Patent ID: 7395191
Filing Date: 2008-07-01
Classification: A01B,G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented land planning system designed to generate at least one conceptual fit and cost-optimized solution to a user-defined land development problem, said system comprising: means for electronically creating a population of candidate solutions to the land development problem, each candidate solution comprising a plurality of interrelated engineering measurements applicable in development of an undeveloped land site, and said plurality of engineering measurements being selected from a group consisting of grading, building pad layout, and utilities; means for accessing a cost model comprising cost data for said plurality of engineering measurements; means employing an iterative, heuristic problem-solving strategy to manipulate the engineering measurements of said candidate solutions until a population of cost-optimized fit solutions to the land development problem is achieved, whereby a change relative to one of said plurality of engineering measurements for a given candidate solution effects a change relative to another of said plurality of engineering measurements for that candidate solution; means for selecting a set of optimally different alternative solutions from said population of cost-optimized fit solutions; and means for outputting to a user documentation illustrating said optimally different alternative cost-optimized solutions to the land development problem.