EXCHANGING WATER ALLOCATION CREDITS

• US 20120101934A1
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Inventors: Lindores, Robert J., Hamilton, Jeffrey A., Sandford, Katherine, Hilliker, Richard W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,846,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A method of exchanging water allocation credits comprises accessing data describing a water allocation credit reserved for a first user. An unused amount of the water allocation credit which will not be used by the first user is then determined. A sale is then brokered of the unused amount of the water allocation credit to another user.

Claims

1. A method of exchanging water allocation credits comprising:

accessing data describing a water allocation credit reserved for a first user;

determining an unused amount of said water allocation credit which will not be used by said first user; and

brokering a sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit to another user.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

aggregating an unused amount of a second water allocation credit with said unused amount of said water allocation credit to create an aggregated water allocation credit; and

brokering a sale of said aggregated water allocation credit to another user.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a set of agricultural data for said first user, said set of agricultural data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data;

generating a prediction of an amount of water to be used by said first user; and

comparing said prediction of said amount of water to be used by said first user with said water allocation credit.

4. The method recited in claim 3, further comprising:

determining that said water allocation credit exceeds said prediction of an amount of water to be used by said first user; and

generating a message to said first user which identifies said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

5. The method recited in claim 3, further comprising:

accessing a subscriber data set from a subscriber to a wide-area farming information collection and dissemination network, said data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data.

6. The method recited in claim 5, further comprising:

comparing said subscriber data set with said set of agricultural data for said first user; and

generating a predicted crop yield for said first user based upon said sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

7. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a subscriber data set from a subscriber to a wide-area farming information collection and dissemination network, said data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data;

comparing said subscriber data set with a second set of agricultural data for a second user, said second set of agricultural data said set of agricultural data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data; and

generating a predicted crop yield for said second user based upon said sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method of exchanging water allocation credits comprising:

accessing data describing a water allocation credit reserved for a first user;

determining an unused amount of said water allocation credit which will not be used by said first user; and

brokering a sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit to another user.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises:

aggregating an unused amount of a second water allocation credit with said unused amount of said water allocation credit to create an aggregated water allocation credit; and

brokering a sale of said aggregated water allocation credit to another user.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a set of agricultural data for said first user, said set of agricultural data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data;

generating a prediction of an amount of water to be used by said first user; and

comparing said prediction of said amount of water to be used by said first user with said water allocation credit.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 10, wherein said method further comprises:

determining that said water allocation credit exceeds said prediction of an amount of water to be used by said first user; and

generating a message to said first user which identifies said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 10, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a subscriber data set from a subscriber to a wide-area farming information collection and dissemination network, said data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 12, wherein said method further comprises:

comparing said subscriber data set with said set of agricultural data for said first user; and

generating a predicted crop yield for said first user based upon said sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a subscriber data set from a subscriber to a wide-area farming information collection and dissemination network, said data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data

comparing said subscriber data set with a second set of agricultural data for a second user, said second set of agricultural data said set of agricultural data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data; and

generating a predicted crop yield for said second user based upon said sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

15. A water allocation credit exchange system comprising:

a reporting agent configured to report a water allocation credit reserved for a first user;

a database configured to access data describing said water allocation credit reserved for a first user; and

a processor configured to determine an unused amount of said water allocation credit which will not be used by said first user and for brokering a sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit to another user.

16. The water allocation credit exchange system recited in claim 15, further comprising:

an aggregating agent configured to aggregate an unused amount of a second water allocation credit with said unused amount of said water allocation credit to create an aggregated water allocation credit; and

said processor which is further configured to broker a sale of said aggregated water allocation credit to another user.

17. The water allocation credit exchange system recited in claim 16, wherein said aggregating agent is further configured to access a set of agricultural data for said first user, and

wherein said processor is further configured to generate a prediction of an amount of water to be used by said first user and to compare said prediction of said amount of water to be used by said first user with said water allocation credit, said set of agricultural data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data.

18. The water allocation credit exchange system recited in claim 17, wherein said processor is further configured to determine that said water allocation credit exceeds said prediction of an amount of water to be used by said first user and to generate a message to said first user which identifies said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

19. The water allocation credit exchange system recited in claim 17, wherein said aggregating agent is further configured to access a subscriber data set from a subscriber to a wide-area farming information collection and dissemination network, said subscriber data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data, and

wherein said processor is further configured to compare said subscriber data set with said set of agricultural data for said first user and to generate a predicted crop yield for said first user based upon said sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit.

20. The water allocation credit exchange system recited in claim 15, wherein said processor is further configured to access a subscriber data set from a subscriber to a wide-area farming information collection and dissemination network, said data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data, and

wherein said processor is further configured to compare said subscriber data set with a second set of agricultural data for a second user, and to generate a predicted crop yield for said second user based upon said sale of said unused amount of said water allocation credit, said second set of agricultural data and said set of agricultural data selected from the group consisting of soil composition data, weather data, and crop data.