Electronic Manifest for Underground Locate Mark Documentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for documenting underground facility locate marks are prone to human error, costly, and inefficient, relying on manual sketches that are not easily interrogated for data, leading to inaccuracies and time-consuming documentation processes.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a device to receive and store information about geographic areas, retrieve aerial images, overlay locate mark information on these images, and display them for user input, allowing for the creation of electronic manifests that combine aerial imagery with GPS-enabled data for precise documentation of underground facility locations and environmental landmarks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual sketches are used to document locate marks, then documentation can be performed with simple tools, but accuracy and ease of data retrieval deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses aerial images as a base layer that is copied and displayed on mobile devices, allowing locate technicians to document marks by referencing an accurate aerial view rather than manually sketching. This copying approach maintains ease of documentation while significantly improving accuracy through the use of pre-captured aerial imagery as the foundation for marking locations.
2Device complexity
If manual sketches are used for documentation, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and data interrogability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves multiple functions: it displays aerial images, captures locate mark positions through GPS, stores documentation data, and enables data retrieval. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate tools (aerial imagery, GPS device, database system) into a single universal device, improving productivity without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a centralized database as an intermediary between the mobile device and the documentation process. The database stores aerial images and locate mark data, enabling efficient data retrieval and interrogation while keeping the mobile device interface relatively simple. This intermediary layer handles complex data management tasks transparently.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional manual documentation methods are used, then implementation cost is low, but time consumption and error rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
Aerial images are captured and stored in advance before locate operations begin. This preliminary action eliminates the need for technicians to manually sketch or photograph the area during the actual locate operation, significantly reducing on-site documentation time while keeping equipment costs relatively low since the aerial imagery can be obtained through existing services.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device automatically captures GPS coordinates and timestamps when locate marks are documented, eliminating manual data entry and reducing human error. The system performs these functions automatically without requiring additional specialized equipment, maintaining cost-effectiveness while improving accuracy and speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation in which one or more physical locate marks are applied by a technician to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. A digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area is electronically received, and at least a portion of the received digital image is displayed on a display device. One or more digital representations of the physical locate mark(s) applied by the locate technician are added to the displayed digital image so as to generate a marked-up digital image. Information relating to the marked-up digital image is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so as to generate the searchable electronic record of the locate operation.