Patent Document ID: 20110135163
Application ID: 13028687
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. In a system comprising at least one processing unit, at least one memory, at least one communication interface, and at least one user interface device including at least one display device, a computer-facilitated method for indicating a precise geographic extent and a precise geographic location of at least one dig area at a work site at which excavation is planned so as to facilitate detection and/or marking of a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility in the at least one dig area, the method comprising: A) providing for display on the at least one display device a graphical user interface comprising: A1) at least one aerial image of a geographic area proximate to and including the work site and the at least one dig area; and A2) at least one drawing tool to facilitate placement, by a user of the at least one user interface device, of at least one dig area indicator on the displayed at least one aerial image, wherein the at least one aerial image provides a primary basis on which the user places the at least one dig area indicator on the displayed at least one aerial image; B) receiving input from the user, using the at least one drawing tool via the at least one user interface device, to delimit the precise geographic extent and the precise geographic location of the at least one dig area on the displayed at least one aerial image so as to form the at least one dig area indicator representing at least one unbuffered dig area and thereby generate a marked-up aerial image including the at least one dig area indicator; C) after B), determining a plurality of geographic coordinates corresponding to the at least one dig area indicator representing the at least one unbuffered dig area; and D) storing in the at least one memory, and/or transmitting via the at least one communication interface, a locate request ticket to facilitate detection and/or marking of the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility, the locate request ticket including at least one of: the marked-up aerial image including the at least one dig area indicator representing the at least one unbuffered dig area; the plurality of geographic coordinates corresponding to the at least one dig area indicator representing the at least one unbuffered dig area; and a link to a webpage at which the marked-up aerial image may be viewed and/or the plurality of geographic coordinates corresponding to the at least one dig area indicator representing the at least one unbuffered dig area may be accessed.