satellite, human intelligence (HumInt), and the like, but this enumeration is not exhaustive.Further, while only one environmental condition reporting source 2608 is shown as described herein, the present invention is well suited for receiving environmental condition information from more than one environmental condition reporting source 2608 (as shown in FIG. 26). For example, in one embodiment, data receiver 330 may receive environmental condition information from a plurality of sources, such as any or all of sources 2610-2615.Referring to 2808 of FIG. 28 and to FIG. 27, one embodiment fills database 205 with information from first reporting source 208A, second reporting source 208B, and third reporting source 2608 such that information about the asset and its operating environment may be checked against database 205. In one embodiment, database 205 provides real-time location and / or operation monitoring capabilities for the asset and its environment. In another embodiment, database 205 provides location and operation monitoring capabilities in near real-time to the asset and its environment.That is, any or all of reporting sources 208 providing information to the asset and environmental condition reporting sources 2608 configured to constantly provide information provide regularly scheduled information updates or provide information updates only upon request from a user.For example, the environmental condition reporting source may be a traffic reporting device 2615 such as a highway traffic camera or the like. The traffic reporting device 2615 may provide constant updates of the highway information to the database. This may be important when the asset is using the highways on a regular basis. For example, the asset may prepare to travel from point A to point B. By accessing the database, a user would be able to check whether the regular route is available, whether an alternative route is advisable, or could check other traffic conditions that may provide evidence to increase the utility efficiency of the asset.In another example, the traffic reporting device 2615 may be used by a rental company to check validity of a rental party's de-negotiation. For example, if a rentaler calls and notifies the rental company at a free-day evening that the asset cannot be returned prior to business closure due to traffic obstructions, the rental company may check the database and, for example, invoke the optional report 360 or the customer application 710 to ensure that the asset is actually suspended by the traffic. In this way, the rental company can not only monitor the asset to determine if it was used for traffic obstruction at the weekend after the call, but can also check if the asset was actually suspended by the traffic.In the same manner, any information about the environment may be continuously updated, with the use of traffic information here merely as an example for purposes of brevity and clarity. If the environmental conditions do not require constant updates, the information provided to database 205 need not be continuously updated. When, using the traffic example again, the asset is in the same region, e.g., is needed for the day at the same location, is defective, is not used, waits for maintenance, or the like, it is possible to provide the environmental condition traffic information only at a specified update period. For example, the environmental conditions may be checked in the morning, and then again in the evening, or only once daily, or only once weekly, etc. Additionally, the environmental condition information may be modified based on the status of the asset. That is, when the asset is not used, it is possible to update the environmental condition information only at regular intervals or not at all. However, when the asset is put into operation, the environmental condition information may be updated more frequently or even continuously.Additionally, in one embodiment, the environmental condition and asset information is presented in the form of an asset information report 750 generated from the data in the database 205. In one embodiment, the data presented in the environmental condition and asset information report 750 is a combination of all information received via an asset and its environment. In another embodiment, on the other hand, the data presented in the environmental condition and asset information report 750 is only a combination of portions of the information received via an asset and / or portions of the environmental condition information.For example, database 205 from multiple reporting sources may include redundant information about the asset and environmental conditions. That is, more than one reporting source may provide environmental condition and asset location information. In one embodiment, all asset and environmental condition information including the redundant information in the database may be used by the report generator 750 when generating the asset information report 360. In another embodiment, on the other hand, the report generator 750 may remove the redundant information before generating an analgen information report 360 to reduce bandwidth, increase clarity of the report, or the like. In another embodiment, the redundant information may be removed at the database level to manage the size of the database 205.Additionally, in one embodiment, the analytics information report 360 may be provided on a GBO, or presented on paper, audibly, or provided in another user-selected format. For example, the analytics information report may be provided in a different, non-visual format to a user, such as when the analytics information report is provided over a communication network, or to a visually handicapped user, or to a user who may not view a visual analytics information report for operational / safety reasons, or the like.In this manner, embodiments of the present invention provide externally enhanced asset management systems and methods. Embodiments further provide automated methods for both visually and electronically adjusting asset information reports. Embodiments also provide automated methods for receiving information reports from external applications that operate independently of the enhanced management system. Also provided are methods and systems for combining external information with asset management information in an electronic file formatted for use in a customer application or for manually or automatically providing such a formatted file to a customer application.Section VIII: Spontaneous asset trackingSpontaneous Asset Tracking SystemA spontaneous asset tracking system employs an asset management system, such as asset management system 700, and utilizes the reporting capabilities of one or more reporting sources, such as reporting sources 208A and 208B (FIG. 3 ), to spontaneously collect secondary reports of identification information associated with assets, such as passing rental equipment assets in a rental shop or construction equipment assets within a worksite. An example of the usefulness of using reporting sources, such as 208A and 208B, to send such secondary reports is described in connection with Figure 30 and illustrated in Figure 31.Referring to FIG. 29, shown is a block diagram of an exemplary asset management system 700 employed as a spontaneous asset tracking system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The asset management system 700 includes the data receiver 330, the database 205, the optional asset information report generator 750, and the optional asset notification module 2980 found. The specific functions and operation of data receiver 330, database 205, and asset information report generator 750 have been described above, and for purposes of brevity and clarity, they will not be described again herein unless necessary to designate any differences or functions not previously described.In general, data receiver 330 is configured to receive information about an asset from multiple reporting sources (such as sources 208A and 208B). As will be seen below, in one embodiment, this also includes receiving asset identification data and asset identification information, e.g., collected spontaneously, and then reported by reporting sources, such as reporting sources 208A and 208B. In one embodiment, data receiver 330 reports these asset identification data and asset identification information to a database, such as database 205, which is then populated with the asset identification data and asset identification information. In some embodiments, this asset identification information and asset identification data is stored in the same database 205 along with the asset information described above received from the first reporting source 208A, from the second reporting source 208B, and / or other reporting sources. In one embodiment, the optional asset information report generator 750 is used to assign assets to groups and locations, assign reporting sources to groups, and generate asset information reports 360 from asset information, asset identification data, and asset identification information maintained within the database 205. As shown below, in one embodiment, this includes generating asset information reports 360 that include asset identification information that was spontaneously captured over an asset.The optional found assets notification module 2980 is connected to the asset information report generator and database 205, in one embodiment, and is used to log or "mark" assets of interest. The optional found asset notification module 2980 provides a user interface that allows information such as a serial number, the type of asset, or the inventory number of an asset to be marked. A tagged asset may be a lost or laid asset, or simply an asset whose location is to be found, of particular interest to a user. After entering such asset tag information, the found asset notification module 2980 monitors the database 205 for any identification information or data associated with the tagged asset or assets that are then populated with the database 205.In one embodiment, a user accesses any post-populated location information via a tagged asset at a later time, such as via asset information report 360 or via a graphical interface provided by the asset information report module 750. In one embodiment, the optional found asset notification module 2980 allows a user to choose to obtain from the asset notification module 2980 an optional message 2960 such as a text message, pager signal, cell phone call, or email if the database 205 is subsequently populated with the location of a marked asset. Although shown separately for purposes of clarity, it should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the asset notification module 2980 found is integrated with another portion of the asset management system 700, such as the asset information report generator 750.Method for Spontaneously Tracking an AssetFIG. 30 is a flow diagram of an example method 3000 for spontaneously tracking asset locations, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Referring to element 3002 of FIGS. 30 and 29, an embodiment receives information about a first asset from a first reporting source 208A. The first reporting source 208A is connected to the first asset. This receipt of information is consistent with the receipt of information about an asset described in connection with 402 of method 400, except that in this case reporting source 208 is connected to the asset over which it reports information. This contrasts with the reporting source 208 in element 402, which may or may not have been associated with an asset over which information was reported. As described above, information received from the reporting source 208A may be location information or operational information related to the asset. FIG. 31 shows an example of two such reporting sources (208A and 208B) associated with construction vehicles and reporting asset information about their respective vehicles.Referring to FIG. 31, a diagram of an embodiment of the spontaneous tracking of asset locations is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 31, an area such as a rental shop, sales shop of assets, or construction site is illustrated as area 3100. For purposes of this example, it will be appreciated that the area 3100 represents a worksite. Near communication devices 3101, 3102, and 3103 are located within the construction site 3100. FIG. 31 also shows a loader 3115 equipped with a first reporting source 208A and a dump truck 3120 equipped with a second reporting source 208B.The primary purpose of reporting sources 208A and 208B is to report location information and / or operational information about an asset associated with the asset to which they are connected, and as such, each includes an information module for collecting information. For example, in this example, the primary purpose of reporting source 208A is to report location information and / or operational information about the loader 3115 to which they are connected. In this example, the primary purpose of reporting source 208B is also to report location and / or operational information about dump truck 3120 to which they are connected. As described above, reporting sources 208A and 208B may include (or be configured with) global satellite navigation system (GNSS) receivers to enable reporting location information. Similarly, reporting sources 208A and 208B may be connected to one or more operating information-providing sources, such as a J-bus, an asset processor, a diagnostic evaluator, an engine microprocessor, an odometer, a tachometer, a tachometer, an oil pressure indicator, a wheel pressure indicator, a hydraulic indicator, an engine run time, and an ignition-activated power source of the respective asset to which they are respectively connected. As indicated above, in various embodiments, a reporting source 208A and / or 208B may include a TrimTrac™ device, a CrossCheck® device, a cellular phone (e.g., a cell phone), a personal digital assistant, a portable computing device, a radio frequency identifier, a smart phone, and the like.Referring to 3004 of FIG. 30, an embodiment receives asset identification information about a second asset from the first reporting source. In one embodiment, the asset identification information includes identification data acquired from the first reporting source on a spontaneous basis when the first reporting source is within a transmission range of a short-range communication device connected to the second asset. In some embodiments, receiving asset identification information includes receiving asset identification data alone or combined with other information, such as location information and / or time information.For example, in one embodiment, the identification data is combined with the location of the reporting source 208A when the identification data is acquired. For example, a geographic location (latitude and longitude) or a particular location or area in which the reporting source 208A operates. In one embodiment, such location data is derived from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver of reporting source 208A. In another embodiment, the identification data is combined with time when the reporting source 208A captures the identification data. The time may be taken from an internal clock of the reporting source 208A or may originate from an external source, such as a satellite signal or a handy-phone signal received from the reporting source 208A."Spontaneous Basis" means that acquiring and reporting information about additional assets represents a secondary function of the first reporting source 208A, e.g., occurring only as a result of the first reporting source 208A coming within range of transmission of asset identification data from a short-range communication device (3101, 3102, 3103) connected to the second (or subsequent) asset. Although the acquisition of identification data is on a spontaneous basis, the creation of this situation for the acquisition of identification data may be intentional or accidental. Thus, in a situation where reporting source 208A is connected to a vehicle, the vehicle may be intentionally driven through an area to find additional assets and acquire identification data about those additional assets in the area. Even without this targeted operator preference, the reporting source 208A nevertheless acquires information from additional assets found when the vehicle is driven around purely randomly or upon fulfilment of another task.Referring again to FIG. 31, reporting sources 208A and 208B are each configured to collect secondary information collected via additional assets, such as identification data transmitted by short-range communication devices associated with these additional assets. To this end, each reporting source (208A, 208B) is configured with a short-range communication device, such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, a Bluetooth device, and / or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) wireless local area network (WLAN) for acquiring identification data from additional assets equipped with supplemental communication devices. The acquired identification data is then reported via a transmitter, such as a cell phone, a data receiver, such as data receiver 330 (FIG. 29). This reporting is done in the same manner as described above for the primary reporting of the asset operating information and / or asset location information reported by reporting sources 208A and 208B. For purposes of this example, it may be assumed that reporting sources 208A and 208B are each equipped with an RFID reader, a Bluetooth communication device, and a WiFi communication device.The short-range communication devices 3101, 3102, and 3103 are communication devices with limited transmission ranges, such as from a few centimeters to tens of meters. Short-range communication devices (3101, 3102, and 3103) include, but are not limited to, devices such as radio frequency identification tags (RFID), wireless fidelity (WiFi) devices, or Bluetooth devices. For purposes of this example, device 3101 may be assumed to be an RFID tag, device 3102 may be assumed to be a WiFi device, and device 3103 may be assumed to be a Bluetooth device. Although such short-range communication devices have limited transmission ranges, they provide advantages such as low cost, low power consumption (no power consumption in some cases), low space requirements, and robustness. The operation of such short-range communication devices is well known and will not be described in detail herein for purposes of brevity and clarity.In FIG. 31, each short-range communication device (3101, 3102, 3103) is connected to an asset, such as a construction machine asset, whose value does not warrant an "active" asset management enabling device (e.g., a TrimTrac™ device or a CrossCheck® device), which is too small for an active asset management enabling device, or which does not have current for an active asset management enabling device. Each short-range communication device (3101, 3102, 3103) is programmed to transmit the identification data associated with the asset to which it is connected. Such identification data may include: a vehicle identification number; a serial number; an asset type (e.g., a generator, a hand lamp, a loader bucket, or other asset type); a model number; an inventory number associated with the asset; or other descriptive information about the asset to which the short-range communication device (3101, 3102, 3103) is connected. For purposes of this example, assume that RFID tag 3101 is connected to loader bucket 3171 and is configured to transmit a signal including the serial number of loader bucket asset 3171 within a limited range 3111. In this example, the WiFi device 3102 is also connected to a flashlight 3172 and is configured to transmit a signal including an inventory number connected to flashlight asset 3172 within a limited range 3112. Finally, the Bluetooth device 3103 is connected to a generator 3173 and configured to transmit a signal including the serial number connected to the generator asset 3173 within a limited range 3133.As loader 3115 travels along path 3116 through worksite 3100, it comes within range 3113 and reporting source 208A acquires identification data from Bluetooth device 3103. The reporting source 208A records a location of the loader 3115 when the identification data is acquired and / or a time when the identification data is acquired from the Bluetooth device 3103. As loader 3115 continues to travel through transmission area 3112, reporting source 208A acquires the identification data from WiFi device 3102. The reporting source 208A records a location of the loader 3115 when the identification data was acquired and / or a time at which the identification data was acquired from the WiFi device 3102. At any time, such as immediately after the acquisition of identification data after being interrogated, or at a fixed time, reporting source 208A reports the acquired identification information (identification data combined with location of acquisition and / or time of acquisition) to data receiver 330.Similarly, as the dump truck 3120 travels on the path 3121, it enters the transmission range 3111 through the worksite 3100, and the reporting source 208B acquires identification data from the RFID tag 3101. The reporting source 208B records a location of dump truck 3120, when the identification data was acquired, and / or a time when the data was acquired from the RFID device 3101. When dump truck 3120 enters transmission range 3113, reporting source 208B also acquires identification data from Bluetooth device 3103. The reporting source 208B records a location of dump truck 3120, when the identification data was acquired, and / or a time at which the identification data was acquired from Bluetooth device 3103. At any time, such as immediately after the acquisition of identification data after being interrogated, or at a fixed time, reporting source 208B reports the acquired identification information (identification data combined with location of acquisition and / or time of acquisition) to data receiver 330.Referring to 3006 of FIG. 30, and to FIGS. 29 and 31, one embodiment fills a database 205 with the asset identification information. The information is populated such that it can be later retrieved from the database 205 for use in connection with, for example, an asset information report. Thus, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 31, a database, such as database 205, is populated with the identification information received from the data receiver 330, where it is associated with an associated asset. In one embodiment, this includes populating with identification information received from other sources, such as reporting source 208B. Thus, identification information that fills database 205 for a particular asset may be identification information received from a single reporting source or from multiple reporting sources. It will also be appreciated that in one embodiment, a database other than database 205 is populated with such identifying information. It will also be appreciated that a database may be populated with such identifying information shared with or separate from other asset information received from reporting sources, such as reporting sources 208A and 208B.Additionally, although method 3000 and FIG. 31 have been described in connection with an embodiment in which the short-range communication devices 3101, 3102, and 3103 are connected to construction equipment assets, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, such short-range communication devices may also be connected to other assets, such as rental assets, material (e.g., I-beam, window, furniture), or packaging material (e.g., pallets, boxes) for the purpose of tracking such assets on a spontaneous basis when within the transmission range of a reporting source, such as reporting source 208A. Also, while only three short-range communication devices are shown in FIG. 31, it should be appreciated that two-digit, three-digit numbers or more may be employed in other embodiments, each associated with an asset and configured to transmit identification data associated with that asset.In one embodiment, a reporting source, such as reporting source 208A or 208B, is also capable of capturing and reporting (transmitting) the individual asset identification information captured by spontaneous interaction with such a plurality of short-range communication devices. Thus, in one embodiment, reporting source 208B receives a plurality of signals from a plurality of RFID tags that are connected to, loaded into, or connected to a plurality of assets that are separate from dump truck 3120, and that are encountered during operation of dump truck 310. The reporting source 3120 then reports (such as via a handy-phone transmission) the identification information associated with this plurality of assets. The identification information is received by the data receiver 330 and the database 205 is then populated therewith.Additionally, although the reporting sources 208A and 208B have been described as associated with construction vehicles, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, such reporting sources may have other configurations. In one embodiment, a reporting source 208A includes, for example, a GNSS receiver and an RFID reader connected to a cellular phone. In this embodiment, reporting source 208A may be carried around by a person and would similarly report identifying information that is acquired on a spontaneous basis during travel and movements of the person. In such an embodiment, the primary information reported by a reporting source, such as 208A, is the location of the asset that carries the reporting source (which in this case is a person, such as a construction leader). The secondary information that is reported is the identification information that is acquired on a spontaneous basis as the reporting source 208A moves through a rental shop, retail site, construction site, or the like that includes assets equipped with short-range communication sources such as RFID tag 3101.Reports and NotificationsIn one embodiment, asset identification information is presented in the form of an asset information report 360 generated from the data in the database 205. In one embodiment, the data presented in asset information report 360 is a combination of all the information received from each reporting source 208 via an asset. However, in another embodiment, the data presented in the asset information report 360 is a combination of only portions of the information received via an asset from one or all reporting sources 208.Asset identification information in a database, such as database 205, may include unnecessary information regarding an asset from a plurality of reporting sources 208. That is, more than one reporting source 208 may be asset. Providing Location Information. For example, as shown in FIG. 31, reporting sources 208A and 208B report respectively acquired identification data from the short-range communication source 3103 connected to the generator 3173. Similarly, reporting sources 208A and 208B each report identifying information associated with generator 3173. In one embodiment, all of the identification information in database 205 relating to the asset, including the unnecessary information, may be used by report generator 750 in generating asset information report 360. However, in another embodiment, report generator 750 may remove the unnecessary information prior to generating asset information report 360 to reduce bandwidth, increase clarity of the report, or the like. In another embodiment, the unnecessary information at the database level may be removed to keep the size of the database 205 under control. Asset information report generator 750 may combine asset information and asset identification information into a single asset information report 360 or generate separate asset information reports 360 with each type of information. Thus, in one embodiment, asset information report generator 750 generates an asset information report 360 that includes at least a portion of the asset identification information.In one embodiment, the asset information report 360 may also be presented on a GBO, on paper, may be audibly provided, or may be provided in another format selected by the user. The asset information report may be provided, for example, in a format other than visual, to a user at times, e.g., when the asset information report is provided over a communication network, or to a visually handicapped user, or to a user who cannot refer to an asset visual information report for operational / safety reasons, or the like.Referring to FIG. 32, a block diagram of an exemplary printable format 3200 of an asset information report 360 generated by the asset management system 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The example printable format 3200 may also be viewed on a video monitor connected to a computer or on a personal digital assistant screen, for example. As seen in FIG. 32, the asset information report generator 750 has read from the database 205 identification information provided by the short-range communication device 3103 connected to the generator asset 3173. In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 provides a title 3205, such as "asset location report.". Such an asset location report may provide location information for an asset, a class of assets, or a group of assets. For example, in one embodiment, the asset information report 360 includes an asset location report for a group of assets that have been associated with a particular area, such as a worksite, bred by the asset information report generator 750.Printable format 3200 shows the identification information from database 205 as an asset location report for an asset. Report 3200 is formatted as columns corresponding to asset 3202, time 3203 at which the asset identification data was acquired by a reporting source, and location 3204 of the reporting source when the identification data was acquired. Column 3202 shows that the asset is a generator. Column 3202 shows the various times, in this case it includes the data at which the identifying information for the generator was received from a reporting source. Column 3204 shows the various locations of the reporting source corresponding to the various times at which identification data was acquired from a reporting source. As can be seen, in four of the five cases, the location remains the same where asset identification data was acquired. As shown in cell 3220, the generator was 19:37 am at a different location than it had been previously on August 29, 2006.In one embodiment, a found asset notification module 2980 is used to provide a notification when a database has been populated with identification data for a tagged asset. Suppose a construction ladder looked for, for example, generator 3173 on August 22, 2006 and could not find it at or near the latitude 38.1637 / longitude 95.3221. It then marks the generator asset 3173 using the found asset notification module 2980. In one embodiment, when the database 205 is populated with subsequent identifying data for the generator 3173, the asset notification module 2980 generates a report that is then output to, e.g., the party of the construction shop. For example, the report indicates that identifying data for the generator asset was acquired at the Latitude 38.9886 / Longitude-95.3029, location on August 29, 2006. The construction shop may then go to this location to search for the generator 3173.It should be appreciated that the location information that is captured and reported is actual location information associated with a reporting source, such as reporting source 208A. Due to the short range of the short-range communication devices (e.g., 3101, 3102, and 3103), the location information is accurate enough to find the asset or to set the location of an asset to a particular worksite, a portion of a worksite, an area of a rental shop, or a particular area to which the asset is associated. This is useful when attempting to find a lost or laid asset in determining which assets are at a particular worksite or rental shop. This location information is thus sufficient for a construction worker to recognize that a generator asset 3173 has been left on an old construction site, laid behind a heap of crumb, or hidden behind high vegetation grown around it.Referring to FIG. 33, shown is a block diagram of an exemplary GBO display 360B of an asset information report generated by an asset management system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The GBO display 360B is similar to the GBO display 360 of FIG. 5. In one embodiment, the asset information report 360B includes an asset 540, an asset column 510, an information source column 508, a map excerpt 520, and a user crossbar portion 530. Generally, the user bar portion 530 provides a means by which a user can interact with the asset information report 360. The map section 520 is automatically provided from the asset information report generator 750 as a part of the asset information report 360B. Moreover, elements 508, 510, 520, 530, and 540 have already been described above, and are consistent with the above descriptions of their corresponding elements shown and described in connection with FIG. 5.The area 550 is an area enclosed by a geofence, which in this example can be considered to correspond to the worksite 3100 illustrated in FIG. 31. The geofenced area 550 is overlaid on the map cut 520 and shows, for example, all assets last recorded as being within the geofenced area 550. Thus, asset 540, asset 3171, asset 3172, and asset 3173 are shown within area 550 bred by a geofence. In this example report, the location of the asset 550 has been actively reported via a reporting source 208. In contrast, the locations for assets 3171, 3172, and 3173 were tracked on a spontaneous basis using the spontaneous asset tracking method and system described above. The information displayed in a GBO provides awareness and management of assets located in an area specified by a user, such as a construction leader, rental equipment manager, or the like.Embodiments of the present invention thus provide spontaneous asset tracking systems and methods. Furthermore, embodiments provide automated methods to report and report asset identification information acquired on a spontaneous basis. Spontaneous tracking solves the problem of high costs typically associated with tracking assets by employing existing reporting sources in conjunction with short-range communication devices to provide secondary (spontaneous) reporting capability that an existing asset management system and infrastructure may employ.Section IX: Integrated Asset ManagementOverviewThe embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for integrated asset management. In general, the embodiments described herein employ a variety of different sources for monitoring information about an asset, such as location and operational information about an asset. A database is filled with the information from the different sources. Inspection information is also received from one or more enabled devices, such as wireless fidelity (WiFi) wireless Internet / network enabled devices or Bluetooth enabled devices, that are populated on the database.In some embodiments, such devices are connected to a customer information system, such as a rental information system, inventory information system, maintenance information system, or the like, via a coupling to the Internet, a Bluetooth transceiver, or to a local or wide area network. Such activated devices are often hand-held devices and may include a personal digital assistant, a computer, or the like, which may additionally be connected to a printer. In some embodiments, such activated devices are primarily used to report "inspection information" representing information manually acquired with the device (e.g., by reading a barcode on an asset or by capturing an image of an asset), or manually input to the device after a human visual inspection. After a visual inspection, a human operator may, for example, detect visible asset damage, visible maintenance problems, the overall cleanliness of the asset, or other similar visually observable features, and then input the inspection information to the activated device, which in turn uploads the inspection information to a customer information system. In some embodiments, such enabled devices also receive asset data from the customer information system. Many such activated devices are known in the art.The database is populated with the asset information and asset inspection information such that all or portions thereof and all other information associated with an asset can be captured in an integrated manner from the database for use in a customer information system or by an activated device. In one embodiment, this includes custom reading data via an asset in a format usable for one or more activated devices. In one embodiment, this includes custom reading data via an asset in a format usable by one or more customer information systems. The data about an asset may be directed back to an enabled device or customer information system that provided inspection information to the database, or to another customer information system or enabled device. In one embodiment, a report may also be generated from the asset information, the asset inspection information, and any other information associated with an asset and stored in the database.Integration of Asset Management InformationReferring to FIG. 34, an example asset management system 700 is shown in communication with a first reporting source 208A, a second reporting source 208B, an optional first customer information system 3405A, and an optional second customer information system 3405B, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 34, an asset management system 700 is also in communication with a first enabled device 3409A and a second enabled device 3409B via the first customer information system 3405A. An enabled device is a device that is in communication with a customer information system for reporting inspection information via an asset to the customer information system, such as via a WiFi Internet or network connection, a Bluetooth connection, or similar wireless connection. Likewise, in some embodiments, such an enabled device also receives information about the asset from the wireless connection to the customer information system.The asset management system 700 is comprised of the data receiver 330, database 205, and optional asset information report generator 750 and optional integrated data transceiver 3480. Typically, data receiver 330 is configured to receive information about an asset from multiple reporting sources (such as sources 208A and 208B). The data receiver 330 reports to the database 205 this asset information, which is populated with a first portion of information about an asset from a first reporting source 208A, a second portion of information about an asset from a second reporting source 208B, and so forth, for other reporting sources reporting information about an asset. Moreover, database 205 may similarly receive and store information for a plurality of assets. The specific functions and operation of the data receiver 330 and database 205 with respect to the asset information reporting sources (e.g., 208A and 208B) have already been described above, and for purposes of brevity and clarity, they will not be described again herein, unless necessary to designate any differences or functions not previously described.Optional integrated data transceiver 3480 is configured for interfacing with customer information systems, such as optional customer information systems 3405A and 3405B, for the purposes of providing integrated asset data read from database 205 and formatted by asset information report generator 3405A, and also for the purposes of receiving asset investigation information. A customer information system such as 3405A or 3405B is, for example, an asset maintenance information system, an asset inventory information system, an asset rental information system, or the like. Generally, a customer information system is more than one simple customer application, such as spreadsheet, but instead is a system that receives information inputs (such as from external enabled devices 3409A and 3409B) and issues reports such as receipts, work orders, inventory lists, or the like.Referring to FIG. 35, a flowchart of an example method 3500 for the integration of asset management information is shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The elements of method 3500 will be described with reference to FIGS. 34 and 36. FIG. 36 is a block diagram of an example asset 3620 returned to the rental office of a rental company 3600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. By way of example and not limitation, customer information system 3405A of FIG. 36 is described as a rental asset information system. However, it should be appreciated that the concepts exhibited in this exemplary implementation are equally applicable to other customer information systems, such as inventory control information systems, maintenance information systems, content information systems, and the like.Referring to 402 of FIG. 35 and to FIGS. 34 and 36, an embodiment receives information about an asset from a first reporting source. As described above, a plurality of reporting sources 208 may provide asset information about an asset. By way of example, and not limitation, the asset may be considered a dump truck 3620 rental from rental station 3600 equipped with a first reporting source 208A. Typically, the information received from the reporting source 208A includes location and / or operational information about the haul truck 3620. Element 402 and reporting source 208A have already been described above and will not be described again here for brevity and clarity. Instead, these earlier descriptions are referred to.Referring to 404 of FIG. 35 and to FIGS. 34 and 36, one embodiment receives information about the asset from a second reporting source. As described above, a plurality of reporting sources 208 may provide asset information about an asset. By way of example, reporting source 208B may be considered a portable computer used to input information about dump truck 3620 when asset 3620 has been maintained on the way by rental company service personnel during the rental period. Typically, the information received includes location and / or operational information about an asset, such as asset 3620. Element 404 and reporting source 208B have already been described above and will not be described again here for brevity and clarity. Instead, these earlier descriptions are referred to.Referring to 3506 of FIG. 35 and to FIGS. 34 and 36, one embodiment receives inspection information about the asset (in this example, dump truck 3620) from a first activated device 3409A. By way of example and not limitation, first customer information system 3405A, as shown in FIG. 36, may be considered to be an asset rental information system. Customer information system 3405A is populated with survey information received from a WiFi enabled device, such as first enabled device 3409A, when an asset, such as dump truck asset 3620, is brought back to a rental office at the end of the rental period. In another embodiment, the activated device 3409A is a Bluetooth activated device. In one embodiment, for example, a rental company employee uses activated device 3409A to collect survey information about an asset, such as dump truck 3620, such as by capturing a digital photograph from dump truck 3620 with activated device 3409A, performing an external control of the condition of dump truck 3620 (such as cleanliness or the presence of damage), and inputting inspection results into activated device 3409A, inspecting dump truck 3620 for any maintenance issues (e.g., a vision control issue, such as oil leakage) and inputting the results to the activated device 3409A and / or inputting a work order for the dump truck 3620 (such as for any cleaning or unscheduled maintenance work detected during asset inspection).Inspection information may thus include information such as a digital photograph of an asset, an unscheduled job for an asset (e.g., based on damage, cleanliness, maintenance issues detected during an asset inspection), or other visually observed information reported about an asset. In one embodiment, the reported survey information is transmitted from an enabled device 3409A to a customer information system 3405A and from the customer information system 3405A to the integrated data transceiver 3480 that fills a database, such as database 205, with the survey information. In another embodiment, survey information is transmitted from enabled device 3409A to integrated data transceiver 3480 that fills a database, such as database 205, with the survey information.The second enabled device 3409B is also used in one embodiment to report survey information about an asset, such as asset 3620. In one embodiment, the survey information is the same or similar survey information as reported by enabled device 3409A. In one embodiment, the second enabled device 3409B reports additional investigation information, such as the completion of a work for an asset. For example, in one embodiment, activated device 3409B is used to report completion of the washing of asset 3620 in response to a work order for washing asset 3620. In one embodiment, the reported survey information is sent from the enabled device 3409B to the customer information system 3405A and from the customer information system 3405A to the integrated data transceiver 3480 that fills a database, such as database 205, with the survey information. In another embodiment, the survey information is transmitted from the enabled device 3409B to the integrated data transceiver 3480 that fills a database, such as database 205, with the survey information. Although only two activated devices, 3409A and 3409B, are shown in Figures 34 and 36, it should be understood that a plurality of such activated devices (3409A... 3409n) can report survey information about an asset in the manner described above.Referring to 3508 of FIG. 35 and to FIGS. 34 and 36, an embodiment fills a database, such as database 205, with the information from the first reporting source 208A, the information from the second reporting source 208B, and the inspection information from the first enabled device 3409A, such that the information from the first reporting source 208A, the information from the second reporting source 208B, and the inspection information from the first enabled device 3409A can be collected in an integrated manner from the database 205 for use by a customer information system, such as the customer information system 3405A. In one embodiment, this includes storing the information from the first reporting source 208A, the information from the second reporting source 208B (along with any other asset information from other reporting sources), and the investigation information from the enabled device 3409A (along with any other asset investigation information from other enabled devices) in such a manner that an asset information report 360 can be generated with respect to the asset. As described above, this may include storing the selected information in a single database 205 or in a plurality of commonly accessible databases.In general, the asset information report generator 750 is configured to be in communication with the database 205 to generate an asset information report 360 of asset data provided by the database 205. The asset information report 360 may include asset information reported from sources such as reporting sources 208A and 208B. An asset information report 360 may also include inspection information such as digital photos of the asset, visible information captured from the asset, or other inspection information reported from an enabled device such as 3409A and 3409B. In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 generates an asset information report 360 that includes at least a portion of the information from the first reporting source 208A, at least a portion of the information from the second reporting source 208B, and at least a portion of the inspection information from the first enabled device 3409A.An example of such an asset information report 360 is a comprehensive maintenance report that lists scheduled maintenance as due based on the hours of operation reported by the reporting source 208A and the miles driven reported by the reporting source 208B, along with unscheduled maintenance required based on the visual inspection results reported by the enabled device 3409A. The operation of the asset information report generator 750 with respect to generating the asset information report 360 has been described above, and will not be described again here for brevity and clarity.Referring to FIG. 37, a flow diagram of an example method 3700, for providing integrated asset management information, is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The elements of method 3700 will be described with reference to FIG. 34 and FIG. 36.Referring to 3702 of FIG. 37 and to FIGS. 34 and 36, an embodiment accesses a database 205 populated with information about an asset, such as dump truck 3620 received from a first reporting source 208A, information about the asset received from a second reporting source 208B, and inspection information about the asset received from a first enabled device 3409A. For example, in one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 is communicatively coupled to the database 205 and retrieves and reads integrated asset data via an asset, such as dump truck 3620, from a selection of the asset information, the asset investigation information, as well as any other information associated with the asset and stored in the database 205. In one embodiment, a user-defined report module (described above) is used by the asset information report generator 750 to perform a user-defined asset data query and format tapped integrated asset data for an intended customer information system or enabled device. The integrated asset data that is retrieved is for use by a customer application, such as customer application 3405A or 3405B. In various embodiments, a portion of the integrated data that is retrieved includes the following: a digital photograph of the asset, results of outside control of the asset, a work order for the asset, a work order completion report for the asset, the visual inspection information recorded for the asset, the rental contract information for the asset (leased on, returned on, time in use, day or days in use, locations used, or other such information), location information (present or past) for the asset, and / or operating information for the asset.Referring to 3704 of FIG. 37 and to FIGS. 34 and 36, an embodiment updates a customer information system, such as customer information system 3405A or customer information system 3405B. For example, in one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 provides retrieved data to the integrated data transceiver 3480 that couples the retrieved data to a customer information system such as 3405A or 3405B.For example, in one embodiment, integrated data about an asset is used to provide additional rental contract information upon returning an asset. Rather than only allowing an operator or employee to print an acknowledgement (many systems are currently capable), the integrated asset data provided includes rental contract information, thereby allowing an operator or employee to determine whether the conditions of the rental contract have been met. For example, assume a situation where dump truck 3620 is given for use on a saturday and needs to be used in a particular state where it is properly licensed and registered, such as Kansas. In addition, assume that the asset rental company is closed on Sunday and that the asset is returned immediately on Monday morning after being used in Missouri on Sunday for 10 hours. Examination information such as the date and time of the asset return is reported about an activated device such as the first activated device 3409A. This examination information is recorded in the database 205. The asset information report generator 750 then reads out integrated asset data about the rental contract and provides it to the first enabled device 3409A via the customer information system 3405A to support a correct and prompt rental contract completion.For example, in one embodiment, the integrated asset data provided includes rental contract information, such as rental conditions (rental date, return date, and the like), derived from information received from an enabled device, such as 3409A, or a customer information system, such as 3405A. In one embodiment, the integrated asset data also includes rental contract information, such as asset operating information and asset location information, read from asset information provided by reporting sources, such as reporting source 208A and / or 208B. In one embodiment, additional asset data, such as contract data, is provided by customer information system 3405A. Based on this integrated asset data associated with rental contract information, an employee of the rental company is able to determine that the dump truck 3620 has been used in Kansas for eight hours on the Saturday and in Missouri for 10 hours on the Sunday. This allows the rental company employee to adjust the fees accordingly for an additional day of use and add a penalty for operating the dump truck asset in missouri in violation of conditions of the rental contract, as appropriate. This shows an example of how asset data collected from different sources and devices is integrated and utilized by the asset management system 700 to increase awareness of the administrator of the asset in terms of days in use, hours in use, and locations of an asset.In another example, in one embodiment, integrated data about an asset is used to provide a comprehensive job that integrates both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance due to an asset. The comprehensive work order is used to update a maintenance information system, which for purposes of this example is the system 3405B illustrated in FIG. 34. In such an embodiment, the data for the scheduled maintenance comes from inspection data reported from an activated device such as activated device 3409A, while the data for the scheduled maintenance comes from operation information (operation hours, engine running time, oil level, and the like) reported from a reporting source such as reporting source 208A. Thus, in one embodiment, survey information received via the first customer information system 3405A is integrated with other asset data that can be read from the database 205 to provide an update to the second customer information system 3405B. This allows the exchange of data between customer information systems, which in many cases usually do not exchange data. Such data exchange results in an increase in efficiency and rationalization of operations of a company such as an asset rental company, an asset maintenance company, an asset distribution company, or an asset operation company, or the like.In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 is in communication with the integrated data transceiver 3480 and transmits the integrated data via an asset to a customer information system, such as the customer information system 3405 or the customer information system 3405B. In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 formats the integrated data via an asset for use by a customer information system, such as the customer information system 3405A or the customer information system 3405B. In one embodiment, this includes an electronic format compatible with (readable and usable by) a customer information system, such as 3405A, and / or its enabled devices, such as enabled devices 3409A and 3409B. In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 750 formats the integrated data via an asset for use by an enabled device, such as the enabled device 3409A or the enabled device 3409B. In such an embodiment, this includes formatting any data and / or graphics so that they may be displayed and / or printed by the enabled device 3409A and / or the enabled device 3409B. In one embodiment, for example, a custom report module (described above) is employed by the asset information report generator 750 to read integrated data via an asset from database 205 and further personalize the integrated data into a format usable by, for example, a customer information system such as 3405A or 3405B or an enabled device such as 3409A or 3409B.Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for acquiring and integrating asset management information that include a plurality of asset information from a plurality of reporting sources and a plurality of asset inspection information from a plurality of enabled devices. Embodiments further provide a means for filling a database with this acquired information, such as database 205. Embodiments also include systems and methods for providing integrated asset data updates to customer systems and for providing integrated asset data reports, both derived from the asset information, the asset inspection information, and any other asset data stored in and retrievable from the database.As can be appreciated, the methods and systems described above in connection with the asset management system 700 reduce or eliminate inefficiencies due to overlapping processes, overlapping data collections, and various customer information systems used by asset rental companies, asset distribution companies, asset operations companies, and asset maintenance companies, and the like. This reduces information bottleneck and improves perception of management regarding operation, location, and availability of an asset.Section X: Detection of Construction Machine Asset Process FailuresOverviewThe asset location and operational information stored in the database 205 may be analyzed and used for many purposes. One purpose is to detect and report a construction machine asset process fault. The term "process fault" refers to using an asset to perform a process that another asset or combination of assets could perform more economically, efficiently, or more rapidly, or improper use of the proper asset in performing a process. In the embodiment described below, process errors are regulated by compliance with one or more process standards associated with one or more construction machine assets.By recognizing information in database 205 indicating violation of a process standard and reporting the process error in real time or in near real time, the process error situation can be corrected. Also, delayed reporting of a process failure allows a construction engineer to determine improper use of a construction machine asset, efficient and inefficient use patterns of a construction machine asset, and efficient and inefficient use patterns of a worker operating a particular construction machine asset. Corrective actions such as retraining the operator, asset redesign, or alternative asset use may then be taken to reduce future process errors.The overall result of the detection and reporting of construction machine asset process errors is a reduction in the occurrence of such process errors. This results in a saving in money, time, or both for the asset operator company, such as a material mover company. Although such process fault detection can be applied to many types of construction equipment assets, it is particularly useful in the construction industry when applied to "material motion" type construction equipment assets including: dozers, graders, excavators, scrapers, shakers, wheel loaders, knuckleboom dump trucks, drag trucks, dump trucks, pavers, staffs, and the like used to move or operate on treck, gravel, ore, sand, or other similar materials.Asset Management SystemReferring to FIG. 38, shown is a block diagram of an example asset management system 700 equipped with an optional process fault detector 3880 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 38, the asset management system 700 is comprised of the data receiver 330, the database 205, the optional asset information report generator 750, and the optional process fault detector 3880.Generally, the data receiver 330 is configured to receive information, such as location and / or operational information, via an asset from one or more reporting sources 208 (such as sources 208A and 208B). The data receiver 330 reports this asset information to the database 205, which is then populated with a first portion of information about an asset from a first reporting source 208A, a second portion of information about an asset from a second reporting source 208B, and so forth, for other reporting sources reporting information about an asset. Moreover, database 205 may similarly receive and store information for a plurality of assets. The optional asset information report generator 750 is configured to be in communication with the database 205, generate the asset information report 360 from asset information data provided by the database 205, and in some embodiments, couple the asset information report 360 to a customer application.Many of the components shown in asset management system 700 and FIG. 38 have already been described in detail. For example, the first reporting source 208A, the second reporting source 208B, the data receiver 330, the database 205, the optional asset information report generator 750, and the optional report 360 have already been described. These components described above operate in a manner consistent with their descriptions above and, for purposes of brevity and clarity, will not be described again herein, except where necessary, to designate any differences or operating methods not previously described.The optional process fault detector 3880, in one embodiment, monitors the asset information stored in the database 205 and compares the monitored asset information to one or more process standards associated with a construction machine asset. By this comparison, the process failure detector 3880 detects whether a process failure has occurred in the construction machine asset. The process fault detector 3880 automatically detects process faults for an asset, such as: incorrect construction machine asset selection for a task; incorrect construction machine asset operation during execution of a task; and incorrect process execution during execution of a task. The process fault detector 3880 performs this automatic detection by detecting outliers in associated process standards through the combination and processing of asset location information, asset operating information, and time information to determine whether a construction machine asset is operating in a manner that violates a process standard associated with the asset.In various embodiments, the location information includes two-dimensional or three-dimensional position information, which in some embodiments also includes an orientation of the construction machine asset. The location information is derived from one or more position sensors, such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers (e.g., GPS, GLONASS, and / or Magellan), optical-based position information, laser-based position information, or a combination. The location information is received from one or more reporting sources 208 (described above). The location information may be combined with the operational information (described below) to determine, for example, cycle distance of a push, a train, or other load bearing.Operational information is acquired from sensor information received from one or more reporting sources 208, which in this embodiment report data from sensors mounted on the construction machine asset. Thus, from such sensors, asset operating information such as: speed, heading, event data (e.g., loading, unloading, blade angle, blade position, and other such operating event data) and / or engine state / machine state data (e.g., oil pressure, oil temperature, engine speed per minute, hydraulic fluid pressure, and the like).In one embodiment, the time information is acquired from database 205, such as time stamps sent along with operation and location information. In one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 derives time information by combining the location and operating information in some manner to determine time information. Time information includes data such as the cycle time, the time for loading, the time for unloading, the time between loading and unloading, the dead time, the pauses during waiting to load or unload, the time elapsed to perform a task, total operation time, and the like.In one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 when a process fault is detected. In one embodiment, the process fault report 3860 or other message is sent to a receiver device 3890 in the event a process fault is detected. This is to notify a manager, presenter, asset operator, or the like of the process error (and optionally a recommended solution) so that the process error can be corrected. In one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 includes an operating standard module 3884, a field standard module 3885, a global standard module 3886, and a notification module 3887.In one embodiment, the operating standard module 3884 derives one or more operating standards for a construction machine asset from observed asset information acquired via the construction machine asset or similar construction machine assets and stored in the database 205. A derived operating standard is then assigned either manually or automatically to a construction machine asset. An example of such an operating standard is the average cycle time for a reamer to accommodate a material load at a particular worksite. Another example of an operating standard is the average pause time of a dump truck during the wait time in a loading area on a construction site.The process fault detector 3880 compares asset information stored in the database 205 with such operating standards to determine whether a construction machine asset is operating in a manner sufficiently conflicting with an operating standard. If so, a process fault is detected by process fault detector 3880. In one embodiment, the deviation from an operating standard that triggers detection of a process fault is automatically determined by the operating standard module 3884 (e.g., based on a predetermined percentage of the deviation from the operating standard, a deviation outside a specified limit around the operating standard, or a predefined statistical deviation from the operating standard). In one embodiment, the deviation from an operating standard that triggers detection of a process fault is selected by a user of the asset management system 700.In one embodiment, the worksite standard module 3885 includes one or more worksite-specific standards associated with a construction machine asset. A site specific standard is typically input by the user of the asset management system 700 and is based on tasks performed at the worksite and specific knowledge of materials, conditions, topology, specific requirements, or the like that are unique to the worksite. An example of such a field standard is the average cycle time between loading and unloading of a dump truck. For example, this time may be longer than would typically be expected due to extremely wet conditions at the worksite. Another example of an operating standard is the optimal swing angle for an excavator that lifts material from a steep slope at the worksite.The process fault detector 3880 compares asset information stored in the database 205 with worksite standards to determine whether a construction machine asset is operating in a manner sufficiently conflicting with a worksite standard. If so, a process fault is detected by process fault detector 3880. In one embodiment, the deviation from a field standard that triggers detection of a process fault is automatically detected by field standard module 3884 (e.g., based on a predetermined percentage of the deviation from the field standard, a deviation outside a specified limit around the field standard, or a predefined statistical deviation from the field standard). In one embodiment, the deviation from a field standard that triggers detection of a process fault is selected by a user of the asset management system 700.In one embodiment, the global standards module 3886 includes one or more global standards associated with a construction machine asset. Generally, a global standard is a standard or common standard that is fixed or generally understood by the construction industry or a subset of the construction industry as the proper use and / or operation of a construction machine asset. Typically, such global standards are described and published by casts and construction equipment asset manufacturers, and depend on factors such as machine selection for a particular process, tool selection, soil / material type with which a process is performed, and surface conditions at a location of use. An example of such a global standard is the optimal slide distance for a dozer. Another example of a global standard is an reamer's optimal engine speed per minute (RPM) when the reamer loads or unloads a particular type of material.The process fault detector 3880 compares asset information stored in the database 205 with such global standards to determine whether a construction machine asset is operating in a manner sufficiently conflicting with a global standard. If so, a process fault is detected by process fault detector 3880. In one embodiment, the deviation from a global standard that triggers detection of a process error is automatically detected by global standard module 3885 (e.g., based on a predetermined percentage of the deviation from the global standard, a deviation outside a specified limit around the global standard, or a predefined statistical deviation from the global standard). In one embodiment, the deviation from a global standard that triggers detection of a process fault is selected by a user of the asset management system 700. In various embodiments, a global standard may be manually input to the global standard module 3886 by a user, selected from a list of global standards available within the global standard module 3886 for a particular construction machine asset or construction machine asset type, or acquired manually or automatically from an external archive of global standards.In one embodiment, the notification module 3887 communicatively couples or establishes the optional process fault report 3860 with the receiver device 3890 after a process fault is detected by the process fault detector 3880. The recipient device 3890 may include a device such as one of the following: a phone, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a pager, a radio, a computer, a computer network, a web page, and an email account, but this enumeration is not exhaustive. The notification module 3887 generates the process error report 3860 in a format suitable for the respective recipient device 3890 to which that process error report 3860 is issued. In various embodiments, the notification module 3887 creates the process error report 3860 in formats including, for example, voice (e.g., a prerecorded message), artificial voice, text, email, hyper text markup language (or equivalent), and video (e.g., a digital photograph or video file).Method for Detecting Process ErrorsReferring to FIG. 39, a flowchart of an example method 3900 for detecting construction machine asset process failure is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The elements of method 3900 are described with reference to FIG. 38. Although specific steps are disclosed in method 3900, these steps are exemplary in nature. That is, the embodiments of the present invention are well suited for performing various other steps or variations of the steps of method 3900. It should be appreciated that the steps in method 3900 may be performed in a different order than shown, and that not all steps in method 3900 may be performed. All or part of the steps described by method 3900 may be implemented using computer readable and computer executable instructions residing in, for example, computer usable media of a computer system, such as computer system 100 (FIG. 1 ) or similar device.Referring to 3902 of FIG. 39 and to FIG. 38, an embodiment receives information about a construction machine asset from a reporting source. It should be appreciated that, in one embodiment, a reporting source, such as reporting source 208A and / or 208B or other similar reporting source 208, may report a combination of asset location information, asset operating information, and asset time information for a construction machine asset. For example, the location information may be the coordinate location of an asset on a map or the position of an asset within a particular worksite or area bred by a geofence. The time information may be the local time, the GPS time, or other time provided by a reporting source 208. Further, in one embodiment, a time refers to an event, such as a time at which the asset has been loaded with material. Operational information may indicate whether the engine of the asset is running, has been turned off, is moving, is moving at a particular speed, is loaded, unloaded, is operating in a particular mode, or similar operational information. As described above, in various embodiments, a reporting source, such as reporting source 208A, includes a source, such as: a TrimTrac™ device, a CrossCheck® device, a cellular phone, a video device, a personal digital assistant, a portable computing device, a radio frequency identifier, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and human intelligence (HUMINT), which enumeration is not exhaustive. The operation and operation of such reporting sources as 208A and 208B is in accordance with the descriptions of these reporting sources so far.Referring to 3904 of FIG. 39 and to FIG. 38, one embodiment fills a database 205 with the received asset information. This is consistent with earlier descriptions of the receipt of asset information and the filling of database 205 with the information. For example, database 205 is populated with a first portion of information about an asset provided by a first reporting source 208A, and is also populated with a second portion of information about the asset from a second reporting source 208B, and so forth, depending on the number of reporting sources from which database 205 receives information about an asset.Thus, if such information about an asset is available from one or more reporting sources (208A, 208B,... 208n), a considerable amount of information about the location, operation, and general use of the asset is stored in the database 205. This is particularly true when updates of asset information are received at short intervals of time, such as several times per second, each second, every few seconds, or every minute, or in another short interval. As shown below, this asset information is used by the process fault detector 3880 to determine operating conditions of an asset, including: whether an asset is travelling or standing; whether an asset is loaded or unloaded; how far or how fast an asset is travelling or traveled; when and where the asset has been loaded with material; which distance an asset has travelled in a particular operating mode (cycle distance); at which angle a blade or bucket was positioned during performance of a process, when and where the asset has loaded and unloaded material; and other such information.Referring to 3906 of FIG. 39 and to FIG. 38, an embodiment provides a abuse report 3860 when the construction machine asset is operated in a manner that violates a process stand wheel associated with the construction machine asset. As shown in FIG. 38, optional process fault detector 3880 adds asset process fault detection and reporting functionality to asset management system 700. The process fault detector 3880 is in communication with the database 205. Although illustrated and described as a separate unit in system 700, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, some or all of the functions of process fault detector 3880 may be distributed among or performed by other devices, such as asset information report generator 750.In one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 automatically receives selected information from the database 205 about the location and / or operation of one or more particular construction machine assets that it monitors for process faults. In another embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 makes a request to the database 205 for selected location, operation, or time information regarding a particular asset or assets that it monitors for process faults. Generally, the selected information received or queried is related to one or more process standards associated with a particular asset being monitored for process errors. The process fault detector 3880 compares the selected information to one or more process standards associated with an asset. The process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 when, based on the comparison, the selected information indicates a violation of a process standard associated with the asset.In one embodiment, one or more process standard modules (3884, 3885, 3886) are used to assign one or more process standards to a construction machine asset. The process standards assign limits that form an operating range for the construction machine asset. If selected information from database 205 indicates that the construction machine asset is operating within this range formed by the process standard(s), process fault detector 3880 regards the asset as being properly used and no process fault report 3860 is generated. If the selected information from database 205 indicates that the construction equipment asset is operating outside of this range (by violation of one or more process standards), process fault detector 3880 looks at, generates process fault report 3860.Examples of Process Fault DetectionFor example, in one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 monitors a dozer asset for an optimal push / pull distance. The process fault detector 3880 monitors asset location and operational information in the database 205 about the pushing / pulling distances of the dozer asset. This information is compared to a standard, such as a field standard or a global standard, that indicates that the optimal slide / pull distance for that dozer is in the range of 10 meters to 90 meters. The process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 for the dozer when the dozer violates this process standard (e.g., when the average push / pull distance for ten consecutive push / pull is 130 meters). In one embodiment, the process fault report 3860 includes a recommendation such as changing to another asset (e.g., a clearing house). This particular embodiment is an example of generating a process fault report 3860 when the process fault detector 3880 determines that a construction machine asset, in this case a dozer, is a false asset for performing a particular process according to an associated process standard. In one embodiment, the notification module 3887 issues the process fault report 3860 to a recipient device 3890.For example, in one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 monitors an excavator asset for an optimal swing angle during a digging / loading operation. The process fault detector 3880 monitors asset location and operating information in the database 205 about the swing angle of the excavator asset. This information is compared to a standard, such as an operating standard, a field standard, or a global standard, that indicates that the optimal swing angle of this excavator for this process is 60 degrees to 90 degrees. The process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 for the excavator when the excavator violates this process standard (e.g., when the average swing angle for 15 consecutive iterations of the process is 50 degrees). In one embodiment, the process fault report 3860 includes a recommendation such as adjusting the excavator configuration or the worksite configuration. This particular embodiment is an example of providing a process fault report when the process fault detector 3880 determines that a construction machine asset, in this case an excavator, has not properly performed a particular process according to an associated process standard. In one embodiment, the notification module 3887 issues the process fault report 3860 to a recipient device 3890.For example, in one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 monitors the operation of an excavator and truck (or trucks) for the proper load cycle time. The process fault detector 3880 monitors the asset location and operating information in the database 205 via the excavator and truck assets. The process fault detector 3880 monitors cycle time information and pause time information for the excavator and truck assets and / or derives it from information read from the database 205. This cycle time information is compared to a standard, such as an operating standard, a field standard, or a global standard, that indicates that the optimal load cycle time for this combination of assets is, for example, 90 seconds. The process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 for the excavator and / or truck when these assets exceed this cycle time by more than, e.g., 15%. In one embodiment, the process fault report 3860 includes a recommendation to modify the process. In one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 compares cycle times for a plurality of trucks used in the process to determine whether a cause of the process fault may be determined. For example, if the process fault detector 3880 determines that the excavator is stalling due to the absence of trucks to be loaded, then the recommendation is to add more trucks. Likewise, if the process fault detector 3880 determines that the excavator is stalling but trucks are waiting to be loaded, a recommendation is provided to adjust the excavator or worksite configuration. In one embodiment, the notification module 3887 issues the process fault report 3860 to a recipient device 3890.In another embodiment, for example, the process fault detector 3880 monitors the operation of an excavator and truck (or trucks) for the proper load cycle time. The process fault detector 3880 monitors asset location and operating information in the database 205 via the excavator and truck assets. The process fault detector 3880 also monitors cycle time information and the pause time for the excavator and truck assets and / or derives them from information read from the database 205. This pause time information is compared to a standard, such as an operating standard, a field stand wheel, or a global standard, that indicates that the optimal pause time for the two assets during a load cycle is zero (no truck or excavator wait time). The process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 for the excavator and / or truck when one of the assets experiences a pause time, e.g., greater than 10 seconds in three consecutive load cycles. In one embodiment, the process fault report 3860 includes a recommendation to modify the process. In one embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 compares cycle times for the excavator to determine whether a cause of the process fault can be determined. For example, if the process fault detector 3880 determines that the excavator requires an average of more than 5 bucket cycles or more than 100 seconds to load, the recommendation is to use a larger bucket. Similarly, if the process fault detector 3880 determines that even though the excavator uses an optimal number of blade cycles to fill a truck, trucks are waiting, the recommendation is to use fewer trucks.In another embodiment, for example, the process fault detector 3880 monitors operation of a reamer for improper use or absence of operator training. The process fault detector 3880 monitors asset location and operational information in the database 205 via the clearing house. For example, in one embodiment, the process fault detector monitors the engine speed per minute (RPM) of the reamer in a particular mode of operation. In another embodiment, the process fault detector 3880 also monitors cycle time information and cycle removal information for the reamer asset and / or derives it from information read from the database 205. This RPM information is compared to a standard, such as an operating standard, a field standard, or a global standard, that indicates that the optimal speed range for a particular mode of clearing operation is 1700 RPM to 2200 RPM. The process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 for the reamer, e.g., when the reamer asset has an average engine speed that deviates more than 10% from this range during three cycles of operation of performing a particular process. In one embodiment, the process fault report 3860 includes a recommendation to review the configuration of the reamer or train the operator once again. In one embodiment, the notification module 3887 issues the process fault report 3860 to a recipient device 3890.Reference is made to FIG. 40 which shows example construction machine assets of a loader 4015, dump truck 4020, and scraper 4030 in connection with a view 4000 of mountains of material (4001, 4002, and 4003) at a worksite. The worksite plan 4000 is not to scale, but as shown, the hill 4002 is further than 100 meters and less than 3000 meters from the hill 4001. Further, as shown, hill 4003 is further than 3000 meters from hill 4001.For efficiency reasons, the global standard module 3886 has associated with the reamer 4030 a maximum average load cycle distance of 3000 meters as the global standard. Thus, if the average load cycle distance of the reamer 4030 exceeds 3000 meters for any number of loads, such as three loads, the process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860. For efficiency reasons, the field standard module 3885 has also associated with the dump truck 4020 a minimum average load cycle distance of 3000 meters as the field standard. If the minimum load cycle distance for dump truck 4020 is less than 3000 meters average for any number of loads, such as five loads, process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860. Moreover, based on the acquired data in database 205, operating standard module 3885 has associated with loader 4015 a maximum load cycle distance of 100 meters as the operating standard. Thus, if the maximum load cycle distance for the loader 4015 exceeds 100 meters when its bucket is loaded with material, the process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860.In general, there are three ways in which construction machine assets 4015, 4020, 4030 may be used to move material from hill 4001 to hill 4002 or to hill 4003. One possibility is to use the scraper 4030 to load material to hills 4001, and then travel to hills 4002 or 4003, where the scraper 4030 unloads the material. Another possibility is to use loader 4015 to scoop material from hills 4001 into dump truck 4020. The dump truck 4020 then travels to hills 4002 or 4003 and unloads the cargo. Yet another possibility is to load the material of hills 4001 into the bucket of loader 4015 and unload it onto hills 4002 or 4003. In a case where a large amount of material needs to be moved by hills 4001, it may require dozens, hundreds, or thousands of loads with loader 4015, dump truck 4020, scraper 4030, or a combination thereof to move the material. With thin winning margins and deadline pressure for a construction company performing this type of work, it becomes very important to use the proper asset or combination of assets to perform the material movement task in the most efficient manner.Thus, in this example, process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 when loader 4015 is used to move material from hill 4001 to hill 4002 or to hill 4003, as this requires loader 4015 to travel more than 100 meters in a loaded operating mode. The process fault detector 3880 also generates a process fault report 3860 when the haul truck 4020 is used to move five or more loads of material between hills 4001 and hills 4002, but no process fault report 3860 is generated when the haul truck 4020 is used to move material from hills 4001 to hills 4003. Finally, process fault detector 3880 generates a process fault report 3860 when reamer 4030 is used to move material from hill 4001 to hill 4003 (for more than three load cycles), but no process fault report 3860 is generated when reamer 4030 is used to move material from hill 4001 to hill 4002.Process Error ReportsIn one embodiment, a generated process fault report 3860 is stored by process fault detector 3880, such as in computer memory or on a hard disk, where a user can access it immediately or at a later time. In one embodiment, the notification module 3887 couples or issues the process fault report 3860 to the recipient device 3890.Referring to FIG. 41, an example process error report 3860A shown on an example receiver device 3890A is shown, according to an embodiment. In FIG. 40, the example process error report 3860A includes an email message sent to the personal digital assistant 3890A. According to the example of FIG. 40, the process error report 3860A indicates that the reamer 4030 is operating on cycles of more than 3000 meters on average. In another embodiment, the process fault report 3860A also includes a recommendation to use, such as a dump truck / excavator combination, instead of a scraper. The process error report 3860A is sent to the receiver device 3890A, for example, via a wired or wireless means, such as wired or wireless coupling of receiver device 3890A to a computer network or the Internet, or wireless coupling of receiver device 3890A to a cellular, pager, or cellular network.Issuing a process fault report, such as process fault report 3860A, to a recipient device, such as recipient device 3890A, provides a means for real-time, near real-time, or post-one notification of a person, such as a preparer, presenter, manager, or even an equipment operator, about process faults. This provides information to a responsible party that a particular construction equipment asset, such as clearing house 4030, is not properly used in any way that violates a standard existing for the construction equipment asset. In the case of real-time and near real-time notification, the rapid delivery of a process fault report, such as process fault report 3860A, by the notification module 3887 provides the ability to quickly engage the process fault situation, such that possible economic penalty or inefficient use of assets can be mitigated or otherwise engaged.The embodiments of the present invention thus provide methods and systems for detecting and reporting process errors using a construction machine asset. Further, embodiments provide methods and systems for associating one or more standards with a construction machine asset. Embodiments also provide methods and systems for transmitting or "displaying" asset process fault reports to a plurality of receiver devices in a format appropriate for the particular receiver device to which the process fault report is sent.The disclosed methods and systems also allow a company or person to ensure that the proper construction machine asset is used in performing a task, and that during performance of the task, the construction machine asset is properly and efficiently used with respect to associated process standards.Section XI: The Deployment of Historical Data in an Asset Management EnvironmentOverviewThe asset location and operational information stored in the database 205 of FIG. 7 may be analyzed and used for many purposes. One purpose is to detect and report a construction machine asset process fault. The term "process fault" refers to using an asset to perform a process that another asset or combination of assets could perform more economically, efficiently, or more rapidly, or improper use of the proper asset in performing a process. Process errors are regulated by compliance with one or more process standards associated with a construction machine asset.A second purpose is to provide and implement a scheduled maintenance capability. For example, when an asset is in use in practice, the asset location and information may be stored in the database 205, provide the current asset status such as time since last maintenance, issues with the asset, and the like. By monitoring the asset location and operating information, a management system may plan maintenance for the particular asset based on the actual deployment of the asset instead of an estimated time at the worksite, etc.In other words, rather than not having maintenance, as an asset has been used more than expected, or not fully used to disable an asset for unnecessary maintenance, the asset location and operational information may be used to ensure timely maintenance. Moreover, since the location of the asset is known, maintenance can be performed on site. Moreover, since the operation information provides times when the asset is not in operation or is in a reduced operation state, an appropriate time for performing maintenance can be determined.In many cases, the asset location and operating information is analyzed and utilized in real-time or near real-time. When the asset information is included in the database, it is quickly output in a reporting format that can be monitored by the asset management system, such as the asset management system 700 of FIG. 7. As such, the asset management system 700 is capable of providing a current overview of the asset, including location, operation, process errors, expected and unexpected maintenance, and the like.However, in some cases, some or all of the stream of asset location and operational information could be obstructed. An asset reporting source, such as the first reporting source 208A, could have transmission issues. That is, the transmitter could be at a location without reception, the battery could be empty, the first reporting source 208A could be damaged or defective, or the like. Therefore, the information about the asset that the database receives would be reduced. In some cases, this may result in at least a portion of the asset management system 700 report 360 missing at least a portion of the information. For example, the asset management system 700 may be capable of providing a current overview of the asset including the location information. The failure of the first reporting source 208A may not update operation, process errors, expected and unexpected maintenance, and the like, on the asset management system 700.Instead, the asset management system 700 simply maintains only the previous numbers until new information is received. That is, rather than failing any scheduled maintenance or other events because the counters have ceased to count, the asset management system 700 detects the lack of updated data. The asset management system 700 then refers to a historical data extractor to provide operational information based on previously stored data. For example, if the asset was operated 10 hours a day for the last 10 days, then the historical data extractor would provide an operational update of 10 hours per day such that any scheduled maintenance or other events would not be missed. Moreover, if an event was missed by the loss of data, the asset management system 700 would be able to queue a user more quickly by providing extrapolated operation or location data because an event was likely missed.Asset Management SystemEmbodiments described in this section are employed in one embodiment in connection with the example asset management system 700 in communication with a customer application 710 of FIG. 7. As described in detail herein, the asset management system 700 is comprised of the data receiver 330, the database 205, and the asset information report generator 750. Various embodiments of the function and operation of the asset management system 700 and its components are described herein and will not be repeated with respect to the asset information report generator 750 described in FIG. 42 for brevity and clarity except for a variety of alternative embodiments.Referring to FIG. 42, a block diagram of an exemplary asset information report generator 4250 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the asset information report generator 4250 includes a data provider 4205, a historical data extractor 4210, a report generator 4220.In one embodiment, the data provider 4205 is configured to provide the present data via an asset. Generally, present data refers to real-time or near real-time data. In one embodiment, the present data is received via the asset from a database, such as database 205 of FIG. 7. The historical data extractor 4210 is configured to provide extrapolated data about an asset based on historical asset data stored in the database 205.The report generator 4220 is configured to generate an asset information report 360 about at least one asset. The asset report generator 4220 inserts the extrapolated data about the asset into the asset information report 360 when at least a portion of the real-time data about the asset is not present. As described herein, in one embodiment, the extrapolated data about the asset provided in the asset information report is used to trigger a missed event. The extrapolated data about the asset provided in the asset information report may trigger a maintenance event, for example.Referring to FIG. 43, a diagram of an example printable format 4300 of a user-defined asset information report 360 generated by asset management system 700 including asset information report generator 4250 is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 43, an asset information report with a user-defined title 4310 "WEEKLY TRUCK USAGE REPORT" has been generated by a user-defined report module, such as user-defined report module 959A of FIG. 9.Report 4310 has been formatted with information from a user-defined query of asset information regarding asset 540B, a truck. Information is arranged in a custom layout of rows and columns, each row corresponding to asset 540B, and each column corresponding to particular asset information associated with asset 540B. Column 601 corresponds to the asset type. Column 4304 corresponds to one day of a work week. Column 4306 corresponds to a calendar day associated with the particular day of the work week. Finally, column 4308 corresponds to the total hours that asset 540B was deployed on a particular day and date of the week.This user-defined printable format 4300 is used, for example, by a service department to plan service. For example, the maintenance department may determine whether the hours for which an asset was operated correspond to a maintenance interval. In this example, the asset has moved 37.7 hours along a maintenance interval during the week. In one embodiment, the service compartment may continue to monitor the asset to ensure that service is not missed when the asset approaches scheduled service. Although maintenance is described herein, embodiments are suitable for any type of asset monitoring. The use of scheduled maintenance is only one of several possible asset monitoring capabilities and is provided herein for purposes of brevity and clarity only.In one embodiment, the user-defined printable format 4300 also includes an operating hours 4308 block 4335. Generally, 4335 refers to a block that has been populated with data extrapolated from historical information stored in database 205. All other data, such as the hours of operation of Montag Weddwoch and Freitag, is based on actual real-time data received from the asset management system 700, for example. However, the hours of operation on the Thursday were either not registered, lost, damaged, or otherwise unusable.Rather than leaving block 4335 empty, the historical data in database 205 has been retrieved from historical data extractor 4210. Historical data extractor 4210 then came to extrapolated 8.1 hours of operation for Donner's day, August 17, and this information was provided to report generator 4220, which resulted in the extrapolated information finding its way into report 4300. By providing the extrapolated results, the number of operating hours of the asset remains quite accurate. In other words, the maintenance plan (or any other asset tracking information) is not suspended due to the missing asset operational data.In general, the historical data extractor 4210 may employ a variety of methods for generating the extrapolated data. The extrapolated data may be based on, for example, the average of a previous number of operating days (e.g., the average of the last 5 operating days). In another embodiment, the extrapolated data may be based on the average of a previous number of identical operating days (e.g., the average of the last 5 days of operation). In yet another embodiment, the extrapolated data may be based on the user inserting the asset (e.g., Bob inserts the asset for an average of 8.1 hours per day) this may be further extrapolated based on the same operating days. In another embodiment, the extrapolated data may be based on weather (e.g., the database says it was sunny on the Thursday, the average load on a sunny day is 8.1). In addition, the extrapolated data may be based on the location of the asset (e.g., the database says that the asset was in San Jose, the average load in San Jose is 8.1).Thus, it is clear that extrapolation of the historical data is limited only by its own presentability. In other words, the extrapolation may be based on any feature in the database, a combination of two or more features in the database, a combination of at least one feature in the database and other external information, or the like. As the database grows, a comparison can be made between the extrapolation and the actual result that could then be stored in the database to further refine the accuracy of the historical data extractor 4210.FIG. 44 is a flow diagram of an example method for utilizing historical data in an asset management environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Referring to 4402, an embodiment generates an asset information report 360 from a database 205, where the asset information report 360 includes at least a portion of the real-time information 4205 about the asset when the real-time information about the asset is available. As described herein, in one embodiment, the real-time information is location and / or operational information about the asset. In another embodiment, the real-time information is environmental condition information.Referring to 4404, an embodiment extends the asset information report 360 by extrapolating at least a portion of the historical asset information 4210 stored in the database 205 when at least a portion of the real-time information 4205 is not available. As described herein, in one embodiment, the extrapolated information is location and / or operational information about the asset. In another embodiment, the extrapolated information is environmental condition information. As described herein, in one embodiment, the extrapolated asset information is used to trigger a missed event. That is, if the extrapolated data were to be included in report 360, the addition of the data that was previously missing could cause a marking of a missed event that would be provided by asset management system 700. For example, if a service call was due at the 800 hour make, and adding the extrapolated data to report 360 caused the asset to overstep the 800 hour make, then the 800 hour make would be assumed to be exceeded and a notification of a missed event, e.g., a service event, may be triggered.Embodiments of the present invention thus provide methods and systems for utilizing historical data in an asset management environment. Embodiments further provide methods and systems for utilizing historical data in an asset management environment during real-time or near-real-time operation. These methods and systems further provide tools to a company or person to enable efficient and economic use of assets being operated and further to ensure that scheduled events are not moved to an indeterminate time or are unnecessarily rescheduled.Section XII: Automatic Asset ClassificationEmbodiments of the present invention include a system and method for automatically classifying an asset. Generally, a reporting device accesses at least one asset feature (e.g., ride no. of an asset) and reports the asset feature to an asset management system (e.g., asset management system 300 of FIG. 3 ), and the asset manager automatically classifies the asset based on the asset feature.Asset features to be used to classify an asset include, but are not limited to, the asset's make, model, serial number, and construction year, as well as other asset configuration details. The asset features are used to automatically configure asset characteristics such as icon (graphical representation), description, name, maintenance intervals, etc., managed by an asset manager. Automatic classification and / or identification of assets is of great benefit in function development and marketing to an asset management system because it is easy to use and implement.In one embodiment of the invention, an interface (e.g., a communication interface or bus) of an asset is accessed to collect information (e.g., asset features) about the asset. Location-based assets could query the asset and report the asset features to the asset manager. The asset manager would then interpret the asset features (e.g., decode a ride no., etc.).When new configuration information for an asset is received by the asset manager, the asset properties are configured based on the asset characteristics. For example, the make and / or model could be used to select a graphical representation (e.g., symbol) from a list and associate it with the asset. In one embodiment, the asset may be assigned a default name. For example, if the asset is a bulldozer and ten bulldozers are already registered in the asset management system, a new bulldozer may be assigned the standard name Cat D8R No. 11. Other useful information (e.g., service plans) could be added to a description field associated with the asset. In one embodiment of the invention, asset information is stored in a database that is connected to the asset manager.An advantage of the present invention for automatic asset classification is that many assets can be automatically configured (e.g., during operation), which saves time and effort in managing the assets. In addition, the collected asset features provide useful information to improve function development and / or marketing of the asset manager. In addition, since the reporting source can be easily moved from one asset to another, it is important for the reporting device to uniquely identify the asset to which it is connected to reduce the possibility of using data (e.g., those collected by the reporting device via the asset) that is marked as belonging to another asset. For example, if a reporting device is moved from a dozer to a tractor, the reporting device should recognize that the asset has converted from a dozer to a tractor. This function is particularly useful in the asset rental store because it reduces the possibility of misidentifying available assets.In one embodiment of the invention, automatic asset classification occurs when a reporting source is installed in an asset. For example, when a new asset is acquired, a reporting source may be installed to facilitate management of the asset. In one embodiment of the invention, the asset manager associates a particular reporting device (e.g., a device serial number) with a particular asset.During the initial installation of the reporting device on the asset, it is important to establish an association between the reporting device and the asset type. For example, it is important to determine whether the reporting device is connected to a truck, a car, a tractor, a bulldozer, etc. If the asset is not classified correctly, the management of the asset becomes increasingly difficult.Embodiments of the present invention automatically classify an asset based on at least one asset feature to improve asset classification and asset management. In one embodiment of the invention, the reporting device accesses asset features (e.g., chassis number, etc.) directly from a communication system connected to the asset. The asset feature is then reported to the asset manager, and the asset manager automatically determines an asset classification and / or configuration based on the asset feature.For example, if the chassis number (ride number) is reported to the asset manager, the asset manager could either decode the ride number or use the ride number (e.g., associate with a manufacturer's database and query the ride number) to obtain additional information about the asset (e.g., type, age, color, options, etc.) that may assist in classifying the asset. In one embodiment, a graphical symbol is automatically assigned to the asset based on the asset feature. The graphical symbol may also include an asset name and / or an asset description field.FIG. 45A is an illustration of an example reporting device 208 connected to an asset 4524. In one embodiment of the invention, reporting device 208 is communicatively coupled to asset 45°4, and may interface with a communication system (e.g., a bus) coupled to asset 45°4. In one embodiment of the invention, an asset feature is either automatically interrogated by the asset 45°4, or manually entered into the reporting device 208 (e.g., at the time of installation).FIG. 45B is a block diagram of an example reporting device 208 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. As already mentioned with reference to FIG. 2A, the reporting device 208 could be a permanently mounted device 210, an asset mounting and removable device 215, a portable computing device 220, a personal digital assistant 225, a smartphone 230, a mobile phone 235, a human intelligence 240 (HumInt), or any other device capable of accessing information and reporting the information to an asset manager, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. For example, the reporting sources 208 may be electronic devices, human sources, monitored assets, other assets, and the like. In one embodiment, reporting source 208 is capable of providing asset information including location information, operating information, and status information, as well as asset features that are evaluated by the asset itself or accessed by any other source, and this enumeration is not exhaustive.In one embodiment, the reporting device 208 may be a TrimTrac™ device, a CrossCheck® device, a radio frequency detection device, a global satellite navigation system (GNSS), and the like. In addition, the reporting source 208 may include such capabilities as positioning, photography, video / photography, text messaging, voice messaging, data messaging, and the like. Moreover, in one embodiment, the reporting source 208 may be capable of monitoring asset operation. For example, reporting source 208 may be capable of being connected to the asset through an input 4510 including a J-bus, a controller area network (CAN) bus, a processor connected to the asset, a diagnostic evaluator, an engine microprocessor, an odometer, a tachometer, an oil pressure indicator, a tire pressure indicator, a hydraulic indicator, an engine time monitor, and the like, for monitoring asset characteristics 4520. It will also be appreciated that the input 4510 may include means (e.g., a keypad, a touchscreen, a scanner, etc.) for manually inputting asset features, for example, by a reporting source assembler. The reporting source may also include an output 4530 for providing the asset feature 4520 to the asset manager data receiver 330 (of FIG. 3 ).FIG. 46 is a block diagram of an example system for automatically classifying an asset in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. As mentioned above, the reporting device 208 reports an asset feature to the asset management system 300. In one embodiment of the invention, reporting source 208 automatically reports the asset feature to asset management system 300. In another embodiment of the invention, the asset manager 300 requests the reporting device 208 to provide the asset feature, and in yet another embodiment of the invention, the reporting source 208 periodically provides asset features to the asset manager 300. It will be appreciated that the asset manager 300 and the reporting source 208 may communicate with each other in any number of ways, such as by wireless communication.The asset feature is received by the data receiver 330. In one embodiment of the invention, database 205 is populated with the asset feature. In one embodiment of the invention, a reporting device identification (e.g., a reporting device serial number) is also stored in database 205. In one embodiment of the invention, reporting device 208 is associated with the asset feature.An asset classifier 4690 uses the asset feature to assign a particular asset classification to the asset. It should be appreciated that any number of asset classifications could be assigned, for example, an asset classification could include asset type, age, manufacturer, asset owner, service information, etc. It should be appreciated that the asset classifier 4690 may retrieve additional information from sources external to the asset management system 300, such as from the network 4669. It is understood that network 4690 may comprise the Internet.In one embodiment of the invention, the asset classifier 4690 assigns a graphical representation (e.g., a symbol) to the asset based on the asset classification. An asset graphical representation 4650 may be generated based on the classification of the asset determined by the asset classifier 4690. The asset graphical representation may then be provided to and displayed by a display 4660. It should be appreciated that the display 4660 could be remote from the asset management system 300.FIG. 47 is a flow diagram of an example method 4700 for automatically associating an asset with a graphical representation based on an asset feature, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment of the invention, method 4700 is performed at asset management system 300.At step 4720, the method 4700 includes receiving at least one asset feature from a reporting source. In one embodiment of the invention, the asset feature is accessed directly from a control or communication system connected to the asset. For example, ride No. associated with the asset could be retrieved from the CAN bus or J bus, but it should be understood that the asset feature can be retrieved in any number of ways. For example, the reporting device may include a scanner used to scan information (e.g., a barcode) associated with the asset.At step 4730, the method 4700 includes automatically associatin...

Claims

A fluid analysis system comprising: a handheld device comprising: a fluid analysis control module, the fluid analysis control module configured to initiate sampling of a fluid and provide the sample to a microfluidic analyzer to perform microfluidic analysis; and a telematics device connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured with a wireless transceiver; a management system located remote from the telematics device, the management system configured to wirelessly receive results of the microfluidic analysis transmitted by the telematics device; An analysis controller coupled to the fluid analysis control module and configured to initiate a first type of analysis of the sample in response to the occurrence of an analysis trigger and a second type of analysis of the sample in response to the results of the first type of analysis, wherein the first and second types of analysis are different; wherein the analysis trigger is selected from the group consisting of: elevation of the handheld device and geographic location of the handheld device as determined by a global navigation satellite system receiver.The fluid analysis system of claim 1, further comprising: a drug source connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured to provide a test drug for use in microfluidic analysis.The fluid analysis system of claim 1, wherein the management system is further configured to receive one or more operational and location information from a reporting source other than the telematics device.The fluid analysis system of claim 1, wherein the handheld device is configured to be detachably coupled to the microfluidic analyzer.The fluid analysis system of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device is configured to be interchangeably connected to a plurality of different microfluidic analyzers.The fluid analysis system of claim 1, wherein the handheld device is connected to a plurality of microfluidic analyzers that perform analyses selected from the group consisting of: determining the presence of contaminants; determining the type of contaminants; determining the viscosity of the fluid; and determining the temperature of the fluid.The fluid analysis system of claim 1, wherein the handheld device is selected from the group consisting of: smart phones, cell phones, PDAs, computers, portable computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, and global satellite navigation system receiver devices.A method for analyzing fluids, comprising: receiving a sample of a fluid at a handheld device; analyzing the sample, wherein the analysis is performed by a microfluidic analyzer connected to a handheld device; providing results of the analysis to a telematics device of the handheld device; and wirelessly transmitting the results from the telematics device for receipt by a management system, wherein the management system is remote from the handheld device; wherein analyzing the sample comprises: initiating a first type of analysis of the sample in response to the occurrence of an analysis trigger and a second type of analysis of the sample in response to the results of the first type of analysis, wherein the first and second types of analysis are different; wherein the analysis trigger is selected from the group consisting of: handset elevation and handset geographical location as determined by a global navigation satellite system receiver.The method of claim 8, further comprising: providing a test agent to the microfluidic analyzer from an agent source connected to the handheld device.The method of claim 8, further comprising: automatically comparing the results to result response rules managed in the management system; and initiating a response prescribed by the result response rules, wherein the response is initiated by the management system.A handheld device, comprising: a fluid analysis control module configured to initiate sampling of a fluid and to provide the sample to a microfluidic analyzer to perform microfluidic analysis; a telematics device connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured with a wireless transceiver to transmit results of the analysis to a management system remote from the handheld device; and an analysis controller connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured to initiate a first type of analysis of the sample in response to the occurrence of an analysis trigger and a second type of analysis of the sample in response to the results of the first type of analysis, wherein the first and second types of analysis are different; wherein the analysis trigger is selected from the group consisting of: handset elevation and handset geographical location as determined by a global navigation satellite system receiver.The handheld device of claim 11, further comprising: a drug source connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured to provide a test drug for use in analyzing the sample.The handheld device of claim 12, further comprising: a global navigation satellite receiver coupled to the telematics device.The handheld device of claim 11, wherein the fluid analysis control module is configured to be detachably coupled to the microfluidic analyzer.The handheld device of claim 11, wherein the fluid analysis control module is configured to be interchangeably connected to a plurality of different microfluidic analyzers.The handheld device of claim 11, wherein the fluid analysis control module is connected to a plurality of microfluidic analyzers that perform analyses selected from the group consisting of: determining the presence of contaminants; determining the type of contaminants; determining the viscosity of the fluid; and determining the temperature of the fluid.A fluid analysis system comprising: a handheld device comprising: a fluid analysis control module configured to initiate sampling of a fluid and to provide the sample to a microfluidic analyzer to perform a second microfluidic analysis in response to an analysis trigger, wherein the analysis trigger is generated in response to a result of a previously performed microfluidic analysis; and a telematics device connected to the fluid analysis control module and comprising a wireless transceiver configured to transmit results of the second microfluidic analysis; a management system located remotely from the telematics device, wherein the management system is configured to wirelessly receive results of the second microfluidic analysis transmitted by the telematics device; An analysis controller coupled to the fluid analysis control module and configured to initiate a first type of analysis of the sample in response to the occurrence of an analysis trigger and a second type of analysis of the sample in response to the results of the first type of analysis, wherein the first and second types of analysis are different; wherein the analysis trigger is selected from the group consisting of: elevation of the handheld device and geographic location of the handheld device as determined by a global navigation satellite system receiver.A method for analyzing fluids, comprising: receiving a sample of a fluid of an asset at a handheld device; analyzing the sample to generate current analysis results, wherein the analysis is performed by a microfluidic analyzer connected to a handheld device, and wherein the analysis is performed in response to previous results of a previously performed microfluidic analysis; providing the current analysis results to a telematics device of the handheld device; wirelessly transmitting the current analysis results from the telematics device for receipt by a management system, wherein the management system is remote from the handheld device; and modifying handling of the asset based on the current analysis results; wherein analyzing the sample comprises: initiating a first type of analysis of the sample in response to the occurrence of an analysis trigger and a second type of analysis of the sample in response to the results of the first type of analysis, wherein the first and second types of analysis are different; wherein the analysis trigger is selected from the group consisting of: elevation of the handheld device and geographic location of the handheld device as determined by a global navigation satellite system receiver.A handheld device, comprising: a microfluidic analyzer; a fluid analysis control module configured to initiate sampling of a fluid and to provide the sample to the microfluidic analyzer to perform a first microfluidic analysis, and to initiate a second microfluidic analysis in response to results of the first microfluidic analysis; and a telematics device connected to the fluid analysis control module and configured with a wireless transceiver to transmit results of the first and second analyses to a management system remote from the handheld device; an analysis controller coupled to the fluid analysis control module and configured to initiate a first type of analysis of the sample in response to the occurrence of an analysis trigger and a second type of analysis of the sample in response to the results of the first type of analysis, wherein the first and second types of analysis are different; wherein the analysis trigger is selected from the group consisting of: elevation of the handheld device and geographic location of the handheld device as determined by a global navigation satellite system receiver.

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