Patent ID: 8265344

Claim:
An apparatus for facilitating generation of a searchable electronic record of a locate operation performed by a locate technician in response to a locate ticket and in advance of planned excavation activities at a dig area identified by the locate ticket, the apparatus comprising: a communication interface; a display device; a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and a processing unit coupled to the communication interface, the display device, and the memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processing unit, the processing unit: controls the communication interface to electronically receive: ticket information derived from the locate ticket, the ticket information including geographic information identifying the dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during the planned excavation activities; and an image of a geographic area including the dig area; controls the display device to display at least a portion of the received image; combines the electronically received image with image-related information so as to generate the searchable electronic record, the image-related information comprising: a geographic location associated with the dig area; a timestamp indicative of when the locate operation occurred, the locate operation comprising identifying, in advance of the planned excavation activities and using at least one physical locate mark applied to ground, pavement or other surface by the locate technician during the locate operation, a presence or an absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area identified by the ticket information; and at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark applied to the ground, pavement or other surface by the locate technician during the locate operation; and controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the searchable electronic record of the locate operation so that performance of the location operation is verifiable.