Environmental Monitoring

• US 20150061888A1
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Earthtec Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Earthtec Solutions, LLC
• Inventors: Lankford, David, Lichtner, Francis Thomas Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 10,271,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.03
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/007 Determining fertilization requirements
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/02 Automatically-operated arrangements

Abstract

Methods and system for multi-dimensional environmental monitoring, systematic dissection of interpretive relationships and extensive computational analysis, which can be displayed in a visual real-time data-rich web-based configuration called AdviroGuard™ interpretive analysis. By means of building data subsets and in harmonization with the laws of physics contained within a particular environmental medium, strict statistical analysis are applied to produce significant and pertinent information for key decision makers.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving a plurality of data readings related to resource availability in a medium from a sensor;

(b) determining a metric based at least on a difference between a first reading in the plurality of data readings and a second reading in the plurality of data readings;

(c) determining at least one of a magnitude of a value of the metric or a sign of the value of the metric;

(d) repeating steps b and c for a pre-determined number of data readings; and

(e) determining a characteristic of the medium based on at least one of the stored magnitudes or the stored signs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data readings related to resource availability in the medium is received from a plurality of sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is moisture and the medium is soil.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data readings comprise time-stamped resource measurements from a plurality of medium depths.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining a metric based at least on a difference between a first reading in the plurality of data readings and a second reading in the plurality of data readings comprises subtracting a value of the first reading from a value of the second reading, wherein the second reading occurred later in time than the first reading.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined number of data readings comprises all the plurality of data readings.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the characteristic of the medium based on at least one of the stored magnitudes or the stored signs comprises determining a maximum magnitude of negative metric magnitude values.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic comprises one or more of, field capacity, leaching factor, Gilbert Effect, optimum soil ratio of water and air, root management zone, root-derived ETo, irrigation efficiency, plant ETo coefficient, drip irrigation management, stress days, plant water efficiency, ion distribution and drift, ion minimum and maximum, water and nutrient application ranking, total irrigation, and total rainfall.

9. A method, comprising:

(a) assessing resource distribution in a medium; and

(b) deploying a plurality of sensors in the medium according to a predetermined pattern of locations determined at least in part by an outcome of the assessing step, wherein each one of the plurality of sensors measures resource availability.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least two sensors.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a first sensor is deployed in a resource-rich location of the at least two sensors and a second sensor of the at least two sensors is deployed in a resource-depleted location.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a first sensor of the at least two sensors is deployed in a location situated at a predetermined distance from a location of a second sensor of the at least two sensors.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the resource distribution comprises water irrigation including drip irrigation and center pivot irrigation.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined pattern of location excludes at least one location adverse to sensor integrity.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the assessing resource distribution in the medium comprises determining topography of a field comprising the medium.

16. A system, comprising:

a memory comprising a plurality of computer-executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to carry out the steps of;

(a) receiving a plurality of data readings related to resource availability in a medium from a sensor;

(b) determining a metric based at least on a difference between a first reading in the plurality of data readings and a second reading in the plurality of data readings;

(c) determining at least one of a magnitude of a value of the metric or a sign of the value of the metric;

(d) repeating the steps (b) and (c) for a pre-determined number of data readings; and

(e) determining a characteristic of the medium based on at least one of the stored magnitudes or the stored signs.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of data readings related to resource availability in the medium is received from a plurality of sensors.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to carry out the steps of:

receiving, in real time, data readings related to resource availability in a medium from a plurality of data collection sites;

formatting the data readings into a common data format; and

supplying the formatted data readings to an analysis platform.