METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING IN-SEASON CROP STATUS IN AN AGRICULTURAL CROP AND ALERTING USERS

• US 20140035752A1
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Superior Edge, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Superior Edge, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Jerome Dale
• Granted Patent: US 9,113,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/007 Determining fertilization requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A crop'"'"'s status may be determined from analysis of information regarding the crop received from, for example, a user, an in-season data gathering source, a database, a data feed, an aerial sensor, a UAV, and/or a remote sensor via a communication network. The received data may be compared to, for example, a benchmark, a parameter, a previously determined crop status, and/or a baseline associated with the crop and the comparison may be scored. When the score exceeds a predetermined threshold, an alert may be generated and provided to a user via the communication network.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, at the computer, data regarding a status of a crop from at least one of a user, a contact of the user, an in-season data gathering source, a database, a data feed, an aerial sensor, a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and a remote sensor via a communication network;

evaluating the received data;

scoring the evaluation;

automatically comparing the scores for the received data to at least one of a benchmark, a parameter, a previously determined crop status, and a baseline associated with the crop;

generating, when the score exceeds a predetermined threshold, an alert; and

providing the alert to a user via the communication network.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert is provided within a time period that enables the user to take a corrective action to improve the status of the crop.

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

using at least one of the received data, the comparison, and the score to update at least one of the benchmark, the parameter, the previously determined crop status, and the baseline.

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

using at least one of the received data, the comparison, and the score to generate at least one of the benchmark, the parameter, the previously determined crop status, and/or the baseline.

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

receiving instructions from the user regarding how to process the received information; and

processing the received information according to the received instructions.

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

storing at least one of the received information, the comparison, the score, and the alert in a database.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert is generated upon an occurrence of an event.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event is at least one of a weather event, a detected presence of a pest, a detected presence of a pollutant, a detected water level, a detected level of crop damage, a detected level of crop stress, and a predicted yield from the crop.

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

receiving, at the computer, additional information regarding a status of a crop from at least one of a user, an in-season data gathering source, a database, a data feed, an aerial sensor, a UAV, and a remote sensor via a communication network;

accessing at least one of the stored received information, the comparison, the score, and the alert;

comparing the additional information with the accessed one of the received information, the comparison, the score, and the alert; and

determining a change in crop status responsively to the comparison.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a trend in the crop'"'"'s status responsively to the comparison.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predefined threshold is user configurable.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user is at least one of a farmer, a manager, a landlord, a buyer of the crop, a supplier of supplies utilized in the farming of the crop, and a supplier of goods utilized in the farming of the crop.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert indicates a level of crop distress.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert indicates a location of crop distress.

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

determining a recommendation responsively to at least one of the comparison and the score.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation provides one or more actions the user may take to address the subject matter of the alert.

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

providing the alert to a group of at least two users.

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

tailoring the alert according to at least one of a user characteristic, a user preference, a type of alert, an amount by which the score exceeds the predetermined threshold, and a type of score.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received information includes at least one of following attributes of the land on which the crop is grown, nutrient level, a water level, an indication of pest infestation, an indication of pest damage, an indication of unwanted vegetation infestation, an indication of disease infestation, an indication of disease damage, local knowledge of the crop, local knowledge of the land on which the crop is grown, crop characteristics, weather data, information regarding a planned event, information regarding an unplanned event, soil characteristics of the land on which the crop is grown, geographic characteristics of the land on which the crop is grown, geologic characteristics of the land on which the crop is grown, type of crop, crop characteristics, and climate characteristics of the land on which the crop is grown.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert includes at least one of the score, a visual representation of a location of crops with scores that fall outside the predetermined threshold, a visual representation of a trend for crop status over a period of time, a chart showing crop status trends, a visual display of locations excluded from crop status determinations, a visually enhanced display of certain aspects of the information as selected by the user.

21. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert is provided in a format compatible with a display device via which the user views the provided alert.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the alert includes information about the crop received at different times.

23. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the receiving of the information and the providing of the alert is executed via a social networking service.

24. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a crop status analyzer and alert generator, information regarding a status of a crop from at least one of a user, an in-season data gathering source, a database, a data feed, an aerial sensor, a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and a remote sensor via a communication network;

automatically creating baseline data for the crop using the received crop status information;

receiving, by the crop status analyzer and alert generator, additional information regarding a status of a crop from at least one of the user, the in-season data gathering source, the database, the data feed, the aerial sensor, the UAV, and the remote sensor via the communication network;

comparing the additional received data to the created baseline data;

scoring, by the crop status analyzer and alert generator, the comparison;

generating, when the score exceeds a predetermined threshold, an alert; and

providing the alert to a user via the communication network.