System and method for conserving water and optimizing land and water use

• US 9,202,252 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jain Agriculture Services, LLC, United States Department Of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: SWIIM System Ltd., The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Inventors: Smith, Stephen W., Sanborn, Donald, France, Kevin, Wiles, Lori, Dunn, Gale H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANKER, JULIE MEYERS
• Application Number:
  US13/831,772
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/296 Acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• 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 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Software, databases, computer models, and a series of monitoring devices are provided that are used collectively to optimize farming operations for the purpose of efficiently utilizing the water right associated with the land while recognizing the potential to transfer a proportional amount of the water right in a lease or sale arrangement to other water users. The contemplated system encourages water conservation by allowing those owning water rights to determine the feasibility of changed farming practices intended to maximize net returns and profitability of their overall farming operations.

Claims

1. An irrigation system for use in a farming operation having a plurality of farming sites, comprising:

an irrigation control system comprising at least one computer system having a farm management tool configured to implement and regulate an improved irrigation plan for at least one of the farming sites, the computer system having;

1) at least one application server having at least one first processor, the at least one processor having software configured as a planner module and an optimizer module;

2) at least one second processor having a software tool providing a client interface, the software tool configured to communicate with the at least one application server;

3) at least one remote server configured to communicate with the farm management tool, which is accessible though the client interface, the farm management tool also configured to communicate with the planner module of the at least one application server;

a first monitoring system having first data collection devices, first data storage devices, and first data communication devices, the communication devices further comprising at least one wireless communication device configured to transmit data to the at least one remote server;

the data collection devices of the first monitoring system further comprising;

soil measuring devices having at least one of a tensiometer, a gypsum block, and a capacitance sensor;

evapotranspiration measuring devices having at least one of remote thermal unit recorders, data loggers, and thermal and near infrared imagers;

weather monitoring equipment comprising at least one of temperature probes, relative humidity probes, precipitation gauges, anemometers, pyranometers, Bowen ratio equipment, eddy covariance equipment, scintillometers, near infrared and heat signature cameras, and evapotranspiration sensors;

rainfall sensors;

crop sensors;

return water flow sensors;

water use sensors;

ground water sensors; and

water flow measurement devices having at least one of flumes, weirs, propeller meters, pressure transducers, shaft encoders, flow velocity sensors, and ultrasonic level sensors;

a second monitoring system having second data collection devices, second data storage devices, and second data communication devices, the communication devices further comprising at least one wireless communication device configured to transmit data to the at least one remote server;

the data collection devices of the second monitoring system further comprising;

soil measuring devices having at least one of a tensiometer, a gypsum block, and a capacitance sensor;

evapotranspiration measuring devices having at least one of remote thermal unit recorders, data loggers, and thermal and near infrared imagers;

weather monitoring equipment comprising at least one of temperature probes, relative humidity probes, precipitation gauges, anemometers, pyranometers, Bowen ratio equipment, eddy covariance equipment, scintillometers, near infrared and heat signature cameras, and evapotranspiration sensors;

rainfall sensors;

crop sensors;

return water flow sensors;

water use sensors;

ground water sensors; and

water flow measurement devices having at least one of flumes, weirs, propeller meters, pressure transducers, shaft encoders, flow velocity sensors, and ultrasonic level sensors;

wherein the planner module is configured to receive input data from the client interface defining at least one of a first farming site configuration and a second farming site configuration of the plurality of farming sites, the input data comprising;

1) initial farm configuration data comprising;

dimensions of at least one of the first farming site and the second farming site,

crops grown on the plurality of farming sites,

acceptable crops to be grown on the plurality of farming sites,

water currently used to irrigate the plurality of farming sites,

current irrigation schedules associated with the plurality of farming sites,

2) user-defined constraints, decision variables, and model parameters, the user-defined constraints, decision variables, and model parameters comprising one or more of total farm acreage, site acreage, available water consumptive use, minimum and maximum percent of full irrigation that can be applied, crop type, amount of water available for each site, crop water production functions and variable crop production costs, site soil type, and site irrigation method, and

3) historical farm data;

wherein said planner module is configured to communicate said input data to the optimizer module, wherein the optimizer module is configured to analyze and calculate a maximized net return for the farming operation, the analyzing and calculating being performed according to the following;

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the local cropping scenario data includes information related to historical crop prices and forecasted or contracted crop prices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first crop and the second crop comprise at least one of corn, wheat, barley, alfalfa, pinto beans, sugar beets, onions, cabbage, carrots, winter wheat, canola, sorghum, millet, and sunflower.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first farming site and the second farming site are each associated with a different crop.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the farm utilization plan defines a preferred method of irrigation to be used to water the first farming site and the second farming site.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein generation of the farm utilization plan further includes forwarding crop yield data to the planner system wherein the farm utilization plan is dependent on the crop yield data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the farm utilization plan includes a single or multi-year crop rotation, water balance allocation, and irrigation schedule.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second monitoring systems gather data without human intervention.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the client interface is a mobile device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first monitoring system and the second monitoring system are configured to gather information from at least one of a tracer test, an aquifer test, data from satellites and low altitude aerial gathering techniques, data from aircrafts, and data from a land-based vehicles.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first monitoring system and the second monitoring system obtains data from at least one of aerial photography, aerial sensing means, local weather stations, ground level measurements, and satellite imagery.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising redesigning at least one of a first irrigation system, ground water recharge system, and water diversion structures in compliance with the farm utilization plan.