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Methods and apparatus for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation in which a locate technician, using one or more physical locate marks, identifies a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. A digital image of a geographic area comprising

Methods and apparatus for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation in which a locate technician, using one or more physical locate marks, identifies a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. A digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area is electronically received, and at least a portion of the received digital image is displayed on a display device. Location information regarding an identified location of the at least one physical locate mark is also electronically received and, based at least in part on the received location information, one or more digital representations of the identified location of the physical locate mark(s) is/are included in the displayed digital image so as to generate a marked-up digital image. Information relating to the marked-up digital image is electronically stored and/or electronically transmitted so as to generate the searchable electronic record of the locate operation.

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1. A method for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation performed by a locate technician, the locate operation comprising identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a

1. A method for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation performed by a locate technician, the locate operation comprising identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising: A) electronically receiving a digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area, at least a portion of the received digital image being displayed on a display device;B) electronically receiving location information regarding an identified location of the at least one physical locate mark, wherein the electronically received location information includes GPS coordinates provided by a GPS-enabled marking device configured to apply the at least one physical locate mark to the dig area, the GPS coordinates representing the location of the at least one physical locate mark;C) generating a marked-up image including at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark applied by the locate technician during the locate operation, based at least in part on the location information including the GPS coordinates received in B), by adding the at least one digital representation on the displayed digital image; and D) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing a timestamp indicative of when the locate operation occurred, and at least one of i) the marked-up image and ii) the GPS coordinates, so as to generate the searchable electronic record of the locate operation,wherein the at least one underground facility includes at least one of power lines, telephone/cable television lines, water lines, sewer lines, steam lines, oil lines and gas lines. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the marking device is a paint wand. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the GPS-enabled marking device is a combined locating/marking device configured to both identify an underground facility in the dig area and apply the at least one physical locate mark to the dig area. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed digital image comprises an identification of an environmental landmark, the method further comprising: receiving an indication of a type of the environmental landmark;wherein the identification of the environmental landmark on the displayed image includes at least one attribute representing the type of the environmental landmark. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an indication of a type of an underground facility; wherein the at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark added to the displayed digital image includes at least one attribute representing the type of the underground facility. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one attribute includes a color of the at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: electronically receiving geographic location information relating to the dig area; andassociating address information with the geographic location information,wherein D) further comprises electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing the address information. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the address information includes at least one of a street address, a zip code, a street name, and a city. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the geographic location information corresponds to the dig area. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein D) further comprises electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing time data to establish when the at least one physical locate mark was applied by the locate technician. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein D) further comprises electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing a name of the locate technician. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein D) further comprises electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing a name of a company responsible for performing the locate operation. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein D) comprises electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing a set of geographic points corresponding to the at least one physical locate mark. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information includes geographic coordinates provided by a GPS-enabled device, and wherein the method further comprises receiving an input indicative of a condition of a user of the GPS-enabled device. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the input indicative of a condition of a user includes information concerning one or more of: brain activity of the user, a heart rate of the user, and eye movement of the user. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein D) comprises: electronically transmitting the timestamp indicative of when the locate operation occurred and the at least one of i) the marked-up image and ii) the GPS coordinates to a central server. 17. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on at least one processing unit, perform a method of generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation performed by a locate technician, the locate operation comprising identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the method comprising: A) electronically receiving a digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area;B) electronically receiving, from a GPS-enabled marking device which applies the at least one physical locate mark, first information regarding a GPS-determined geographic location of the at least one physical locate mark applied by the locate technician during the locate operation wherein the first information includes GPS coordinates representing the location of the at least one physical locate mark;C) rendering a screen display of a marked-up image comprising at least a portion of the received digital image and at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark, wherein the at least one digital representation is positioned with respect to the at least a portion of the received digital image based on the GPS-determined geographic location of the at least one physical locate mark; andD) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing second information identifying the GPS-determined geographic location of the at least one physical locate mark so as to document the at least one physical locate mark applied by the locate technician, wherein the second information includes a timestamp indicative of when the locate operation occurred, and at least one of i) the marked-up image and ii) the GPS coordinates,wherein the at least one underground facility includes at least one of power lines, telephone/cable television lines, water lines, sewer lines, steam lines, oil lines and gas lines. 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein D) comprises: electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing the second information identifying the GPS-determined geographic location of the at least one physical locate mark together with third information identifying a method used by the locate technician to apply the at least one physical locate mark. 19. An apparatus for facilitating generation of a searchable electronic record of a locate operation performed by a locate technician, the locate operation comprising identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the apparatus comprising: a communication interface;a display device;a memory to store processor-executable instructions; anda processing unit coupled to the communication interface, the display device, and the memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processing unit, the processing unit: controls the communication interface to electronically receive a digital image of a geographic area including the dig area;controls the display device to display at least a portion of the received digital image;acquires input from a marking device configured to apply the at least one physical locate mark to the dig area, the input including GPS coordinates relating to a geographic location of the at least one physical locate mark applied by the locate technician during the locate operation;generates a marked-up digital image including at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark, based at least in part on the input including the GPS coordinates acquired from the marking device; andfurther controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store timestamp indicative of when the locate operation occurred, and at least one of i) the marked-up image and ii) the GPS coordinates, so as to generate the searchable electronic record of the locate operation,wherein the at least one underground facility includes at least one of power lines, telephone/cable television lines, water lines, sewer lines, steam lines, oil lines and gas lines. 20. The apparatus according to claim 19, in combination with the marking device, wherein the marking device comprises a GPS-enabled device. 21. The combination of claim 20, wherein the GPS-enabled device is a GPS-enabled paint wand. 22. The combination of claim 20, wherein the GPS-enabled device is a combined locating/marking device configured to both identify an underground facility in the dig area and apply the at least one physical locate mark to the dig area.