The principle of telemetry is well established for enabling wireless transfer and cloud storage of machine operating and field data to allow monitoring and later analysis. Now machinery firms are launching apps designed to do much more, as CPM reports.
“The aim was to broaden our Claas Telematics offering and develop a platform linking all relevant portals, part shops and functions with a simple interface.” – WOLF-CHRISTIAN VON WENDORFF
By Martin Rickatson
Go back 30 years to the early days of precision farming, and the memory card technology introduced in early GPS signal-governed terminals pioneered the automated recording of field data from tractors, sprayers and, most commonly, combines.
Capturing the results and making them available for analysis and action was a fairly long-winded process, though. Extract the card from the machine terminal upon job completion, take it to the farm office and insert it into a desktop PC. The result: a delay before analysis could take place, the risk of data corruption from physical handling of the card, and limited opportunity to act on what was historical rather than real-time data.
For the major farm equipment firms, the answer to many of these issues lay in harnessing wireless technology or ‘telemetry’ to enable remote data collection. Moving into the 21st century, this enabled the adoption of telematics, or the use of telemetry to track and monitor machines and facilitate analysis of both real-time and historical post-job data to enable informed decisions to be based upon it.
This also made for swifter two-way data transfer, meaning information such as prescription/variable rate application maps could be sent directly to a tractor operating a drill, sprayer or spreader.
But with the rapid adoption of smartphones from the late 2000s and the development of applications or ‘apps’ which allowed all types of businesses to create company-specific software for such phones, machinery manufacturers have been able to make data produced by their customers’ machines instantly accessible.
Not only can machines be monitored in real time, but decisions based on the data they produce can be made instantly too. That includes not only information such as location and fuel levels, but also critical performance and maintenance issues such as engine temperatures, oil pressures and service timings.
Claas is among the companies to have recently brought together machine management, service planning, yield mapping, application maps and more onto one cloud-based platform. The firm’s new Claas Connect app aims to coordinate the communication between the customer and those behind their machine, including manufacturer and dealer, as well as third-party partners such as agronomy firms.
“Our aim was to broaden our Claas Telematics offering and develop a common platform linking all relevant portals, parts shops and functions with a simple, easy to navigate, user-friendly interface, and one ID to access all areas and information,” says Wolf-Christian von Wendorff, senior vice-president of digital business at Claas in Germany.
“This is what we believe the new Claas Connect delivers, combining machine and digital fleet management as a whole while retaining the established functions of our existing digital platform.”
The value of Claas Connect begins before a machine is even purchased, at the stage when the best model and specification to suit a farm’s requirements is being selected, claims James Walsh, off-board product manager at Claas UK.
“It starts with a potential customer registering with Claas Connect at the time of first investigating machine options, which creates their own page on the Connect website,” he says.
“Having done this, it’s then possible to access the Claas configurator to help ‘build’ a machine according to the specification they require. Once this is done, they can request a quotation and book a demonstration – instructions which are acted upon by their local dealer.”
James adds that should the customer then choose to make a purchase, the data of their machine – model specification, delivery date etc – is uploaded upon delivery to the customer’s Claas Connect portal. “In terms of machine information particularly vital for this stage, they then have access to a digital operator’s manual for their exact machine specification, as well as information such as the specific lubricants it requires and access to the Claas online parts shop, aiding ordering via the dealer for maintenance planning.
“And with the five-year Machine Connect licence that’s supplied, the relevant maintenance intervals are automatically uploaded, providing an overview of upcoming maintenance requirements and helping owner and dealer to plan schedules and requirements in advance.”
Claas Connect features a number of other new tools and additional functions developed to expand on the abilities of Claas Telematics, which was launched 30 years ago, and from which existing users’ data is automatically transferred to Claas Connect.
Its functions now make up the Machine Connect element of the whole Claas Connect package, for which a five-year licence is supplied with a new machine – after this a renewal is necessary. Further optional elements include licences for Farm Connect for whole farm data management, Field Connect for individual field data, and Fleet Connect to record the data from each machine.
In addition to Claas products, any connected machine can feed into the system and its single interface, enabling multi-brand management of machinery fleets, licences, documentation and precision farming applications, says the company.
“As with Claas Telematics, machine performance data can be processed, documented and analysed via the Machine Connect element,” explains James.
“If the user chooses a Fleet Connect licence to cover a Claas machine(s) and other-brand third-party connected machines in a mixed fleet, these are joined to the farm’s Claas Connect portal via a DataConnect interface, enabling the display of data such as location, machine status and current fuel levels. In addition, machine data can be transferred to partner companies via a data interface.”
INTEGRATION
A development of the long-established CEMOS Automatic operator assistance software, Claas also integrates CEMOS Advisor into Claas Connect. This means performance data and settings for all Claas machines stored on the platform can be viewed and compared, enabling adjustments to be made to maximise overall fleet performance. It also provides a licence management overview that shows users their licence coverage and runtime.
“The add-on licences for Farm Connect with Field Connect and Fleet Connect provide further options for precision farming applications,” says James.
“Field Connect supports the functions users require to create application maps from information such as satellite images or soil analyses, and to import information such as field boundaries and other data as Shape or ISO-XML files. It’s also possible to incorporate yield maps from other manufacturers’ machines.
“Whereas Fleet Connect automatically documents field task data such as yield, constituents or application rate, and through this the progress of a job can be tracked on any smart device or PC, with the job logged as complete as the machine leaves the field,” he adds.
“It’s also possible to create reference lines and plan paths based on field boundaries using this element of the app, or through the CEMIS 1200 terminal that is now the standard Claas machine user interface.“
A Connection Manager function allows other compatible farm management information systems to work with Claas Connect via Connection Manager, and Claas says it’s working on making it possible to share data between different Claas IDs, to further simplify task planning, implementation and documentation. It says it sees particular benefits here for contractors and contract farmers in aiding accurate job measurement and subsequent invoicing.
“We’re also working on an Autonomy Connect function for the platform, to allow users to plan autonomous operation tasks not only for tractors but also for machines such as those from AgXeed, our autonomous vehicle partner,” highlights James.
Among other machinery firms to have recently launched a farm, field and machine data management app aimed at easing data collection, analysis and decision-making across all connected machines in a fleet is CNH. Downloadable free from the App and Google Play stores, its FieldOps development was released late last year under its New Holland and Case IH divisions, plus – elsewhere in Europe – its Steyr brand.
Succeeding the New Holland PLM Connect and Case IH AFS Connect packages, FieldOps is accessible from smart devices and PCs via a single login. It monitors and automatically records machine performance and field data, providing not only an instant overview of field operations to enable decision-making based on agronomic information, but also securely-recorded data for longer-term analysis and planning, says CNH.
“All of this is possible across not only New Holland and Case IH tractors, but other brands too, provided they have connected capability,” says Simon Toepfer, responsible for precision technology product marketing at CNH.
“With FieldOps, machine owners and farm managers can monitor machines to assess location and work progress, plan refuelling support, decide on the next job, and ensure security thanks to the ability to set machine boundaries. It’s also possible to remotely view the machine’s terminal screen, allowing them – and their dealer, if granted permission – to connect to the terminal and remotely provide advice on tractor and activity operation, eliminating having to travel to the field.”
Simon adds that the FieldOps home-screen can be tailored by preference, to allow adjustment of settings, and the setting of notifications, parameters and alarms for each machine. “Because these features are fully integrated and compatible with third-party application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow seamless data transfer between FieldOps and other farm management systems, a full view of farm operations can be formed.
“This spans factors such as machine productivity, fuel consumption and location, with continuous updates for real-time and long-term decision-making for everything from labour management to maintenance scheduling.”
CONNECTIVITY INCLUDED
A new ‘Connectivity Included’ feature that eliminates time-based subscription charges to connect its tractors to FieldOps is also now integrated into larger New Holland and Case IH tractors, eliminating ongoing costs.
It’s also available on existing tractors with compatible telematics modems and a FieldOps or New Holland PLM/Case IH AFS account, with activation possible via a one-off subscription purchase through an approved dealer.
“This simplifies subscription management throughout the lifetime of a customer’s machine, provides continuous access to connected technology, and enhances the resale process,” suggests Simon.
“Connectivity Included helps to gather the data that provides agronomic insights to then help boost overall yield potential and optimise management practices to boost margins. Machine-wise, real-time machine and telematics data can help reduce idle time, improve efficiency of field path planning, and co-ordinate multi-machine tasks.
“And from a machine health monitoring aspect, it enables owners and dealers to ensure any potential operating/service issues are identified and addressed promptly.”
With Connectivity Included, connected equipment, and modems, there are no subscription or access fees for the lifetime of the equipment’s modem, he explains. “It enables users to access agronomic/field data, machine data and telematics, and proactive dealer support to address identified or potential issues helping minimise potential downtime and cost.
“The benefits of Connectivity Included are accessible with no subscription or access fees throughout the lifetime of the machine’s modem, and this covers models from 200 to 340hp, with nothing additional to pay when purchasing a tractor in this power bracket.”
As with other manufacturers, CNH is keen to help customers to upgrade to the new technology if they are already users of the existing New Holland PLM Connect or Case IH AFS Connect data management systems.
“Users already operating New Holland PLM Connect or Case IH AFS Connect machines equipped with a PCM or PCMF modem with an existing or expired subscription can be upgraded for free to a Connectivity Included extension upon purchase and delivery of a new qualifying machine.
“With this development, users can extract further value from the connected features available on both new and existing tractors. The productivity of individual machines and complete fleets can be monitored in real time, and users have instantly-recorded data available to help make both short and longer-term planning decisions on managing machines, jobs and fields,” he concludes.
This article was taken from the latest issue of CPM. Read the article in full here.
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