Certusview Technologies, LLC

Jeffrey Farr

Steven E Nielsen

Curtis Chambers

Rene A Vazquez

Christopher D Hageman

Mark Conner

Greg Block

James Sener

David L Mathieu

Scott H Smith

Joseph M Paul

David Pennington

Arthur DiMartino

Tony Davani

William Johnson

Ronald Altman

Arthur Mistler

Jack Maxwell Vice

James T Sener

Rajdip Singh Sikand

Thomas William Bachelder

Anthony Davani

René Vázquez

Methods, apparatus and systems for computer-aided determination of quality assessment for locate and marking operations. In one example, information related to a locate and marking operation is electronically analyzed such that a quality assessment is made using assessment parameters that are dynamically selected based at least in part on first information describing at least some aspects of the locate and marking operation as performed by a field-service technician and second information relating to a description of the locate operation to be performed.

Methods and apparatus for quality assessment of a field service operation based on dynamic assessment parameters

Methods and apparatus for facilitating detection of a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. Source data representing one or more input images of a geographic area including the dig area is electronically received at a first user location, which may be remote from the dig area. The source data is processed so as to display at least a portion of the input image(s) on a display device at the first user location. One or more indicators are added to the displayed input image(s), via a user input device associated with the display device, to provide at least one indication of the dig area and thereby generate a marked-up digital image. In one example, the indicator(s) is/are added to the displayed input image(s) without acquiring geographic coordinates corresponding to the indicator(s).

Virtual white lines for indicating planned excavation sites on electronic images

Multiple elements of information relating to a locate and marking operation are integrated so as to provide an enhanced positive response to one or more entities associated with requesting the locate and marking operation (e.g., an excavator, a home owner or property owner, other contractor). The locate and marking operation is performed by a locate technician in response to at least one locate request ticket by applying at least one physical locate mark on ground, pavement, or other surface to indicate a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed by an excavator during excavation activities.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for acquiring an enhanced positive response for underground facility locate and marking operations

A docking station to dock locating equipment (e.g., marking devices, locate devices, combined locate and marking devices) may be communicatively coupled to and/or equipped with a mobile/portable device (e.g., a mobile phone, personal digital assistant or other portable computing device) that provides processing, electronic storage, electronic display, user interface, communication facilities and/or other functionality (e.g., GPS-enabled functionality) for the docking station. A mobile/portable device may be mechanically and/or electrically coupled to the docking station. The mobile/portable device may provide redundant, shared and/or backup functionality for the docking station to enhance robustness. In one example, the mobile/portable device itself serves as a docking station for the locating equipment.

Locating equipment docking station communicatively coupled to or equipped with a mobile/portable device

Locate and/or marking operations involve detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. One or more attributes of a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket are assessed to provide one or more ticket assessment outcomes. Ticket information is obtained from the locate request ticket, and historical information (e.g., historical damage reports, historical records of previously completed locate request tickets) is selected and analyzed based on the ticket information so as to assign at least one risk designation to the ticket. The risk designation(s) is/are transmitted and/or stored so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching a locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation.

Methods and apparatus for assessing risks associated with locate request tickets based on historical information

Methods, apparatus, and systems for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one notification indicating a status of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to inform at least one party associated with requesting the operation (a 'requesting party,' e.g., an excavator, a property owner, a facility owner, a regulatory authority, a damage investigator, etc.) of the status of the operation. In one aspect, a requesting party may designate a preferred format, content, and/or method of receiving notifications regarding the locate and/or marking operation. In another aspect, a computer-generated GUI is provided to facilitate submission of requests, generation of 'virtual white line' images to indicate one or more dig areas on a digital image of a work site, and/or selection of notifications and preferences for same. In yet another aspect, a requesting party may provide an acknowledgement of receipt (e.g., a &#x201c;return receipt&#x201d;) for one or more received notifications.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for exchanging information between excavators and other entities associated with underground facility locate and marking operations

Methods and apparatus for facilitating a locate and/or marking operation by assessing risk associated with the locate and/or marking operation. A communication interface receives a locate request ticket generated by a one-call center. A processor parses the locate request ticket to extract ticket information obtained from the locate request ticket. The processor further performs a statistical analysis of historical information that is selected based on the ticket information and includes historical damage reports for underground facility infrastructure and/or historical records of previously completed locate request tickets. At least one risk designation is assigned to the locate request ticket based on the statistical analysis of the historical information. The risk designation is transmitted or stored to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching a locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation.

Methods and apparatus for facilitating locate and marking operations

Marking apparatus and methods, in which first ticket information relating to a locate request ticket is received, and second ticket information derived from the first ticket information is displayed on a display device of the marking apparatus. A field technician may provide some input to generate an electronic record or log of technician activity during a marking operation. In one example, a checklist may be generated (e.g., based at least in part on the first ticket information) and displayed locally to the technician as a guide to perform and verify various aspects of the operation. In another example, a set of instructions or 'workflow' may be generated to guide the technician through a sequence of steps to perform the marking operation. Performance via a process guide (e.g., checklist or workflow) may be interactive in that the technician may provide input, or automated/semi-automated by analyzing various information collected by the marking apparatus with respect to the ticket information and/or other available information germane to the operation.

Marking apparatus equipped with ticket processing software for facilitating marking operations, and associated methods

Methods and apparatus for generating electronic records of marking operations for underground facilities/utilities. Electronic records of marking information may be logged/stored in local memory of a marking device, formatted in various manners, processed and/or analyzed at the marking device itself, and/or transmitted in whole or in part to another device (e.g., a remote computer/server) for storage, processing and/or analysis. In one example, an output stream of data packets is provided, wherein each data packet includes one or more flag fields that is/are set or reset upon at least one actuation of the marking device.

Methods and apparatus for generating output data streams relating to underground utility marking operations

Methods, apparatus and systems for computer-aided determination of quality assessment for locate and marking operations. In one example, a quality assessment decision is solely under the discretion of a human reviewer, albeit facilitated in some respects by computer-aided display of information, and electronic record keeping and communication functions associated with the quality assessment result(s). In another example, information related to a locate and marking operation is electronically analyzed such that a quality assessment is not based solely on human discretion, but rather based at least in part on some predetermined criteria and/or metrics that facilitate an automated determination of quality assessment.

Apparatus and methods for evaluating a quality of a locate operation for underground utility

Methods and apparatus to evaluate a quality of a locate and/or marking operation performed at a work site of proposed excavation in response to a locate request ticket. A display device displays a first portion of a graphical user interface based on first information from the locate request ticket, and further displays a second portion of the graphical user interface based on second information relating to the locate and/or marking operation as performed at the work site by a field technician. One or more indications of a quality assessment of the locate and/or marking operation are generated based on a comparison of at least some of the first information and at least some of the second information, and an electronic record of the quality assessment is stored and/or transmitted based on the indication(s).

Methods and apparatus for analyzing locate and marking operations

Providing access at a jobsite to an electronic record of a locate operation. Data related to the locate operation is acquired by locate equipment and transmitted to a data repository for storage in the electronic record of the locate operation. A site-specific access mechanism is provided that establishes a link to the electronic record of the locate operation. In one example, the site-specific access mechanism is a physical mechanism, such as a printout of a website address, a barcode, or an RFID tag. In another example the site-specific access mechanism is a virtual mechanism, such as geographic location information provided by a location tracking system (e.g., GPS apparatus) and/or derived from information available to a wireless communications system or WiFi network. In one aspect, the access mechanism may be configured for use at the jobsite only by a person particularly authorized to access the electronic record of the locate operation.

Methods, apparatus and systems for onsite linking to location-specific electronic records of locate operations

Systems and methods for generating electronic records of locate operations and marking operations are described. Exemplary systems and methods include marking devices that generate, store and/or transmit electronic records of marking information, locate devices that generate, store and/or transmit electronic records of locate information, and locate devices and marking devices that communicate with each other (and optionally with other devices or systems) to share/exchange locate information and/or marking information. An exemplary method for analyzing and processing locate information and marking information includes a computer-implemented method for visually rendering (e.g., in a display field of a display device) various aspects of locate and marking operations.

Systems and methods for generating electronic records of locate and marking operations

Methods and apparatus to evaluate a quality of a locate operation performed at a work site of proposed excavation following issuance of the instruction to a field-service technician. An input/output (I/O) interface receives an electronic manifest of the locate operation. The electronic manifest includes geographic information indicating a first location at which the electronic manifest was created. A distance is determined between the first location and a second location at which the locate operation was requested to be performed. One or more indications of a quality assessment of the locate operation are generated based on whether the distance is within or equal to a predefined range.

A technician performs a locate operation of an underground utility in a dig area of proposed excavation by applying one or more physical colored markers (e.g., paint, flags, other colored markers) to ground, pavement or other surface to indicate a presence or an absence of the underground utility in the dig area. A digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area is displayed on a display device, and one or more electronic colored markers corresponding to the physical colored marker(s) are added to the displayed digital image so as to generate a marked-up image. Information relating to the marked-up image is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so as to document the locate operation.

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Jupiter, FL, United States of America

Jeffrey Farr