Transcript
Creating a Variable Rate Order April 2015 – Version 2 These instructions presume you already have a Variable Rate Map. Either you will have created and stored a map, or imported a VR map from another mapping program. It is also presumed you are familiar with creating standard job orders. Step 1. Select the standard map to be used for selecting blocks to be treated. (Same as for a Standard order) 1. Select New Order. 2. Select the map. 3. Select Include. Note: To create a VR order without a paddock map, skip this step by selecting Cancel.
Step 2. Select the VR map to be used. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Expand the Variable Rate menu option. Select Add Variable Rate Map. Select the appropriate VR map Select Include. Alternatively, import a VR map stored elsewhere.
6. The map will appear, overlaid by the paddock map, and with all the Management Zones a uniform gray colour. 7. Note: This map example also has exclusion zones associated with a watercourse, and around the farm buildings. 8. All the Management Zones associated with the VR map are listed. 9. And a list of all the individual polygons.
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Step 3. Set the rate for each zone. 1. Select a management zone by clicking the appropriate row. The corresponding polygons will show green in the map. 2. Enter a rate. Use the units used by the rate controller in the truck, tractor, or aircraft. eg, for 350 kg/ha, enter 350. 3. Select Update. Repeat for the other zones to be treated. For zones to receive no treatment, leave with a rate of 0. Step 4. Turn on Variable Rate Labels 1. Select Select Layers. 2. Click the selection box next to Variable Rates.
Step 5. Override treatments for individual polygons 1. Select Select Variable Rate Regions. A green box will surround the + box. 2. Click in the polygons you want to change to a different rate to select them. 3. Enter the new rate. 4. Select Update. Repeat for other rates and other polygons. Hint: to scroll around the map and zoom when Select Variable Rate Regions is active, zoom out using the scroll wheel on your mouse, centre the mouse pointer of the area you want to focus on, and zoom in using the scroll wheel.
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Step 6. Select the blocks to be treated and submit order 1. Select the Polygon Select icon. 2. Select the blocks to be treated by dragging over them in the normal manner. 3. If you don’t have a standard paddock map overlay, use the Draw Polygon selection tool. 4. The area to be treated, and estimated weight of product required, will be displayed. 5. To achieve an accurate estimate of total product required, adjust for typical overlap for the class of country and spreading method. This can be estimated by comparing the Nominal Area to Real Area ratio from previous applications. (For a detailed explanation of the difference between Nominal and Real area, and the reason for those differences, contact TracMap and request a copy of Real vs Nominal Explained”.) 6. Enter the product. 7. Enter other information, such as date required, order name, etc, as appropriate. 8. Select Submit to submit your order. Dealing with Stock Camps (and other Zero spread areas) The TracMap unit in the spreader truck does not automatically turn spreading off when outside a target spreading area (the Blue shaded areas on the TracMap screen – see “Spreader Operators View” on the next page). This is so that the driver is able to continue spreading when outside the target area. An example is when the block boundaries have been drawn in the wrong place because the Google Earth image is not exactly correct. Instead, the TracMpa unit will continue to instruct the rate computer to apply the rate specified for the closest polygon until the driver turns the spread switch off. The consequence of this is that unless the driver is paying close attention to the screen, they could accidently drive over and spread onto stock camp areas where you do not want fertiliser applied. The solution to this is to specify a very low rate (eg 5 kg/ha) for stock camps. The driver will drive across the stock camp as normal, but the spreading rate will drop to near zero.
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The Spreader Operators View The images at right show the original VR map, and how it appears on the TracMap display unit. In this case only the Yellow (Low Fertility) and Green (High Fertility) zones were to be treated. The Blue (Stock Camp) zones were at zero rate.
The images at right show a typical view during spreading. The left image shows the truck in a 100kg/ha zone, and the image on the right shows the view after crossing into a 350kg/ha zone. The two numbers in the blue boxes show the target rate and actual rate reported by the rate controller.
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