Computerized crop growing management system and method

• US 20070260400A1
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Netafim Limited (Orbia Advance Corporation, S.A.B. de C.V.)
• Original Assignee: Netafim Limited (Orbia Advance Corporation, S.A.B. de C.V.)
• Inventors: Doron, Lior, Morag, Omry
• Application Number:
  US11/417,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260400A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

The present invention discloses a computerized method of crop growing management and a system thereof. The method comprises receiving operational data and/or derivatives thereof and field data and/or derivatives thereof related to one or more crop growing blocks, and processing at least part of the received data so as to define cross-related data among the received data and/or discrepancy thereof. The method further comprises displaying the results, for example as a bar-chart comprising one or more bars representing time-phased activity durations related to at least part crop growing blocks.

Claims

1. A computerized method of crop growing management comprising:

(a) receiving operational data and/or derivatives thereof and field data and/or derivatives thereof, thus giving rise to received data;

(b) processing at least part of the received data so as to define at least one type of results selected from a group comprising;

i) cross-related data among the received data;

ii) discrepancy among the received data;

iii) status of at least part of activities comprised in a crop growing schedule, wherein said status is defined based on the received data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying at least part of said results of the processing and/or derivatives thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the received data are related to one or more crop growing blocks, and the crop growing schedule is displayed as a bar-chart comprising one or more bars representing time-phased activity durations related to at least part of said crop growing blocks.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least one bar comprises information related to at least one information type selected from a group comprising:

(a) status of the represented activity;

(b) at least one planned parameter related to the represented activity;

(c) operational data related to the represented activity;

(d) field data related to the represented activity;

(e) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and operational data related to the represented activity;

(f) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and field data related to the represented activity;

(g) discrepancy between cross-related field data and operational data related to the represented activity.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the received data are related to one or more crop growing controllers and the crop growing schedule is displayed as a bar-chart comprising one or more bars representing time-phased activity durations related to at least part of said crop growing controllers.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein at least one bar comprises information related to at least one information type selected from a group comprising:

(a) status of the represented activity;

(b) at least one planned parameter related to the represented activity;

(c) operational data related to the represented activity;

(d) field data related to the represented activity;

(e) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and operational data related to the represented activity;

(f) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and field data related to the represented activity;

(g) discrepancy between cross-related field data and operational data related to the represented activity.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating at least part of the crop growing schedule if said processing is provided so as to define at least discrepancy among the received data, and the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending an alert if said processing is provided so as to define at least discrepancy among the received data, and if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising deriving at least one control command to be sent to one or more crop growing controllers if said processing is provided so as to define at least discrepancy among the received data, and if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising deriving in accordance with updated crop growing schedule at least one control command to be sent to one or more crop growing controllers.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving at least part of a crop growing program, wherein at least part of the received data is processed together with at least part of data comprised in the crop growing program so as to define at least one type of results selected from a group comprising:

(a) cross-related data among the received data and the growth program;

(b) discrepancy among the received data and the growth program data;

(c) status of at least part of activities comprised in a crop growing schedule, wherein said status is defined base on the received data and the crop growth program.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said processing is provided so as to define at least discrepancy among the received data and the growth program data, the method further comprising at least one of operations selected from a group comprising:

(a) deriving one or more recommendations in accordance with defined discrepancy;

(b) updating at least part of the crop growing schedule if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(c) sending an alert if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(d) deriving at least one control command to be sent to one or more crop growing controllers if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(e) displaying at least part of results derived from the operations a) to d).

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving landscape data, wherein at least part of the received data is processed together with at least part of the landscape data.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising at least one of operations selected from a group comprising:

(a) deriving one or more recommendations in accordance with defined discrepancy and the landscape data;

(b) updating at least part of the crop growing schedule in accordance with the landscape data if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(c) sending an alert if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(d) deriving at least one control command to be sent to one or more crop growing controllers if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(e) displaying at least part of results derived from the operations a) to d).

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a crop growing program and landscape data, wherein at least part of the received data is processed together with the landscape data and the crop growing program data so as to define cross-related data and discrepancy thereof in view of the crop growing program data and the landscape data.

16. A computerized method of crop growing management comprising:

(a) receiving operational data and/or derivatives thereof and field data and/or derivatives thereof thus giving rise to received data related to one or more crop growing blocks;

(b) receiving a crop growing program;

(c) processing at least part of the received data together with at least part of data comprised in the crop growing program so as to define at least one result selected from a group comprising;

i) cross-related data among the received data and the growth program data;

ii) discrepancy among the received data and among the received data and the growth program data;

iii) status of at least part of activities comprised in a crop growing schedule, wherein said status is defined based on the received data and the growth program data.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising displaying the results of said processing and/or derivatives thereof as a bar-chart of time-phased activity durations related to said crop growing blocks, wherein at least part of the bars comprises information related to at least one information type selected from a group comprising:

(a) status of the represented activity;

(b) at least one planned parameter related to the represented activity;

(c) operational data related to the represented activity;

(d) field data related to the represented activity;

(e) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and operational data related to the represented activity;

(f) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and field data related to the represented activity;

(g) discrepancy between cross-related received data related to the represented activity;

(h) discrepancy between cross-related received data and the growing program data.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said processing is provided so as to define at least discrepancy among the received data and the growth program data, the method further comprising at least one of operations selected from a group comprising:

(a) deriving one or more recommendations in accordance with defined discrepancy;

(b) updating at least part of the crop growing schedule if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(c) sending an alert if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(d) deriving at least one control command to be sent to one or more crop growing controllers if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(e) displaying at least part of results derived from the operations a) to d).

19. The method of claim 18 wherein at least one of said operations comprises processing based on at least one adapting algorithm.

20. A managing system for crop growing management comprising:

(a) a data repository configured to receive and store operational data and/or derivatives thereof and field data and/or derivatives thereof, thus giving rise to received data;

(b) a processor operatively connected with the data repository and configured to process at least part of the received data so as to define cross-related data;

(c) a display operatively connected with the processor and configured to display at least part of results of the processing and/or derivatives thereof.

21. The managing system of claim 20 wherein the processor is further configured to define discrepancy among the cross-related data and to facilitate at least one of operations selected from a group comprising:

(a) updating at least part of the crop growing schedule if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(b) deriving at least one control command to be sent to one or more crop growing controllers if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion.

22. The managing system of claim 20 further comprising an alerting block operatively connected with the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to define discrepancy among the cross-related data, and the processor and the alerting block are configured to facilitate sending an alert if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion.

23. The managing system of claim 20 wherein the data repository is further configured to receive and store a crop growing program and the processor is configured to process at least part of the received data together with at least part of data comprised in the crop growing program so as to define cross-related data and discrepancy thereof.

24. The managing system of claim 23 wherein the processor is further configured to facilitate at least one of operations selected from a group comprising:

(a) deriving one or more recommendations in accordance with defined discrepancy;

(b) updating at least part of the crop growing schedule if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(c) sending an alert if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

(d) deriving at least one control command to be sent to one or more crop growing controllers if the defined discrepancy matches a certain criterion;

and the display is further configured to display at least part of results derived from the operations a) to d).

25. The managing system of claim 20 configured to receive data selected from a group comprising:

(a) operational data;

(b) field data;

(c) landscape data;

(d) crop growing program data;

wherein at least part of said data is received from a source external to the managed crop growing system.

26. The managing system of claim 20 configured to store data selected from a group comprising:

(a) operational data;

(b) field data;

(c) landscape data;

(d) crop growing program data;

wherein at least part of said data is currently received data and at least part of said data is historical data.

27. A method of computerized crop growing management based on a control loop comprising:

(a) receiving operational data and/or derivatives thereof and field data and/or derivatives thereof, thus giving rise to received data;

(b) processing at least part of the received data so as to facilitate verification of operational parameters related to the control loop and to provide a corresponding feedback.

28. A method of computerized crop growing management comprising:

(a) receiving data related to one or more crop growing blocks, and

(b) displaying a crop growing schedule as a bar-chart comprising one or more bars representing time-phased activity durations related to at least part of said crop growing blocks.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein at least one bar comprises information related to at least one information type selected from a group comprising:

(a) status of the represented activity;

(b) at least one planned parameter related to the represented activity;

(c) operational data related to the represented activity;

(d) field data related to the represented activity;

(e) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and operational data related to the represented activity;

(f) discrepancy between at least one planned parameter and field data related to the represented activity;

(g) discrepancy between field data and operational data related to the represented activity.

30. A computerized program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps of crop growing management comprising:

(a) receiving operational data and/or derivatives thereof and field data and/or derivatives thereof, thus giving rise to received data;

(b) processing at least part of the received data so as to define at least one type of results selected from a group comprising;

i) cross-related data among the received data;

ii) discrepancy among the received data;

iii) status of at least part of activities comprised in a crop growing schedule, wherein said status is defined based on the received data.

31. A computerized computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein of crop growing management the computer program product comprising:

(a) computer readable program code for causing the computer to receive operational data and/or derivatives thereof and field data and/or derivatives thereof, thus giving rise to received data;

(b) computer readable program code for causing the computer to process at least part of the received data so as to define at least one type of results selected from a group comprising;

i) computer readable program code for causing the computer to define cross-related data among the received data;

ii) computer readable program code for causing the computer to define discrepancy among the received data;

iii) computer readable program code for causing the computer to define a status of at least part of activities comprised in a crop growing schedule, wherein said status is defined based on the received data.