Environmental services platform

• US 10,028,454 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Et Water Systems Inc. (JAIN Irrigation Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Et Water Systems Inc. (JAIN Irrigation Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Williams, Lee M., Veelo, Edwin Waldemar, Schien, Kyle Prodromou
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/834,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/167 Control by humidity of the soil itself or of devices simulating soil or of the atmosphere; Soil humidity sensors

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for an environmental services platform for providing optimized irrigation plans, water management and use analysis, automated irrigation. scheduling via network connected irrigation controllers, and other automated environmental services. According to some embodiments, a user may input site survey data regarding a selected irrigation site to a network-connected environmental services platform. The environmental services platform may correlate and analyze the input site survey data with large scale sets of relevant data (e.g., soil data, geographic data, plant data, weather data, solar radiation data, etc.) to provide services associated with the platform.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, by a processing system, a key-value database of metadata associated with landscape data and environmental data from a plurality of data sources, the plurality of data sources including external databases, sensors located at a plurality of physical locations, and site survey data entered by a plurality of users of the data processing system;

receiving, by the processing system, via a network, site survey data associated with a particular physical location, the site survey data including user-defined information regarding landscape characteristics of the particular physical location entered via an interactive site survey interface presented at a network-connected device;

processing, by the processing system, the received site survey data with at least some of the metadata in the key-value database to identify data correlations;

determining, by the processing system, relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the physical location based on the identified data correlations; and

controlling, by the processing system, an environmental control system at the particular physical location based on the relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the particular physical location.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein landscape data includes one or more of, soil data, geographic data, geological data, topographical data, or plant data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein environmental data includes one or more of, climate data, weather data, sunlight data, natural resource data, or ecological data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, the landscape characteristics of the particular physical location include one or more of:

an address or positioning coordinate of the particular physical location;

a defined boundary of a landscape area located at the particular physical location;

information associated with installed or planned irrigation system equipment at the particular physical location including one or more of an irrigation control unit, a smart controller converter, a sprinkler valve, or a sensor;

information associated with current or planned features of the particular physical location, including one or more of plant types, soil type, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas;

or

information associated with current or planned features of land surrounding the particular physical location, including one or more of plant types, soil type, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the network, sensor data gathered by a sensor located at the particular physical location; and

storing, in the key-value database, metadata associated with the sensor data gathered by the sensor located at the particular location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control system at the particular physical location includes any of an irrigation system, an electrical system, a lighting system, or a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the external databases include one or more of, educational databases, research institution databases, weather forecast service databases, geographic information service databases, government records databases, utility databases, or plant taxonomy databases.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting, via the network, metadata from an external database maintained by a third-party; and

storing, in the key-value database, the collected metadata.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, in the key-value database, metadata associated with the user-defined information regarding the characteristics of the particular physical location.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received site survey data is processed with at least some of the metadata in the key-value database

using a distributed computing cluster.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the processing system, an optimized irrigation plan based in part on the relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the particular physical location; and

providing access, via the network, to the optimized irrigation plan.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the optimized irrigation plan is generated to minimize water usage at the particular physical location.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the relevant landscape data and environmental data includes data from a water utility, and wherein the optimized irrigation plan is generated to minimize expenditures on water at the particular physical location.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the optimized irrigation plan includes one or more of:

current water usage and expenditure data;

historical water usage and expenditure data;

or

predicted water usage and expenditure data.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the optimized irrigation plan includes recommendations for one or more of:

alternative plant varieties and plant coverage layouts;

alternative soil types;

agriculture related products and services, including irrigation related products and services;

or

irrigation schedules;

wherein, the recommendations are generated to minimize water usage at the particular physical location.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control system is an irrigation system that includes an irrigation control unit located at the particular physical location and wherein controlling the irrigation system includes:

generating, by the processing system, an irrigation schedule configured for use by the irrigation control unit; and

transmitting, via the network, data associated with the irrigation schedule to the irrigation control unit.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the environmental control system is an irrigation system that includes an irrigation control unit located at the particular physical location and wherein controlling the irrigation system includes:

transmitting, via the network, at least some of the relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the particular physical location to the irrigation control unit;

wherein the at least some relevant landscape data and environmental data is usable by the irrigation control unit at the particular physical location to generate an irrigation schedule.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing access, via the network, to an interactive site management dashboard;

wherein, the site management dashboard includes one or more of;

an overall status update;

an event log, including snapshot insights;

a map of the particular physical location including one or more network-connected assets;

options to remotely control one or more of the network-connected assets;

energy or water usage data;

or

a performance index score, the performance index score being a quantified score indicating the efficiency of water and/or energy use at the particular physical location.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating, by the processing system, the interactive site survey interface; and

providing, via the network, access to the interactive site survey interface.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein providing access to the interactive site survey interface includes:

presenting, via a display associated with the network-connected device, an option to input an address or positioning coordinate associated with the particular physical location;

receiving, via an input device associated with the network-connected device, a selection of the address or positioning coordinate; and

presenting, via the display, a map of the physical location and at least some of the relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the particular physical location.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein providing access to the interactive site survey interface further includes:

presenting, via the display, an option to define a parcel boundary associated with the particular physical location.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein providing access to the interactive site survey interface further includes:

presenting, via the display, an option to define a boundary of a landscape area associated with the particular physical location.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein providing access to the interactive site survey interface further includes:

presenting, via the display, an option to input the information regarding landscape characteristics of the particular physical location, the information including one or more of;

information associated with installed or planned irrigation system equipment at the particular physical location including one or more of an irrigation control unit, a smart controller converter, a sprinkler valve, or a sensor;

information associated with current or planned features of the particular physical location, including one or more of plant type, soil type, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas;

or

information associated with current or planned features of land surrounding the particular physical location, including one or more of plant types, soil type, topography, natural resources, and shaded areas.

24. A computer-implemented method for providing an interactive interface for irrigation management, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting, via a display associated with a network-connected device, a graphical user interface (GUI) including an interactive map of a parcel of land through which to define a boundary of a landscape area within the parcel and landscape characteristics associated with the landscape area;

receiving, via the GUI, user-defined landscape characteristics associated with the landscape area;

transmitting, via a network interface associated with the network-connected device, the user-defined landscape characteristics to a cloud-based environmental services platform, the cloud-based environmental services platform configured to maintain a key-value database of metadata associated with landscape data and environmental data from a plurality of data sources, the plurality of data sources including external databases, sensors located at a plurality of physical locations, and site survey data entered by a plurality of users of the cloud-based environmental services platform;

receiving, via the network interface, from the cloud-based environmental services platform, relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the landscape area, the relevant landscape data and environmental data determined by the cloud-based environmental services platform by processing the user-defined landscape characteristics with at least some of the metadata in the key-value database to identify data correlations; and

controlling an irrigation system at the landscape area based on the received relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the landscape area.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

presenting, via the display, at least some of the received relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the landscape area.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein the user-defined landscape characteristics of the landscape area include one or more of:

information associated with installed or planned irrigation system equipment at the landscape area including one or more of;

an irrigation control unit, a smart controller converter, a sprinkler valve, or a sensor;

information associated with current or planned landscape features of the landscape area, including one or more of plant types, soil types, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas;

or

information associated with current or planned landscape features of an area surrounding the landscape area, including one or more of plant types, soil types, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the interactive map through which to define a boundary of the landscape area includes a drawing tool enabling a user to draw a line over a map of the parcel of land.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the interactive map further includes options to select one or more of the following to associate with the landscape area:

plant types, soil types, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

receiving, via the GUI, updated user-defined landscape characteristics associated with the landscape area;

transmitting, via the network interface, the updated user-defined landscape characteristics associated with the landscape area to the cloud-based environmental services platform; and

receiving, via the network interface, from the cloud-based environmental services platform, updated relevant landscape data and environmental data based on the updated user-defined landscape characteristics associated with the landscape area.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the GUI is presented via a web browser or web application instantiated at the network-connected device.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

generating an optimized irrigation plan based on the received relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the landscape area.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the optimized irrigation plan includes one or more of:

current water usage and expenditure data;

historical water usage and expenditure data;

or

predicted water usage and expenditure data.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the optimized irrigation plan includes recommendations for one or more of:

alternative plant varieties and plant coverage layouts;

alternative soil types;

agriculture related products and services, including irrigation related products and services;

or

irrigation schedules;

wherein, the recommendations are generated to minimize water usage at the landscape area.

34. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

generating an irrigation schedule for the landscape area based on the received relevant landscape data and environmental data; and

transmitting, via the network interface, the generated irrigation schedule to an irrigation control unit located at the landscape area.

35. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

presenting, via the display of the network-connected device, an interactive site management dashboard;

wherein, the site management dashboard includes one or more of;

an overall status update;

an event log, including snapshot insights;

a map of the parcel including a location of an irrigation system at the parcel;

options to remotely control the irrigation system;

water usage data;

or

a performance index score, the performance index score being a quantified score indicating the efficiency of water use at the parcel.

36. A system for providing environmental management services using available data from a plurality of data sources, the system comprising:

a key-value database of metadata associated with landscape data and environmental data from a plurality of data sources, the plurality of data sources including external databases, sensors located at a plurality of physical locations, and site survey data entered by a plurality of users of the system;

a network interface;

a processor; and

a memory unit having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor causes the system to;

receive, via the network interface, site survey data associated with a particular physical location, the site survey data including user-defined information regarding landscape characteristics of the particular physical location entered via an interactive site survey interface presented at a network-connected device;

process the received site survey data with at least some of the metadata in the key-value database to identify data correlations;

determine relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the physical location based on the identified data correlations; and

control an environmental control system at the particular physical location based on the relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the particular physical location.

37. The system of claim 36,

wherein the memory unit has further instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to further:

collect the metadata associated with at least some of the available data from the plurality of data sources; and

store the collected metadata in the key-store database.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the memory unit has further instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to further:

generate an optimized irrigation plan based in part on the relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the particular physical location; and

provide access, via the network interface, to the optimized irrigation plan;

wherein the optimized irrigation plan is configured to minimize water usage at the particular physical location.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the optimized irrigation plan includes one or more of:

alternative plant varieties and plant coverage layouts;

alternative soil types;

agriculture related products and services, including irrigation related products and services;

or

irrigation schedules.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the environmental control system is an irrigation system that includes an irrigation control unit located at the particular physical location and wherein the instructions for controlling the irrigation system include instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to:

generate an irrigation schedule configured for use by the irrigation control unit; and

transmit, via the network interface, data associated with the irrigation schedule to the irrigation control unit.

41. The system of claim 36, wherein the memory unit has further instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to further:

provide access, via the network interface, to an interactive site management dashboard;

wherein, the site management dashboard includes one or more of;

an overall status update;

an event log, including snapshot insights;

a map of the particular physical location including one or more network-connected devices;

options to remotely control one or more of the network-connected devices;

energy or water usage data;

or

a performance index score, the performance index score being a quantified score indicating the efficiency of water and/or energy use at the particular physical location.

42. The system of claim 36, wherein the memory unit has further instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to further:

present, via a display associated with the network-connected device, an option to input an address or positioning coordinate associated with the particular physical location;

receive, via the network interface, a selection of the address or positioning coordinate; and

present, via the display;

a map of the particular physical location and at least some of the relevant landscape data and environmental data associated with the particular physical location;

an option to define a parcel boundary associated with the particular physical location;

an option to define a boundary of a landscape area within the particular physical location; and

an option to define landscape characteristics associated with the landscape area, the landscape characteristics including one or more of;

information associated with installed or planned irrigation system equipment associated with the landscape area including one or more of an irrigation control unit, a smart controller converter, a sprinkler valve, or a sensor;

information associated with current or planned features of the landscape area, including one or more of plant types, soil types, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas;

or

information associated with current or planned features of land surrounding the landscape area, including one or more of plant types, soil types, topography, natural resources, or shaded areas.

43. The system of claim 36, wherein the environmental control system at the particular physical location includes any of an irrigation system, an electrical system, a lighting, or a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.