GPS SYSTEM WINS

The new Amazone GPS-ScenarioControl terminal software application for automating complex headland switching operations received the 'Farm Machine 2023' award at the recent SIMA 2022 show in Paris.

The award is presented to the agricultural machinery sector by an international jury consisting of industry-leading journalists. Amazone, with its GPS-ScenarioControl, is the winner in the software category.

The precise application of mineral fertilisers just where they are required plays a critical role in saving costs and utilising resources. In this context, various border spreading procedures are used to provide legally compliant fertilisation. The GPS ScenarioControl system is used to automate certain functions on the Amazone fertiliser spreader based on a previously plotted scenario, preventing operator errors during subsequent applications.

When applying fertiliser, drivers have to juggle various tasks. Firstly, they need to ensure optimal lateral distribution of the material to be spread, as well as maintaining the desired application rate of the fertiliser. Secondly, they must ensure that the most appropriate border spreading procedure is used alongside ditches, footpaths or field boundaries to guarantee legally compliant and precise fertilisation. This can lead to operator errors, especially when changing drivers, as the right border spreading procedure is not activated or deactivated in the right place. Lack of driver knowledge can also lead to non-compliance when applying fertilisers. In addition, there may be frequent discussions about carrying out the correct application between the employee and the manager, taking up valuable spreading time.

When crossing the field for the first time with the fertiliser spreader, all the switch points, driving route and driving direction can be automatically plotted by an experienced driver by pushing the record button and using GPS ScenarioControl. The switch points are clearly marked on the map and the driving direction is visualised with arrows. The fertiliser spreader offers border, water-course and side spreading, as well as one-sided spreading inside the field boundary on headlands (HeadlandControl). GPS ScenarioControl is integrated in the AmaTron 4 ISOBUS operator terminal and can be viewed and operated via the AmaTron Twin display extension.

In future, GPS ScenarioControl will also be compatible with other Amazone Isobus machines. This route function is already available for crop protection sprayers from the company, where it considerably reduces workload here as well.