Pavement data tracking and mapping system

Abstract

A system for tracking and presenting pavement data related to a paved road area. The system includes a computer-based mapping system configured to generate a digital map of a real-world location having a paved road area and a digital reconstruction of at least a portion of the paved road area that is overlaid onto the map. The reconstruction includes two or more different user-selectable digital road segments that each corresponds to a different portion of the paved road area and is defined by two or more geographic coordinates. For each digital road segment, a corresponding data set includes pavement composition information and other information, including the geographic coordinates that define the selected digital road segment. When a user selects a digital road segment, at least a portion of the pavement data set corresponding to the selected digital road segment is displayed to the user via a display.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tracking and mapping system for tracking and presenting pavement data related to a paved road area to a system user, the system comprising:
 a computer-based mapping system configured to generate:
 a digital map of a real-world location having a paved road area; 
 a digital reconstruction of at least a portion of the paved road area that is overlaid onto the map, wherein the digital reconstruction includes two or more different user-selectable digital road segments that each correspond to a different portion of the paved road area and that are each defined by two or more different geographic coordinates; and 
   a unique computer-stored pavement data set that is associated with each digital road segment, wherein said pavement data set comprises pavement information, including pavement composition information, and other information associated with the paved road area corresponding to the selected digital road segment, including the geographic coordinates that define the selected digital road segment,   wherein, when a user selects a digital road segment, at least a portion of the pavement data set corresponding to the selected digital road segment is displayed to the user via a display.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the two or more digital road segments include a first digital road segment corresponding to a first portion of the paved road area that is joined continuously with a second digital road segment that corresponds to a second portion of the paved road area, wherein the first digital road segment is at least partially defined by a first geographic coordinate and a second geographic coordinate and the second digital road segment is at least partially defined by the second geographic coordinate and a third geographic coordinate. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the two or more digital road segments include a first digital road segment corresponding to a first portion of the paved road area and a second digital road segment that corresponds to a second portion of the paved road area that is not joined with the first portion of the paved road area, wherein the first digital road segment is at least partially defined by a first geographic coordinate and a second geographic coordinate and the second digital road segment is at least partially defined by a third geographic coordinate and a fourth geographic coordinate. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each digital road segment includes two or more geographic coordinates that are vertically displaced from one another and the pavement data set includes a thickness measurement of the pavement that is calculated based on the two or more vertically displaced geographic coordinates. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each digital road segment includes two or more geographic coordinates that are laterally displaced from one another across the paved road area and the pavement data set includes a width measurement of the pavement that is calculated based on the two or more laterally displaced geographic coordinates. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each digital road segment includes two or more geographic coordinates that are longitudinally displaced from one another along the paved road area and the pavement data set includes a length measurement of the pavement that is calculated based on the two or more laterally displaced geographic coordinates and that is measured along the paved road area. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a server associated with the computer-based mapping system for generating the map and the map overlay and for storing the pavement data set; and 
 a user device having the display and that is in remote communication with the server and is configured to display the map and map overlay provided by the server. 
 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 :
 wherein the user device is configured to wirelessly communicate geographic coordinates of its current location to the server; and   wherein one of the two or more user-selectable digital road segments may be automatically selected by locating the user device at the paved road area defined by the two or more different geographic coordinates and then communicating the current location of the user device to the server.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the pavement data set is remotely accessible by a plurality of users simultaneously. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising cloud-based storage for storing the pavement data. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the pavement data set is segregated into one or more geographical jurisdictions, wherein each geographical jurisdiction has a first group of user accounts and a second group of user accounts, wherein a first portion of pavement data is accessible to the first group of user accounts but is not accessible to the second group of user accounts, and wherein a second portion of pavement data is accessible to the second group of user accounts but is not accessible to the first group of user accounts. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the first and second portions of the pavement data in each geographical jurisdiction is accessible to a third group of user accounts. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the digital reconstruction is updated with additional digital road sections substantially in real time as the road area is paved. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  1  wherein the pavement data is updated substantially in real time as the road area is paved. 
     
     
         15 . A method for digitally recreating a road surface and for tracking and providing data related to the road surface, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a computer-based mapping system;   with the computer-based mapping system, displaying a digital map of a real-world location having a paved road area;   providing a plurality of geographic coordinates to the mapping system to define two or more user-selectable digital road segments that each correspond to a different portion of the paved road area and is defined by a set of two or more geographic coordinates that is unique among all other digital road segments;   with the computer-based mapping system, generating a digital reconstruction of at least a portion of the paved road area using at least two of the two or more digital road segments and overlaying the digital reconstruction onto the digital map;   providing a separate computer-stored pavement data set for each digital road segment, wherein each of pavement data sets comprises pavement information, including pavement composition information of road paving material that forms the paved road area corresponding to the digital road segment, and other information, including two or more geographic coordinates that define the digital road segment;   displaying at least a portion of the pavement data set for a selected digital road segment when a user selects one of the two or more user-selectable digital road segments.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a first one of the two or more geographic coordinates that define each digital road segment is the geographic location where paving of the corresponding portion of the paved road area with a first lot of paving material began and a second one of the two or more geographic coordinates that define each digital road segment is the geographic location where paving of the corresponding portion of the paved road area with the first lot of paving material ended. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising deriving the second geographic coordinate based on the first geographic coordinate and at least one of a deposition rate of pavement at the paved road area, paving material dwell time, and paving vehicle speed.