Farmers and contractors operating fleets of machinery from different brands will in the near future be able to securely exchange and view machine data through a common interface called DataConnect. In addition, they will be able to control and monitor their entire machinery fleet using their preferred telematics platform, without having to switch portals or manually transfer data from one system to another.

DataConnect is the first direct, manufacturer-independent solution that enables the seamless, automatic and real-time exchange of machine data between the various machine brand platforms. With John Deere, Claas, CNH Industrial and 356FarmNet as part of the initiative, producers operating Deere, Claas, New Holland, Case IH or Steyr brand farm equipment can access and view basic machine data elements including current and historical machine location, current fuel tank level, working status and forward speed from these connected machines via the portal of their choice. These include the John Deere Operations Center, AFS Connect, MyPLM Connect, Claas Telematics or 365FarmNet portals.

DataConnect allows for the secure viewing and handling of these basic machine data elements, including current and historical machine location, current fuel tank level, working status and forward speed. Multiple machines or fleets from different brands can be viewed from a single portal. No additional hardware or software components are required.

The four companies are members and supporters of the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF). They will share their experiences with AEF in an effort to support a standardized data interface architecture, similar to ISOBUS, across the entire ag equipment industry.

Interested equipment manufacturers, software providers, associations and standardizations committees are welcome to help develop and participate in the interface. DataConnect will be rolled out by the four companies later in 2020.