Process for rendering and presenting underground utilities for efficient identification, marking and inspection

A process for locating an underground utility such as a pipeline comprising:

• a) providing an underground utility imaging device having a translucent lens, a computer processor, electronic memory, geographical location sensing circuitry, an electronic compass, horizon sensing circuitry, and an electronic accelerometer, wherein the translucent lens has a front facing orientation for a user to look through the translucent lens to from a position behind the lens to the surroundings in front of the translucent lens;
• b) providing location data from a database to the electronic memory of the underground utility imaging device;
• c) periodically determining the geographical coordinates of the location of the underground utility imaging device using the geographical location sensing circuitry and providing the computer processor of the underground utility imaging device with the geographical coordinates in electronic form;
• d) continuously determining the compass heading for the front facing orientation with the electronic compass and providing the compass heading in electronic form to the computer processor in electronic form;
• e) determining with the horizon sensing circuitry the front facing orientation relative to a horizontal plane at the location of the underground utility imaging device in electronic format generally including orientation around pitch and roll axes in electronic format to the computer processor providing a perspective of a view of the underground utility taking into account whether the front facing orientation is currently pointed up or down relative to the horizon or horizontal plane and twisted or rolled side to side relative to the horizon or horizontal plane;
• f) measuring movement in terms of rate and direction of the underground utility imaging device using the electronic accelerometer and providing such movement information in electronic format to the computer processor such that an image of the underground utility takes into account motion of the underground utility imaging device;
• g) creating a hypothetical image of the underground utility with the above inputs as if it could be seen on the ground under which the underground utility is actually lying taking into account the fixed location of the underground utility and the perspective through the front facing lens including any orientation parameters of the front facing lens and movement of the front facing lens;
• and
• h) presenting the hypothetical image onto a screen of the translucent lens so that a technician, while viewing surroundings through the lens, may see the image of the underground utility superimposed in context with the surroundings while the hypothetical image changes to accommodate movement of the underground utility imaging device to continually reflect the location of the underground utility and such that the technician may efficiently and directly mark, protect, inspect, unearth or access the underground utility.