Patent ID: 8572193

Claim:
An apparatus for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation, the apparatus comprising: a communication interface; a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and a processing unit communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processing unit, the processing unit: controls the communication interface to receive input indicating that a locate and/or marking operation is complete, the locate and/or marking operation comprising detecting and/or marking by a locate technician, in response to at least one locate request ticket, 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; and based on the input indicating that the locate and/or marking operation is complete, further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store performance information concerning the locate and/or marking operation, the performance information including at least one of the following: time-stamp information to provide proof of a time at which the locate and/or marking operation was completed by the locate technician at a geographic location specified on the locate request ticket and corresponding to the dig area; and place-stamp information to provide proof of a presence of the locate technician sufficiently proximate to or at the geographic location specified on the locate request ticket and corresponding to the dig area.