Patent ID: 8532342

Claim:
A device for generating an electronic manifest of underground facility locate marks, the device comprising: a memory; a communication interface; an input device; a display; and a processing unit to: present on the display an aerial image of a particular geographic area including a dig area; receive, via the input device or the communication interface, first information identifying an approximate geographic location of a physical locate mark including at least one of a) paint, b) at least one flag, and c) at least one colored marker, placed on a surface above an underground facility detected by a locate technician performing a locate operation in the dig area, wherein the physical locate mark denotes a presence of the underground facility, and wherein the first information further indicates a type of the underground facility denoted by the physical locate mark, wherein the underground facility includes at least one of power lines, telephone/cable television lines, water lines, sewer lines, steam lines, oil lines and gas lines; overlay, on the displayed aerial image, second information concerning the approximate geographic location of the physical locate mark and the type of the underground facility denoted by the physical locate mark, based at least in part on the received first information; convert the second information concerning the approximate geographic location of the physical locate mark to a data set of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates; store, in the memory, a timestamp indicative of when the locate operation occurred and the GPS coordinates representing the second information as the electronic manifest; and transmit, via the communication interface, the electronic manifest to a server.