Soil Map Generation via Interactive Boundary Drawing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for generating prescription maps for crop planting require complex steps and dedicated software, making them cumbersome and inconvenient for users, leading to a need for a simpler, faster, and more intuitive method.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a user computer, planter monitor, data transfer device, global positioning receiver, user interface, map service, soil data server, system server, and system database, allowing users to navigate to a field, draw a field boundary, generate a soil map, and create a seed population prescription in a streamlined process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If complex software and multiple steps are used to generate prescription maps, then the accuracy and completeness of soil data matching can be improved, but the ease of operation and user convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary service layer (soil data server, map service) that automatically handles the complex tasks of retrieving soil data, matching it with field boundaries, and generating prescriptions. This mediator handles the complexity behind the scenes while presenting a simple user interface, thus maintaining high accuracy without requiring users to deal with complex software procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically performing the soil data matching and prescription generation processes without requiring manual intervention or complex user actions. The user simply needs to provide basic field location information, and the system autonomously completes the complex analysis and delivers the prescription map, improving ease of operation while maintaining precision through automated algorithms.
2Reliability
If multiple steps and dedicated software are required for prescription map generation, then the reliability of the process can be improved, but the time required for operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-processing and storing soil data in a database before the user needs it. The soil data is already organized and ready to be automatically matched with field boundaries when the user initiates a prescription map generation request. This pre-preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming real-time data collection and processing, reducing operation time while maintaining reliability through structured data organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual, mechanical processes of data collection and analysis with automated electronic systems. Instead of requiring users to manually navigate complex software interfaces and perform multiple manual steps, the patent uses automated computer-based processes including electronic data retrieval, automatic boundary matching algorithms, and digital prescription generation. This substitution dramatically reduces operation time while maintaining or improving reliability through consistent automated execution.
3Ease of operation
If simplified software is used for prescription map generation, then the ease of operation improves, but the complexity of the underlying system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the complex system into separate functional modules: a user interface layer for simple user interaction, a service layer for data retrieval and processing, and a database layer for storing soil data. This segmentation allows the user interface to remain simple and easy to operate while the underlying complexity is contained in separate, manageable components that can be optimized independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary service layer acts as a buffer between the simple user interface and the complex underlying systems. This mediator translates simple user requests into complex data retrieval and processing operations, then presents the results in a user-friendly format. The intermediary absorbs the complexity of data management and processing while maintaining a clean, simple interface for the user, thus improving ease of operation without exposing users to system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems provided for generating a soil data map. One example method includes instructing, by a computing device, a user to draw a field boundary in a map of a geographic area and receiving an input, from the user, at the map of the geographic area, where the input includes multiple vertices of the field boundary. The method also includes appending, by the computing device, a shape of the field boundary to the map, based on the multiple vertices, and overlaying at least one management zone within the field boundary on the map. The at least one management zone is associated with specific soil data for the geographic area corresponding to the at least one management zone within the field boundary.