Patent ID: 8781499
Filing Date: 2014-07-15
Classification: G06Q,G09B,H04W,Y02A

Abstract:
1. An automated system for remotely obtaining flood zone information, the automated system comprising: a mobile device comprising a GPS receiver, a computer processor and memory, a user interface, a first data network interface, and a flood search app client; a flood search server platform device comprising a computer processor and memory, a second and third data network interface, a flood search database, and a flood search engine; and a flood determination platform comprising a computer processor and memory, a fourth data network interface, a flood maps database, and flood zone determination software; where the flood search app client comprises software for receiving data from and presenting data to a user via the user interface, software for retrieving from the GPS receiver a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate corresponding to a geographic location associated with the mobile device, software for sending the coordinates to the flood search engine via the first data network interface, software for receiving a flood insurance rate zone corresponding to the coordinates from the flood search engine via the first data network interface, and software for displaying the flood insurance rate zone on the user interface; where the flood search engine comprises software for receiving the coordinates from the flood search app client via the second data network interface, software for sending the coordinates to the flood zone determination software via the third data network interface, software for receiving the flood insurance rate zone from the flood zone determination software via the third data network interface, software for storing the coordinates and flood insurance rate zone in the flood search database, and software for sending the flood insurance rate zone to the flood search app client via the second data network interface; where the flood zone determination software comprises software for receiving coordinates from the flood search engine via the fourth data network interface, software for using the flood maps database to identify the flood insurance rate zone corresponding to the coordinates, and software for sending the flood insurance rate zone to the flood search engine via the fourth data network interface; and where the mobile device further comprises a digital camera; the flood search app client further comprises software for taking and storing a picture via the digital camera and software for sending the picture to the flood search engine via the first data network interface; and the flood search engine further comprises software for receiving the picture from the flood search app client via the second data network interface, and software for storing the picture in the flood search database; where the flood search app client further comprises software for displaying on the user interface a street map corresponding to an area surrounding the coordinates and a perimeter of a region surrounding the coordinates and having the same flood insurance rate zone as the coordinates; and where the map further comprises a graphic representation of a perimeter of a region near to but not surrounding the coordinates and having a different flood insurance rate zone as the coordinate.