Patent ID: 8878648

Claim:
A method on a computing device for defining a buffer zone around a buried asset at an above-surface location, the method comprising: receiving and storing, by a processor on the computing device, a plurality of buried asset data points, wherein each buried asset data point comprises a geographical coordinate and a precision data value corresponding to the geographical coordinate, for a buried asset, wherein the plurality of buried asset data points correspond to analog radio frequency signals that were detected and read from the buried asset at the above-surface location; and generating, by the processor, a first data structure that represents a two dimensional area comprising a buffer zone at the above-surface location, wherein the first data structure is generated by: (a) defining, by the processor, a first circle around a geographical coordinate of a buried asset data point and a second circle around a geographical coordinate of an adjacent buried asset data point of the plurality of buried asset data points, and wherein a size of each circle is based on the precision data value of the corresponding buried asset data point; (b) defining, by the processor, a trapezoid, wherein a first side of the trapezoid is a line that bisects the first circle and wherein a second side of the trapezoid is a line that bisects the second circle; and (c) repeating, by the processor, steps (a) and (b) for each adjacent pair of buried asset data points, and wherein a combination of the circles and trapezoids generated comprise the two dimensional area of the first data structure.