Farming support method, farming support system, and program

Abstract

To reflect a difference of growing conditions of a crop, between farm fields, and among a plurality of areas in the farm fields, when determining a spraying amount of a material to be sprayed in the farm field.SOLUTION: A farming support method includes: updating first spraying information indicating a spraying amount of a material to be sprayed with respect to each area of a first farm field including a plurality of areas including a first area, and a second area having a growing condition of a crop different from that of the first area, on the basis of farm field growing information related to the growing condition of the crop in each of the plurality of farm fields; and outputting output information related to the updated first spraying information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a farming support method, a farming support system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] As the information-based approach to agriculture progresses in recent years, systems to support agricultural decision-making have been developed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for setting the amount of a spraying agent (e.g., fertilizer) to be applied to each area in a farm field having multiple areas based on a map showing the growth conditions of crops (e.g., an NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) map). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-72148 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In general, differences in growing conditions for crops include differences between multiple areas within a field and differences between fields. Both types of differences can cause unevenness in the quality and yield of crops. This unevenness can be reduced by correcting the amount of spraying of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other spraying materials according to the growing conditions of both the field and the area. However, when the technology of Patent Document 1 is used to determine the amount of spraying for multiple areas within a field, there is a risk of unevenness in the growth of crops between the fields, since differences in growing conditions between the fields are not taken into consideration.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, one of the objects of the present disclosure is to reflect the difference in crop growing conditions between fields and between multiple areas within a field when determining the amount of a spraying material to be applied in the field. Other objects can be understood from the following description and the description of the embodiment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The means for solving the problems will be described below using the numbers and symbols used in the description of the embodiment of the invention. These numbers and symbols are added in parentheses for reference purposes to show an example of the correspondence between the description of the claims and the description of the embodiment of the invention. Therefore, the description in parentheses should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0008] The farming support method of the embodiment includes generating second application information (D4) indicating the amount of spraying product to be applied to multiple areas (A) of each of the multiple fields (F) based on field growth information (D2a) related to crop growing conditions in multiple fields (F) where the crops are to be cultivated and first application information (D1a) related to the amount of spraying product to be applied to multiple areas (A) of each of the multiple fields (F), and outputting output information related to the generated second application information (D4).

[0009] The farming support system (1) of the embodiment includes a generation unit (130) that generates second spraying information (D4) indicating the amount of spraying product to be applied to multiple areas (A) of each of the multiple fields (F) based on field growth information (D2a) regarding crop growing conditions in multiple fields (F) where the crops are to be cultivated and first spraying information (D1a) regarding the amount of spraying product to be applied to multiple areas (A) of each of the multiple fields (F), and an information output unit (140) that outputs output information regarding the generated second spraying information (D4).

[0010] The program (P1) of the embodiment causes a computer (14, 24) to generate second spraying information (D4) indicating the amount of spraying product to be applied to multiple areas (A) in each of the multiple fields (F) based on field growth information (D2a) regarding the growing conditions of crops in multiple fields (F) in which the crops are to be cultivated and first spraying information (D1a) regarding the amount of spraying product to be applied to multiple areas (A) in each of the multiple fields (F), and to output output information regarding the generated second spraying information (D4). Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the above embodiment, when determining the amount of spraying material in a field, differences in crop growing conditions between fields and between multiple areas within a field can be reflected. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a farming support system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining regions in a farm field according to an embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of first region scatter information according to the embodiment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of region setting information according to the embodiment. [Figure 3C] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of second region scatter information according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a farming support device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the farming support system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of farm field information according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of farm field setting information according to the embodiment. [Figure 9]4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the farm management support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the farm management support system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] (First embodiment) A farming support system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the farming support system 1 includes a farming support device 10 and a terminal device 20. The farming support system 1 manages information regarding the amount of spraying agent applied to multiple areas in a field F for multiple fields F in which target crops are to be cultivated (e.g., first area spraying information D1a in FIG. 3A and second area spraying information D4 in FIG. 3C). The farming support device 10 and the terminal device 20 can communicate with each other via a network NT. The network NT is, for example, the Internet.

[0014] The farming support device 10 can communicate with a server device S external to the farming support system 1 via a network NT. The server device S is, for example, a computer with server functions managed by a company or organization that provides farming services. The server device S may provide the farming support device 10 with information regarding the amount of spray product applied in multiple areas A within each of multiple fields F. The server device S may be a cloud server virtually realized on the network NT.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the multiple fields F includes multiple areas with different growth conditions for the target crops to be cultivated. In the example of FIG. 2, the field F includes a total of 16 areas A_1 to A_16 divided into a 4-row, 4-column grid. When the multiple areas included in the field F are not distinguished, they may simply be called areas A. Each area A of the field F may be sprayed with a spray material such as fertilizer, pesticide, or herbicide. In this embodiment, the spray material is fertilizer. In this specification, the term "spray amount" of a spray material may refer to either the amount sprayed per unit area, the total amount of the spray material sprayed over a specific field F, or the total amount of the spray material sprayed over a specific area A of a certain field F.

[0016] In Figure 2, each area A in field F is shown as a square, with area A_1, which has the worst growing conditions, being filled in black, and area A_2, which has the second worst growing conditions, being shaded diagonally. Area A_16, which has the best growing conditions, is lined vertically, and area A_15, which has the second best growing conditions, is lined horizontally. Other areas A in field F, which have standard growing conditions, are shown as white squares.

[0017] The growing conditions of the crops in each field F and each area A may be indicated by index values ​​indicating, for example, the components of the soil, the measurement results of the amount of sunlight, the actual growing conditions of the crops, and past harvest results. In this embodiment, the server device S uses the NDVI, which indicates the presence or absence of vegetation at each position on the ground surface and the activity of the vegetation, calculated based on a satellite photo of multiple spectra, as an index value of the growing conditions. For example, the server device S acquires a multispectral image of the ground surface including the multiple fields F, which is taken by an artificial satellite. The server device S generates a growth map (for example, an NDVI map) of the multiple fields F based on this multispectral image. The NDVI map is a growth map indicating the growth degree of the plants at each point, which is generated by applying the NDVI value determined for each point in the field F to a map. For each of multiple fields F, the server device S defines multiple areas A within the field F where crop growing conditions are different based on the NDVI map, and generates information regarding the recommended amount of spraying material for each area A (for example, the first area spraying information D1a in Figure 3A).

[0018] As an example, the server device S divides the geographical range of the field F into a number of areas A. The server device S then ranks the crop growth conditions for each area A based on the NDVI map of the field F at a certain time (for example, a specified day before the day the spraying material is sprayed on the field F). The rank of the growth conditions for each area A set by the server device S is also called the area rank. It can be estimated that an area A in the field F where the crop growth rate is high has better crop growth conditions than an area A where the growth rate is not high. Therefore, the recommended amount of spraying material (in this embodiment, fertilizer) is small for an area A with an area rank of high growth rate, while the amount of spraying material is large for an area A with an area rank of low growth rate. The server device S may transmit the first area spraying information D1a to the farm management support device 10.

[0019] The first area spraying information D1a transmitted by the server device S to the farm management support device 10 stores, as shown in FIG. 3A, an "area ID" indicating an identifier of each area A included in the field F, "geographical information" indicating the geographical range of each area A, and an "area rank" indicating the rank of the area A, in association with each other. When the shape of the area A is a polygon, the "geographical information" includes information indicating the geographical coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the vertices of the boundary line of the area A. In addition, the "area rank" indicates one of five ranks ranging from rank 1, which indicates the worst growing conditions, to rank 5, which indicates the best growing conditions, as a rank of the growing conditions of the area A.

[0020] In the first area dispersal information D1a of Figure 3A, rank 3, indicating that the growth conditions are standard, is set for areas A_3 to A_14, of areas A_1 to A_16 of field F in Figure 2, whose growth conditions meet the standard criteria (for example, the difference between the average NDVI value within area A and the average NDVI value for the entire field F is less than or equal to a first threshold value).

[0021] On the other hand, in the first region dispersal information D1a, the lowest rank 1 is set for region A_1 whose growing conditions meet the criteria for rank 1 (for example, the average NDVI value in region A is lower than the average for the entire field F by more than the second threshold). Furthermore, rank 2 is set for region A_2 whose growing conditions meet the criteria for rank 2 in the first region dispersal information D1a. The criterion for rank 2 is, for example, that the average NDVI value in region A is lower than the average for the entire field F, and the difference is greater than the above-mentioned first threshold but less than the second threshold.

[0022] In the first region dispersal information D1a of FIG. 3A, the highest rank 5 is set for region A_16 whose growing conditions meet the criteria for rank 5 (for example, the average NDVI value within region A is higher than the average for the entire field F by more than the third threshold). Furthermore, rank 4 is set for region A_15 whose growing conditions meet the criteria for rank 4 in the first region dispersal information D1a. The criterion for rank 4 is, for example, that the average NDVI value within region A is higher than the average for the entire field F, and the difference is greater than the above-mentioned first threshold but less than the third threshold.

[0023] The server device S may provide the farm management support device 10 with information regarding the amount of spraying product recommended for the area A to which each of a plurality of area ranks is set (for example, area setting information D1b shown in FIG. 3B). The area setting information D1b in FIG. 3B stores an "area rank" indicating a plurality of area ranks that can be set for the area A, and a "spraying coefficient" indicating the amount of spraying for the area A corresponding to that area rank.

[0024] The "spreading coefficient" in FIG. 3B indicates, for example, the ratio of the amount of the product per unit area recommended for the area A of that area rank to the standard amount of the product per unit area for that field F. The standard amount of the product is, for example, the standard mass to be spread per are recommended by the manufacturer of the product. Alternatively, the standard amount of the product may be the amount of the product per unit area desired by the user for each field F, set by user input. For example, for rank 3, which indicates standard growing conditions, the "spreading coefficient" of the area setting information D1b is set to 1. Therefore, when the first area spreading information D1a and the area setting information D1b are used as they are to perform the spreading process of the product, the standard amount of the product is spread for the area A whose area rank is rank 3. The spreading coefficient can also be defined as a coefficient indicating the relative amount of the product to be spread for each area rank when the standard area rank (rank 3 in the above example) is set to 1.

[0025] In the area setting information D1b, the "spraying coefficient" is set so that the numerical value is larger for area ranks corresponding to worse growing conditions. Therefore, if the first area spraying information D1a and the area setting information D1b are used as is to perform spraying work, a larger amount of fertilizer will be sprayed on the area A as the growing conditions become worse than the standard, and a smaller amount of fertilizer will be sprayed on the area A as the growing conditions become better than the standard. This can reduce variations in crop yield and quality caused by differences in growing conditions of the area A within the field F. On the other hand, when generating the first area spraying information D1a for multiple fields F, the server device S determines the area rank of each area A without considering differences in growing conditions between the fields F. Since the amount of spraying for area A of each area rank is determined using area setting information D1b common to multiple fields F, if the first area spraying information D1a and area setting information D1b transmitted by the server device S are used directly to spray the spraying material, unevenness in crop quality and yield may occur between the fields F due to differences in growth conditions across the fields F. The server device S may not provide the farming support device 10 with information on the growth map that was the basis for determining the area rank for each area A. Therefore, it may be difficult to generate area spraying information corrected to reduce the influence of differences in growth conditions between the fields F based solely on the information transmitted by the server device S.

[0026] In response to this, the farming support system 1 generates area scattering information (e.g., second area scattering information D4 in FIG. 3C ) indicating the amount of scattering product to be applied to each area A included in each field F, based not only on the first area scattering information D1a and area setting information D1b, but also on information indicating the growing conditions of the crops in each field F (e.g., field growing information D2a in FIG. 7 ), for each of the multiple fields F. The amount of scattering product to each area A indicated by the second area scattering information D4 may be corrected according to differences in growing conditions between the fields F and differences in growing conditions between the areas A within the field F.

[0027] Like the first area spray information D1a in FIG. 3A, the second area spray information D4 in FIG. 3C stores an "area ID" indicating an identifier of each area A included in the field F, "geographic information" indicating the geographical range of each area A, and an "area rank" indicating the rank of the area A, in association with each other. In addition, the second area spray information D4 further stores a "spray amount" indicating the amount of spraying product recommended for each area A. For example, the "spray amount" indicates the amount of spraying product per unit area (mass per square meter) recommended for the area A corresponding to that row. The specific numerical value of the recommended spray amount indicated by the "spray amount" is determined according to the growing conditions of the field F and the growing conditions of the area A by a process described below.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3C, the farming support system 1 can generate second area spraying information D4 that reflects the differences in crop growing conditions between fields F and between multiple areas A within the field F. This allows the farming support system 1 to provide information to each area A within the multiple fields F that can be used to spray an amount of spraying material adjusted to reduce variations in crop growth due to differences in growing conditions between the fields F and between the areas A within the field F.

[0029] We will now explain the configuration of the farming support system 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the farming support device 10 included in the farming support system 1 includes an input / output device 12, a calculation device 14, a communication device 16, and a storage device 18. The farming support device 10 is, for example, a computer or server device including a cloud.

[0030] Information for the arithmetic device 14 to execute processing is input to the input / output device 12. In addition, the input / output device 12 outputs a result of the processing executed by the arithmetic device 14. The input / output device 12 includes various input devices and output devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a display, a speaker, a touch panel, etc. The input / output device 12 may be omitted.

[0031] The communication device 16 is communicatively connected to the network NT and communicates with devices external to the farming support device 10 (e.g., a terminal device 20 and a server device S) via the network NT. The communication device 16 may transfer information acquired from one or more terminal devices 20 and the server device S to the calculation device 14. The communication device 16 may also transfer information generated by the calculation device 14 to the terminal device 20 and the server device S. The communication device 16 includes various interfaces, such as a network interface card (NIC) and a universal serial bus (USB).

[0032] The storage device 18 stores a program P1 and the like including various data and instructions for the farm management support device 10 of this embodiment to execute the processes described below. For example, the storage device 18 may store information indicating the planned date for spraying the spray product in each field F. The storage device 18 is used as a non-transitory tangible storage medium for storing these data and instructions. The program P1 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M1. Alternatively, the storage medium M1 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P1. In this case, the program P1 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server.

[0033] The arithmetic device 14 reads and executes a program P1 including instructions and data for executing at least a part of the processes described below from the storage device 18. For example, the arithmetic device 14 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and the like.

[0034] The arithmetic device 14 realizes functional units of the farming support device 10, which will be described later, by reading and executing the program P1.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 5, the terminal device 20 included in the farming support system 1 includes an input / output device 22, a calculation device 24, a communication device 26, and a storage device 28. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a mobile device such as a tablet or a smartphone. The terminal device 20 may be a stationary personal computer or a notebook computer. Alternatively, the terminal device 20 may be a computer device (for example, a car navigation system) installed on a work device that spreads a spray material in the field F.

[0036] Information for the arithmetic device 24 to execute processing is input to the input / output device 22. In addition, the input / output device 22 outputs a result of the processing executed by the arithmetic device 24. The input / output device 22 includes various input devices and output devices, such as a speaker and a touch panel. In addition, in the case where the terminal device 20 is a personal computer, the input / output device 22 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a display, and the like.

[0037] The communication device 26 is communicatively connected to the network NT and communicates with devices external to the terminal device 20 (e.g., the farming support device 10) via the network NT. The communication device 26 transfers information acquired from the farming support device 10 to the calculation device 24. The communication device 26 may also transfer information generated by the calculation device 24 to the farming support device 10. The communication device 26 includes various interfaces such as a transceiver, a NIC, and a USB used for wireless communication such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or a cellular network.

[0038] The storage device 28 stores a program P2 and the like including various data and instructions for the farm management support system 1 of this embodiment to execute the processes described below. The storage device 28 is used as a non-transitory storage medium for storing these data and instructions. The program P2 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium M2. Alternatively, the storage medium M2 may be a storage device of an external server that stores the program P2. In this case, the program P2 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the server.

[0039] The arithmetic unit 24 reads and executes a program P2, which includes instructions and data for executing at least a part of the processes described below, from the storage device 28. For example, the arithmetic unit 24 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and the like.

[0040] The arithmetic device 24 implements functional units of the terminal device 20, which will be described later, by reading and executing the program P2.

[0041] With the physical configurations as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the farming support device 10 and the terminal device 20 realize the functional units shown in Figure 6. As an example, the arithmetic device 14 of the farming support device 10 realizes the functions of an information acquisition unit 110, a decision unit 120, a generation unit 130, an information output unit 140, and an information storage unit 150 by executing a program P1.

[0042] The information storage unit 150 stores, for example, information input by a user using the input / output device 12, and information acquired from the server device S or an external device (for example, an external server). Furthermore, the information storage unit 150 temporarily stores information generated or updated by the determination unit 120 and the generation unit 130. The information storage unit 150 may provide the stored information to the information acquisition unit 110, the determination unit 120, the generation unit 130, and the information output unit 140. For example, before the start of the processing described below, the information storage unit 150 pre-stores field information D2 and field setting information D3.

[0043] The field information D2 stores information indicating each of a plurality of fields F to be processed, such as a field F owned by a user of the farm management support system 1. As an example, as shown in FIG. 7, the field information D2 stores a "field ID" that is an identifier that uniquely identifies each field F, "geographical information" that indicates the geographical range of the field F, and "yield" that indicates an index value (also called a field index value) that indicates the growing conditions for crops in the entire field F, in association with each other. When the shape of the field F is polygonal, the "geographical information" includes information that indicates the geographical coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the vertices of the boundary lines of the field F. In this embodiment, the "yield" indicates the harvest amount (kilograms) per unit area (ares) when the target crop was cultivated in the field F in the previous year, as the growth record of the target crop in the field F. The amount of crop harvested per unit area is also referred to as yield. The field information D2 may include an image showing a map including the geographical range of each field F. The information in the "yield" column of the field information D2 is also referred to as field growth information D2a relating to the growing conditions of crops in multiple fields F. As described above, the field growth information D2a indicates the field index value of each field F.

[0044] The field setting information D3 stores information indicating the setting of criteria for ranking each field F according to the growing conditions for the target crop, and the setting for generating corresponding second area spraying information D4 according to the field rank of the field F. As an example, as shown in Fig. 8, the field setting information D3 stores a "field rank" indicating a plurality of field ranks that can be set for the field F, "range information" indicating the range of the numerical field index value of the field F corresponding to that field rank, and a "correction coefficient" indicating the amount of correction used when determining the spraying amount of the second area spraying information D4 corresponding to the field F of that field rank.

[0045] "Field rank" in FIG. 8 indicates one of five field ranks that can be assigned to field F, ranging from rank 1, which indicates the worst growing conditions, to rank 5, which indicates the best growing conditions. In this example, "range information" indicates the upper and lower thresholds of the field index value (e.g., the actual crop yield value in that field F) of field F that should belong to that field rank. Note that for field F whose field index value matches the lower threshold of a specific field rank and the upper threshold of the field rank one level lower, either the higher or lower field rank may be selected, but here it is assumed that the lower field rank is selected.

[0046] The "correction coefficient" indicates a correction coefficient used when generating the second area spraying information D4 and determining the spraying amount for each area A of each rank of field F for the field rank of that field F. The specific method of using the correction coefficient to generate the second area spraying information D4 will be described later.

[0047] 6 acquires information necessary for the farm management support device 10 to execute the processing described below from the information storage unit 150 or the server device S. The information acquisition unit 110 provides the acquired information to the determination unit 120, the generation unit 130, the information output unit 140, or the information storage unit 150, as described below.

[0048] The determining unit 120 determines, for each of the multiple fields F, a field rank that corresponds to the growing conditions of the crops in the entire field F, as will be described later.

[0049] The generating unit 130 generates the second region dispersal information D4 based on the field rank determined by the determining unit 120, as described below.

[0050] The information output unit 140 outputs the output information related to the second region scattering information D4 generated by the generation unit .

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the arithmetic device 24 of the terminal device 20 realizes the functions of the display unit 210 by executing a program P2.

[0052] As described below, the display unit 210 uses the input / output device 22 to display information indicating the spray amount for area A of each field F indicated by the second area spraying information D4 in a manner that can be viewed by the user, based on the output information output by the information output unit 140.

[0053] (Operation of the farming support system) Using the functional configuration described above, the farming support system 1 executes the process shown in Figure 9 to generate second area application information D4 indicating the amount of the spraying material to be applied to area A within the multiple fields F, and displays the generated second area application information D4. For example, the farming support device 10 of the farming support system 1 starts the process shown in Figure 9 a predetermined day (e.g., one week) before the scheduled date of application of the spraying material to the multiple fields F.

[0054] In the process of Fig. 9, first, in step S1002, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the field information D2. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the field information D2 from the information storage unit 150. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the field information D2 from an external server (for example, a server provided by a manufacturer of a work tool used in the field F). The field information D2 acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 may include an image of a map of a geographical area that includes each field F.

[0055] Next, in step S1004, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires first area spraying information D1a indicating the amount of spraying material for the area A included in each of the multiple fields F indicated by the field information D2. For example, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the first area spraying information D1a for each field F by using the communication device 16 to transmit information to the server device S requesting the first area spraying information D1a for the multiple fields F. In addition, the information acquisition unit 110 further acquires area setting information D1b from the server device S in step S1004.

[0056] Next, in step S1006, the determining unit 120 acquires an index value indicating the growing conditions of each field F. For example, the determining unit 120 acquires, as the field index value indicating the growing conditions of each field F, information indicating the actual value of the harvest amount per unit area of ​​the crop in each field F, which is stored in the “yield” column (field growth information D2a) of the field information D2 (see FIG. 7) acquired in step S1002.

[0057] Next, in step S1008 of Fig. 9, the determination unit 120 determines the field rank of each field F. For example, the determination unit 120 acquires field setting information D3 as shown in Fig. 8 from the information storage unit 150. Furthermore, the determination unit 120 compares the field index value of each field F acquired in step S1006 with the range of field index values ​​corresponding to each field rank indicated by the "range information" of the field setting information D3. Then, for each field F, the determination unit 120 determines the field rank for which the field index value of that field F is included in the "range information" as the field rank of that field F.

[0058] Next, in step S1009 of FIG. 9, the generation unit 130 determines the pre-correction application amount of the spray product for each area A of the field F for the multiple fields F. The pre-correction application amount indicates the application amount per unit area for each area A of each field F before correction is made to take into account the difference in growth conditions of the multiple fields F, which is determined based on the first area spray information D1a and the area setting information D1b. For example, the generation unit 130 calculates a value obtained by multiplying the standard application amount set for the field F by the coefficient indicated by the "spray coefficient" in the area setting information D1b in FIG. 3B for each of the multiple area levels as the pre-correction application amount per unit area for the area A of that area level. Then, for each area A indicated by the "area ID" in the first area spray information D1a, the pre-correction application amount calculated for the area rank defined by the "area rank" is determined as the pre-correction application amount for that area A.

[0059] Next, in step S1010 of Fig. 9, the generation unit 130 generates second region spray information D4 for each field F. For example, the generation unit 130 calculates a spray amount obtained by correcting the pre-correction spray amount for each region A of each field F determined in step S1009 based on the field rank of the field F determined in step S1008. For example, the generation unit 130 determines, for each field F, the corrected spray amount by multiplying the pre-correction spray amount determined for that field F by the correction coefficient set in "correction coefficient" of the field setting information D3 for the field rank determined for that field F in step S1008. The generating unit 130 then generates the second area scattering information D4 by storing the corrected scattering amount determined for the area A in the column of "scattering amount" in the row corresponding to the area A in the second area scattering information D4 shown in Fig. 3C. Note that the generating unit 130 may store corresponding information of the first area scattering information D1a in the portions corresponding to "area ID", "geographic information", and "area rank" in the second area scattering information D4 shown in Fig. 3C.

[0060] Next, in step S1012, the information output unit 140 outputs output information. For example, the information output unit 140 outputs, to the terminal device 20, using the communication device 16, output information including the second region scatter information D4 generated in step S1010 and an image of a map of a geographical range including the field F included in the field information D2 acquired in step S1002.

[0061] Next, in step S1014, the display unit 210 of the terminal device 20 displays the output information output in step S1012. For example, the display unit 210 may display information indicating each area A and information indicating the spray amount set for that area A in the second area spray information D4 on the screen of the display device of the input / output device 22 of the terminal device 20, superimposed on the map of each field F.

[0062] The farming support system 1 of this embodiment can output and display information on the second area spraying information D4 that indicates the spraying amount that reflects the difference in the growing conditions of the crops between the fields and between the multiple areas in the field. Therefore, the farming support system 1 can efficiently support the user's farming decisions.

[0063] (Modification) The configuration described in the embodiment is an example, and the configuration can be changed within a range that does not impair the function. For example, the farm management support system 1 may acquire area spray information (e.g., second area spray information D4 in FIG. 3C) indicating a value corrected based on the difference in growth conditions between the fields F as the amount of spray per unit area for the area A as known information. In this case, the farm management support system 1 may execute a process (e.g., the process in FIG. 10) for generating area spray information (e.g., third area spray information described later) indicating the amount of spray determined for each area A based on the difference in growth conditions within the field F, regardless of the difference in growth conditions between the fields F, based on the second area spray information D4. The third area spray information indicates, as the amount of spray for each area A, a value obtained by further correcting the amount of spray per unit area for each area A in the second area spray information D4 so that the total amount of the sprayed material for the field F becomes a specific value (e.g., the total amount desired by the user).

[0064] For example, the farming support device 10 of the farming support system 1 according to this modified example starts the process shown in Fig. 10 a predetermined number of days (e.g., one week) before the planned date of spraying of the spray material on a plurality of fields F. In addition to the above-mentioned information, the information storage unit 150 of the farming support device 10 according to this modified example may also store in advance information about the standard amount of the target spray material to be sprayed during cultivation of the target crop (e.g., the standard mass to be sprayed per are recommended by the spray material manufacturer).

[0065] In the process of FIG. 10, first, in step S2002, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the farm field information D2 in the same manner as in step S1002 of FIG.

[0066] Next, in step S2004, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires second area scatter information D4 corrected for differences in growth conditions between the fields F. For example, when the server device S provides the second area scatter information D4, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the second area scatter information D4 from the server device S.

[0067] Next, in step S2006, the determination unit 120 acquires information indicating the amount of spraying in the field F to be updated. For example, the determination unit 120 may use the input / output device 12 to accept a user input indicating the amount of spraying per unit area desired by the user for the field F to be updated (or the total amount of spraying for the target field F). Alternatively, the determination unit 120 may acquire information indicating the standard amount of spraying per unit area of ​​the target spray product stored in the information storage unit 150 (for example, the amount of spraying per unit area recommended by the manufacturer of the spray product) as information indicating the target amount of spraying per unit area for the field F to be updated.

[0068] Next, in step S2008, the generation unit 130 generates third area spraying information. The third area spraying information generated by the generation unit 130 is identical to the second area spraying information D4, for example, in terms of the relative ratio of the spraying amount per unit area of ​​each area A in the target field F. On the other hand, in the third area spraying information, the spraying amount per unit area for the entire target field F (or the total spraying amount to field F) matches the target spraying amount per unit area for that field F (or the total spraying amount to field F) obtained in step S2006.

[0069] For example, the generation unit 130 calculates a ratio R of the amount of spraying per unit area for the target field F in the second area spraying information D4 (or the total amount of spraying to field F) to the amount of spraying per unit area (or the total amount of spraying to field F) input in step S2006. As an example, the generation unit 130 multiplies the amount of spraying per unit area indicated by each area A indicated by the second area spraying information D4 by the area of ​​each area A to determine the total amount of the spray product to be sprayed to each area A. Next, the generation unit 130 adds up the total amounts determined for all of the areas A included in field F to calculate the total distribution amount of the spray product to be sprayed over the entire field F.

[0070] The generation unit 130 then calculates a ratio R between the calculated total amount of the scattering material to be sprayed in the field F to be updated and the total amount of spraying obtained by multiplying the amount of the scattering material per unit area to be sprayed in the field F to be updated obtained in step S2006 by the total area of ​​field F. The generation unit 130 multiplies the amount of scattering material per unit area for each area A indicated in the second area spray information D4 by this ratio R as a correction coefficient. The generation unit 130 generates third area spraying information by updating the information on the amount of scattering material per unit area for each area A indicated in the second area spraying information D4 obtained in step S2004 with the multiplied value. As a result, the spraying amount for each area A indicated by the third area spraying information remains the same as the second area spraying information D4 in terms of the relative ratio between areas A within the target field F, but the absolute spraying amount is set so that the spraying amount for the entire target field F is the value obtained in step S2006.

[0071] Next, in step S2010, the information output unit 140 outputs output information including at least information indicating the amount of spraying for the area A included in the target field F, from among the third area spraying information.

[0072] Next, in step S2012 of FIG. 10, similarly to step S1014 of FIG. 9, the display unit 210 of the terminal device 20 displays the output information output in step S2010.

[0073] In the second area spraying information D4, the amount of spraying for each area A of the target field F is corrected according to the difference in growing conditions between the multiple fields F. Therefore, the total amount of spraying for the target field F may differ from the amount desired by the user. According to the farming support system 1 of the above-mentioned modified example, it is possible to provide third area spraying information that is determined so as to reduce the difference in growing conditions of the area A within the field F and so that the amount of spraying material desired by the user is sprayed on the target field F.

[0074] Furthermore, the farming support system 1 may have a different device configuration from the above example. For example, in the above embodiment, the farming support device 10 and the terminal device 20 shared the processing of FIG. 9 or FIG. 10. However, this is not limited to the above, and the processing of FIG. 9 or FIG. 10 may be performed by one device (for example, the farming support device 10). In this case, the farming support device 10 may have a functional unit corresponding to the display unit 210. In this case, the farming support system 1 outputs the output information to the outside by displaying the output information to the user via the display unit 210.

[0075] Alternatively, the farming support device 10 of the farming support system 1 may have the function of the server device S. For example, when information indicating an NDVI map is obtained from an external server, in step S1004 of Fig. 9 or step S2006 of Fig. 10, the farming support device 10 may generate the first region scattering information D1a based on the growth map by the method described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3A.

[0076] In addition, in the first area scattering information D1a, one of five area ranks is set for each area A. However, the number of area ranks may be more or less than five. Alternatively, the first area scattering information D1a may store an area index value indicating the growth condition of the area A instead of the area rank. In this case, in step S1009 of FIG. 9, the generation unit 130 may calculate the uncorrected scattering amount for each area A by a function f(x)=ax+b using experimentally determined constants (a, b) with the area index value set as x. The function f(x) is not limited to a linear function, but may be a quadratic function or another type of function such as f(x)=a / x+b. In this case, the scattering amount for each area A may take a continuous value.

[0077] In the above embodiment, in step S1008 of FIG. 9, the determining unit 120 determines a five-level field rank for each field F, and in step S1010, the generating unit 130 generates the second region spraying information D4 using one of the five correction coefficients corresponding to the field rank. However, the number of field ranks may be more or less than five. Alternatively, the correction coefficient may be determined using a function that uses the field index value indicating the growth condition of the field F as a variable, regardless of the field rank. For example, in step S1010, the determining unit 120 may calculate the correction coefficient by a function f(x)=ax+b using constants (a, b) obtained by experiment, with the correction index value of the field F included in the field information D2 acquired in step S1002 set as x. The function f(x) is not limited to a linear function, but may be a quadratic function or another type of function such as f(x)=a / x+b. In this case, the correction coefficient for each field F can take continuous values.

[0078] The determination unit 120 may also determine the field rank of each field F based on statistics of the field index values ​​for the multiple fields F. For example, in step S1008 in Fig. 9, the determination unit 120 may calculate the average value and standard deviation δ of the field index values ​​of the multiple fields F indicated in the field growth information D2a of the field information D2 in Fig. 7, and determine the field rank of each field F based on the calculated average value and standard deviation δ and the field index value of each field F. As an example, when the difference between the field index value of the field F and the calculated average value of the field index values ​​is equal to or smaller than the standard deviation δ, the determination unit 120 may determine the field rank of the field F to be standard rank 3. Furthermore, the determination unit 120 may determine the field rank of the field F as rank 5 if the field index value of the field F is higher than the average value and the difference exceeds twice the standard deviation δ (2δ), and as rank 4 if the difference is less than twice the standard deviation δ and equal to or greater than the standard deviation δ. The determination unit 120 may determine the field rank of the field F as rank 1 if the field index value of the field F is lower than the average value and the difference exceeds twice the standard deviation δ (2δ), and as rank 2 if the difference is less than twice the standard deviation δ and equal to or greater than the standard deviation δ.

[0079] 9, the generation unit 130 generates the second area spray information D4 by using a numerical value obtained by multiplying the spray amount for each area A indicated by the first area spray information D1a by a correction coefficient. However, in step S1008, the generation unit 130 may execute at least one of a process for generating second area spray information D4 such that the spray amount is smaller for a field F with better growing conditions than the standard, and a process for generating second area spray information D4 such that the spray amount is larger for a field F with worse growing conditions than the standard.

[0080] For example, in step S1008 of FIG. 9, the generation unit 130 may raise the area rank of a certain area A (e.g., rank 1 and rank 2) among the area ranks 1 to 5 for a field F with better growing conditions than the standard by a predetermined number (e.g., 1 rank). In this case, the generation unit 130 updates the spray amount of the area A to be raised in rank to a spray amount corresponding to an area rank one rank higher than the current area. The generation unit 130 may also lower the area rank of a certain area A (e.g., rank 5 to rank 2) among the area ranks 1 to 5 for a field F with worse growing conditions than the standard by a predetermined number (e.g., 1 rank). In this case, the generation unit 130 updates the spray amount of the area A to be lowered in rank to a spray amount corresponding to an area rank one rank lower than the current area.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the server device S determines the area rank of each area A by using the average value of NDVI in the area A as the area index value. However, the area rank may be determined by using other index values ​​related to the growing conditions in the area A. As an example, when information on the past actual value of the yield for each area A is obtained, the area rank may be determined based on the yield. In this case, the server device S may determine the area rank such that the area A with a large past actual value is ranked higher than the standard, and the area A with a small actual value is ranked lower than the standard, in comparison with the standard yield of the target crop.

[0082] In the above embodiment, in step S1008 of FIG. 9, the determination unit 120 determines the field rank of each field F by using the actual yield value in the field F as the field index value. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the field rank may be determined by using other index values ​​related to the growing conditions in the field F. As an example, when the applied material is a fertilizer containing a predetermined component (e.g., phosphorus or humus), the determination unit 120 may use the content of the predetermined component obtained as a result of the soil analysis of the field F as the field index value. In this case, the information acquisition unit 110 may acquire information indicating the results of the soil analysis of multiple fields F from an external server operated by a company or organization that provides a soil analysis service in step S1002. Then, in step S1008, the determination unit 120 may determine the field rank so that for a field F in which the amount of a predetermined component in the soil is greater than the standard content, the field rank is higher than the standard, and for a field F in which the amount of the predetermined component is smaller than the standard content, the field rank is lower than the standard. In addition, when an NDVI value is obtained for each field F, the determination unit 120 may use the average NDVI value within field F as the field index value. Furthermore, when data such as an estimated value of the amount of sunlight for field F and the drainage property of field F is obtained, the determination unit 120 may use an estimated value of the amount of sunlight for the entire field F or a value indicating the drainage property as the field index value.

[0083] Also, the information output unit 140 outputs the output information to the terminal device 20 in step S1012 of FIG. 9. However, the information output unit 140 may output the output information including the second area spraying information D4 to other devices, such as a work device working in the field F or an external server that manages the contents of the agricultural work. For example, a case will be described in which a work device having a positioning function using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and a function of spraying a spray material while automatically controlling the spraying amount can be used. In this case, the information output unit 140 may output the output information including the second area spraying information D4 corresponding to a specific field F to a work device working in that field F. When the work device that has received this second area spraying information D4 is determined to be located within each area A indicated by the second area spraying information D4 by GNSS positioning, the work device may spray the spray material on the ground surface of the area A in an amount specified by the second area spraying information D4. It should be noted that the working device may measure its own position by self-location estimation using a quantum compass, instead of positioning by GNSS.

[0084] (Additional Note) The farming support method, farming support system, and program described in each embodiment can be described as follows.

[0085] The farming support method according to the first aspect includes: generating second application information indicating the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields based on field growth information regarding the growing conditions of the crop in the multiple fields in which the crop is to be cultivated and first application information regarding the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields; Outputting output information relating to the generated second distribution information; Includes.

[0086] The farming support method according to the second aspect is the farming support method according to the first aspect, The field growth information includes a field index value indicating the growth conditions of the crops in the multiple fields.

[0087] The farming support method according to the third aspect is the farming support method according to the second aspect, determining a field rank by ranking the growth conditions in each of the plurality of fields based on the field index values ​​of the plurality of fields indicated by the field growth information; Generating the second application information includes determining the application amount of the spray product for the multiple areas based on the first application information and the determined field rank.

[0088] A farming support method according to a fourth aspect is a farming support method according to any one of the first to third aspects, The first spraying information includes information indicating an area rank that ranks the amount of spraying of the spray material to be applied to each of the multiple areas of the multiple fields, Generating the second application information includes determining an application amount of the spray product to the multiple areas of the multiple fields based on the field growth information and the area rank.

[0089] A farming support method according to a fifth aspect is a farming support method according to the fourth aspect, The area rank includes a plurality of area ranks including a first area rank and a second area rank corresponding to an area having a worse growing condition than the area corresponding to the first area rank, Determining the amount of the spreading material includes determining a greater amount of spreading material for areas of the second area rank than for areas of the first area rank.

[0090] A farm management support method according to a sixth aspect is a farm management support method according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, The first spraying information includes information indicating an area rank that ranks the amount of spraying of the spray material to be applied to each of the multiple areas of the multiple fields, The area rank includes a plurality of area ranks including a first area rank and a second area rank corresponding to an area having a worse growing condition than the area corresponding to the first area rank, the field rank includes a plurality of field ranks including a first field rank and a second field rank corresponding to an area having worse growing conditions than the field corresponding to the first field rank, Determining the amount of application of the spreading material includes determining a greater amount of application for an area of ​​the first area rank or the second area rank in a field of the second field rank than for an area of ​​the same rank in a field corresponding to the first field rank.

[0091] A farming support method according to a seventh aspect is a farming support method according to the sixth aspect, Determining the amount of the scattering material, For the field of the first field rank, determining a pre-correction application amount to be applied to each of the areas corresponding to the multiple area ranks; determining a spray amount to be sprayed on a plurality of areas of the field of the first field rank and the field of the second field rank based on the pre-correction spray amount determined for each of the plurality of area ranks and a correction coefficient according to a difference between a growth condition corresponding to the first field rank and a growth condition corresponding to the second field rank; Includes.

[0092] The farm management support method according to the eighth aspect is a farm management support method according to any one of the second to seventh aspects, The field index value indicates either the yield of the crop, the amount of a predetermined substance contained in the soil, or the vegetation in each of the multiple fields.

[0093] A farm management support method according to a ninth aspect is a farm management support method according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, Determining the field rank includes determining the field rank based on statistics of the field index values ​​for the plurality of fields and the field index values ​​of the plurality of fields.

[0094] A farm management support method according to a tenth aspect is a farm management support method according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, The method further includes outputting the output information to a work implement that sprays the spray material to at least one of the plurality of farm fields based on the updated second spray information included in the output information.

[0095] The farming support system according to the eleventh aspect is a generation unit that generates second application information indicating the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields based on field growth information regarding the growing conditions of the crop in the multiple fields in which the crop is to be cultivated and first application information regarding the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields; an information output unit that outputs output information related to the generated second distribution information; Equipped with.

[0096] A program according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention comprises: On the computer, generating second application information indicating the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields based on field growth information regarding the growing conditions of the crop in the multiple fields in which the crop is to be cultivated and first application information regarding the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields; Outputting output information relating to the generated second distribution information; Execute the command. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1. Agricultural management support system 10. Farming support equipment 12 Input / Output Devices 14 Arithmetic unit 16 Communication Equipment 18 Storage device 110 Information Acquisition Department 120 Decision Section 130 Generation part 140 Information output section 150 Information storage section 20 Terminal Equipment 22 Input / Output Devices 24 Arithmetic unit 26 Communication Equipment 28 Storage device 210 Display section NT Network S Server device F Field A_1~A_16 area P1, P2 Program M1, M2 storage medium D1a 1st area scatter information D1b Area setting information D2 Field information D2a Field growth information D3 Field setting information D4 2nd area scatter information

Claims

1. Based on field growth information relating to the growing conditions of the crop in a plurality of fields in which the crop is to be cultivated and first application information relating to the application amount of the spraying material to a plurality of areas each of the plurality of fields, generating second application information indicating the application amount of the spraying material to the plurality of areas each of the plurality of fields; Outputting output information relating to the generated second distribution information; Including, Farming support methods.

2. The field growth information includes a field index value indicating the growth conditions of the crops in the plurality of fields. The agricultural support method according to claim 1.

3. determining a field rank by ranking the growth conditions in each of the plurality of fields based on the field index values ​​of the plurality of fields indicated by the field growth information; Generating the second spraying information includes determining the spraying amount of the spray material for the multiple areas based on the first spraying information and the determined field rank. The agricultural management support method according to claim 2.

4. The first spraying information includes information indicating an area rank that ranks the amount of spraying of the spray material to be applied to each of the multiple areas of the multiple fields, The generating of the second spraying information includes determining a spraying amount of the spray product for the multiple areas of the multiple fields based on the field growth information and the area rank. The agricultural support method according to claim 1.

5. The area rank includes a plurality of area ranks including a first area rank and a second area rank corresponding to an area having a worse growing condition than an area corresponding to the first area rank, Determining the amount of the scattering material to be scattered includes determining a scattering amount that is greater for the area of ​​the second area rank than for the area of ​​the first area rank. The agricultural management support method according to claim 4.

6. The first spraying information includes information indicating an area rank that ranks the amount of spraying of the spray material to be applied to each of the multiple areas of the multiple fields, The area rank includes a plurality of area ranks including a first area rank and a second area rank corresponding to an area having a worse growing condition than an area corresponding to the first area rank, the field rank includes a plurality of field ranks including a first field rank and a second field rank corresponding to an area having worse growing conditions than the field corresponding to the first field rank, Determining the amount of application of the spray product includes determining an amount of application that is greater for the area of ​​the first area rank or the second area rank of the field of the second field rank than for the area of ​​the same rank of the field corresponding to the first field rank. The agricultural management support method according to claim 3.

7. Determining the amount of the scattering material, For the field of the first field rank, determining a pre-correction application amount to be applied to each of the areas corresponding to the multiple area ranks; determining a spray amount to be sprayed on a plurality of areas included in each of the field of the first field rank and the field of the second field rank based on the pre-correction spray amount determined for each of the plurality of area ranks and a correction coefficient according to a difference between a growth condition corresponding to the first field rank and a growth condition corresponding to the second field rank; Including, The agricultural management support method according to claim 6.

8. The field index value indicates any one of the yield of the crop, the amount of a predetermined substance contained in the soil, or the vegetation in each of the plurality of fields. The agricultural management support method according to claim 2.

9. determining the field rank includes determining the field rank based on statistics of the field index values ​​for the plurality of fields and the field index values ​​of the plurality of fields; The agricultural management support method according to claim 2.

10. The method further includes outputting the output information to a work device that sprays the spray material to at least one of the plurality of farm fields based on the updated second spray information included in the output information. The agricultural support method according to claim 1.

11. a generation unit that generates second application information indicating the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields based on field growth information regarding the growing conditions of the crop in the multiple fields in which the crop is to be cultivated and first application information regarding the amount of the spray product to be applied to the multiple areas of each of the multiple fields; an information output unit that outputs output information related to the generated second distribution information; Equipped with Agricultural support system.

12. On the computer, Based on field growth information relating to the growing conditions of the crop in a plurality of fields in which the crop is to be cultivated and first application information relating to the application amount of the spraying material to a plurality of areas each of the plurality of fields, generating second application information indicating the application amount of the spraying material to the plurality of areas each of the plurality of fields; Outputting output information relating to the generated second distribution information; A program for executing the above.

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