SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Trimble launced several updates to its Connected Farm platform at the 2015 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill. Its Connected Farm solution will be available in Free or Standard subscription bundles to suit growers with varying farm management requirements. The entry level bundle is an easy-to-use free entry point for growers to organize and access their precision farming data from any desktop computer or mobile device connected to the Internet.
The Connected Farm Standard bundle expands upon the entry level bundle to serve as an advanced total farm solution including fleet management and utilization, crop health monitoring, precipitation monitoring and unlimited data exchange between the office and field, allowing growers to improve efficiency across multiple aspects of their operations.
The Connected Farm entry level bundle is available at no cost to growers and allows them to:
* View field task data such as yield maps to improve variable rate management of farm inputs.
* Track and calculate profit and loss for each field to better understand which fields are performing stronger than others and prioritize and / or modify their activities.
* View prescription and management zone maps from crop or irrigation advisors, resulting in time savings and better collaboration.
* Use the Connected Farm mobile apps for in-field record keeping, mapping and scouting to streamline data management in the field and save time.
* Customize a dashboard for viewing key farm information in one central location such as commodity markets by DTN / The Progressive Farmer, weather forecasts, rainfall totals and pivot irrigators, giving growers full visibility of their operations and enabling better decision making.
The Connected Farm Standard bundle is available as a twelve-month subscription priced as low as $3,500 for up to 2,000 acres and includes all functionality from the entry bundle, plus more advanced capabilities to:
* Remotely manage field activities through unlimited wireless data transfer between the field and office so data is received quicker for more informed decisions. For example, with wireless data transfer a farm manager can identify mistakes as they occur and remedy them before yield is impacted.
* Access fleet management for viewing fleet locations, receiving geo-fence and curfew alerts, viewing historical positions to enable improved fleet utilization and productivity.
* Monitor in-season crop health using calibrated PurePixel™ imagery to target specific locations for crop scouting. Access to crop health information can save time and increase efficiency by revealing the location of problem areas that need to be addressed.
* Process unlimited imagery from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) mapping. This enables greater ease-of-use by eliminating an additional complex image processing application and providing growers with the data in one central location within Connected Farm.
* Integrate as-applied maps, field task data and fleet telematics data from other industry information platforms, allowing growers to access all their information within one centralized location in Connected Farm.
In addition, growers who prefer to purchase Connected Farm solutions individually can still do so.
"By providing Connected Farm in bundled packages we've made it easier for growers to begin using online farm management tools and upgrade to more advanced capabilities as their needs change or as they become more familiar with those tools," said Pierre-Andre Rebeyrat, marketing director for Trimble's Agriculture Division. "Purchasing the Connected Farm Standard package provides greater value at a lower price versus purchasing connectivity, fleet and data management features separately. We will continue to evolve our Connected Farm bundles to ensure they provide ongoing value to growers and meet their changing needs."
The Connected Farm entry level and Standard bundles are expected to be available in September of 2015. Connected Farm Free will be available by visiting: www.connectedfarm.com. Connected Farm Standard will be available through the Trimble authorized reseller channel. The Connected Farm bundles may require additional hardware purchases, data plans and service subscriptions. To learn more, contact a Trimble reseller at: http://dealerlocator.trimble.com/ or visit: www.connectedfarm.com.
Trimble Opens TMX-2050 Display and Connected Farm
Web Solution for Third-Party Application Development
Trimble announced a new developer network that will allow third-party software companies to develop applications for its Android-based Trimble® TMX-2050 display and Web-based Connected Farm management solution. The new Ag Developer Network reflects Trimble's commitment to providing customers with a comprehensive suite of brand-agnostic farm management tools for coordinating field activities, managing disparate farm data, and making informed, real-time decisions.
"We are committed to creating workflows and functionality that best suits our customers' needs," said Pierre-Andre Rebeyrat, marketing director for Trimble's Agriculture Division. "With our developer community, we hope to encourage more specialized applications that satisfy local farming practices, language needs and reporting requirements around the world. As a result, our Connected Farm and TMX-2050 display customers will be able to view more complete data from multiple industry software platforms, machine manufacturers and specialized mobile applications to assist them in better managing the complex nature of their farming operations and diverse assets."
TMX-2050 Android-based Applications
Built on the Android operating system, the TMX-2050 display provides advanced GPS-based steering and machine guidance capabilities with an easy-to-use interface that is similar to other smartphones and tablets that farmers already use. With wireless connectivity and mobile applications on the TMX-2050 display, growers have unprecedented control over their field tasks and farm management operations without ever leaving the tractor cab.
Through the new Ag Developer Network, customers and developers will be able to collaborate with Trimble to create Android-based applications to address more specialized precision farming challenges. New third-party mobile applications will be available for download from the App Central marketplace on the TMX-2050 display. Users will be able to search and find the apps most useful to their farm operations, language and regional compliance requirements.
Connected Farm File Transfer API
As a Web-based solution, Connected Farm integrates data from multiple precision farming technologies so growers can easily view information from field activities such as planting, spraying or harvesting—without the need to physically visit each field or manually compile information. Data from a wide range of machine makes and models combined with commodity markets data, weather forecasts, rainfall totals and irrigation monitoring offers growers an easy-to-use platform for total farm management. Growers can access the integrated data on the Connected Farm dashboard using Web-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets or PCs.
The Ag Developer Network enables customers and third-party developers to engage with the Connected Farm Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for data sharing access with the Connected Farm. Third-party developers can use the APIs to send data files between their applications and Connected Farm, including prescription files, as-applied maps, boundaries and other precision farming data.
Availability
Companies interested in developing applications for the Android-based TMX-2050 display or Web-based Connected Farm platform can now visit agdeveloper.trimble.com to learn more about how to become a member of the network. Members of the Ag Developer Network will receive online access to software development tools in the form of a Software Developer Kit (SDK) for the TMX-2050 display or API for Connected Farm. The developer network Website also provides a streamlined app submission process with guidelines and forum support moderated by Trimble. App Central is expected to be available on the TMX-2050 display in September 2015.
Trimble Adds Enhanced Support on its TMX-2050 Display for
Wireless Connectivity, Connected Farm and Android-based Mobile Apps
Trimle also announced that the new version of its Trimble TMX-2050 display will come standard with wireless connectivity for easy integration with the Connected Farm online management solution. The TMX-2050 version 3.0 also introduces the App Central marketplace for managing download and installation of third-party Android-based mobile applications. With these new enhancements, farmers can improve productivity through additional third-party mobile apps designed to address regional farming needs as well as manage the transfer of field data from various precision agriculture solutions without the need to physically visit each field or manually compile information.
Wireless Connectivity on the Modern Farm
With TMX-2050 version 3.0, Trimble is making wireless connectivity standard on the modern farm. Every new TMX-2050 display will now ship from the factory with a modem that enables wireless data connectivity—at no additional cost to the customer.
With wireless connectivity, farmers can view ongoing field activities, real-time commodity prices, real-time weather conditions to guide irrigation and field deployment decisions, and other valuable task information in the Connected Farm dashboard—without ever leaving the machine cab. It also enables wireless data transfer of as-applied maps and other field activities such as planting, spraying or harvesting, simplifying the overall management and transfer of farm data files.
"With this release, we are reinforcing Trimble's commitment to transforming agriculture, making wireless connectivity standard on the farm and simplifying the way growers utilize and manage data on their operations," said Pierre-Andre Rebeyrat, marketing director for Trimble's Agriculture Division. "Now real-time communication will be an integrated part of the workflow on a modern farm."
Mobile Applications for Additional Functionality in the Field
With the TMX-2050 version 3.0, customers now have access to the App Central marketplace on their display for browsing, downloading and updating apps for specific precision farming needs. App Central introduces a new level of flexibility to the TMX-2050 display, allowing farmers to install apps, view descriptions and images, report issues, connect with developer partners, and stay current with on-demand updates. Users can search and find the apps most useful to their farm operations, language and regional compliance requirements.
Version 3.0 also introduces several new third-party applications, including: CoPilot Truck and DataVäxt Mobile.
The CoPilot Truck mobile navigation app by ALK Technologies, a Trimble Company, provides in-cab turn-by-turn navigation for large and oversize farm vehicles based on road conditions and weight limitations.
The DataVäxt Mobile app is available in Swedish and enables compliance with Swedish Department of Agriculture requirements for reporting chemical inputs and fertilizer application. App Central also includes Trimble's Connected Farm Field, Scout, Fleet, and Irrigate applications for conducting field scouting, mapping and financial activities, managing a machine fleet or controlling irrigators from inside the tractor cab.
Some of these mobiles applications may require additional hardware purchases, data plans and service subscriptions.
Availability
Version 3.0 of the TMX-2050 display, which comes standard with wireless connectivity, is expected to be available in September 2015. For a limited time, growers can trade in any non-Trimble Ag display and receive special pricing toward the purchase of a new TMX-2050 display.
