Patent ID: 6868340

Claim:
A system for dynamically assessing field conditions over a specified geographic area, said system comprising: a plurality of mobile field devices for transmitting space-time coordinates and field assessment information and for receiving task-specific and location-specific assignments; a receiver for receiving field assessment information from one or more of said mobile field devices in response to a task-specific and location-specific assignment specified on said one or more mobile field devices, wherein said field assessment information is associated with space-time coordinates, and wherein said field assessment information and associated space-time coordinates are received over a communication link established over either a land-based communication system or a satellite-based communication system depending on the present availability of the land-based or satellite-based communication systems; a processor, responsive to receiving the field assessment information and associated space-time coordinates from said one or more mobile field devices, for assigning to said plurality of mobile field devices a next task-specific and location-specific assignment in accordance with the received field assessment information and associated space-time coordinates; and a transmitter for transmitting said next task-specific and location-specific assignment to said plurality of mobile field devices utilizing the communication link over which the field assessment information and associated space-time coordinates were received.