Patent ID: 9652840
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: A01C,G01N,G05B,G06K,G06T,H04W,Y02A

Claim:
1. A method for managing nitrogen within a geographic region, the method comprising: a) receiving a first image of the geographic region from an imaging system, the first image associated with a first time; b) determining a first growth stage at the first time for plants within the geographic region based on the first image using a first crop system; c) determining a first nitrogen change for the geographic region based on the first growth stage using a nitrogen change system; d) estimating a first nitrogen availability for the geographic region at the first time based on the first nitrogen change; e) repeating b) to d) for a second nitrogen availability for the geographic region at a second time based on a second nitrogen change and the first nitrogen availability; f) receiving a second image of the geographic region; g) determining a reflectance for the second image; h) identifying a nitrogen status anomaly for the geographic region based on the second nitrogen availability and the reflectance; i) in response to identifying the nitrogen status anomaly, determining a nitrogen prescription for the geographic region based on the second nitrogen availability using a nitrogen prescription system; j) generating first control instructions based on the nitrogen prescription, wherein nitrogen application equipment applies nitrogen according to the first control instructions; k) determining a reference yield map for the geographic region, based on a set of historic images corresponding to historic instances of a recurrent time; l) determining a second crop system based on the reference yield map and an output of the first crop system for the recurrent time; and m) generating second control instructions based on a third nitrogen availability, comprising: repeating b) to d) using the second crop system and repeating i) to j).