Patent ID: 8830265

Claim:
A method for assessing at least one aspect relating to a marking operation performed by a locate technician, the method based on an electronic visual representation of the marking operation, the method comprising: A) digitally representing, on a display device, at least one physical locate mark so as to generate the electronic visual representation of the marking operation, the marking operation having been previously performed prior to the generation of the electronic visual representation via the digitally representing of the at least one physical locate mark on the display device, wherein: the at least one physical locate mark includes at least one of non-white paint and a non-white flag; and the at least one physical locate mark is applied during the marking operation, the marking operation being performed after generation of and pursuant to a locate request ticket relating to a dig area that is planned to be excavated or disturbed during prospective excavation activities, the marking operation comprising, in response to the locate request ticket, providing at least one visible warning to an excavator performing the prospective excavation activities, using the at least one physical locate mark, of a presence or an affirmative absence of at least one underground facility at the dig area specified in the locate request ticket; B) determining, by at least one processor, a length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one physical locate mark; and C) based at least in part on the length determined in B), automatically assessing, via the at least one processor, the at least one aspect relating to the marking operation; wherein B) comprises determining an approximate length associated with the at least one physical locate mark; and wherein B) further comprises determining a distance between first and second points of the digitally represented at least one physical locate mark based at least in part on first geographic coordinates associated with the first point and second geographic coordinates associated with the second point.