Abstract:
Software, databases, computer models, and a series of monitoring devices are provided that are used collectively to optimize farming operations for the purpose of efficiently utilizing the water right associated with the land while recognizing the potential to transfer a proportional amount of the water right in a lease or sale arrangement to other water users. The contemplated system encourages water conservation by allowing those owning water rights to determine the feasibility of changed farming practices intended to maximize net returns and profitability of their overall farming operations.

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/076,979, filed Mar. 31, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/319,374, filed Mar. 31, 2010, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/680,835, filed Nov. 19, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     Portions of this application are related to the dissertation of Stephen W. Smith, PhD., entitled “Strategies for Limited and Deficit Irrigation to Maximize On-Farm Profit Potential in Colorado&#39;s South Platte Basin,” submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., Spring 2011, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention are generally related to a system, method, and process for monitoring, collecting, and analyzing data related to climate conditions, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, return water flow, groundwater, water consumption, water balance, and other data related to water use to help assess an overall water budget of a particular parcel or parcels of land. Further, some embodiments of the present invention compare current water consumption with historical water consumption to allow a water right holder associated with the parcel(s) of land to manage and optimize their agricultural operations and to trade, lease, or otherwise convey, all or a proportion of the water right to other uses, both agriculture and non-agriculture (i.e., municipal, industrial and/or environmental). 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Water rights are property rights associated with, but not integrally tied to, a parcel of land and vary depending on the location and jurisdiction where the right is located. For example, much of the eastern United States follows a Riparian water rights model wherein land owners with property located adjacent to a body of water have the right to make reasonable use thereof. During a water shortage, a land owner&#39;s water allotment is a function of the property&#39;s frontage to the water source. Riparian water rights are therefore conveyed with the land. 
     In contrast, the scarcity of water in the western United States, such as Colorado and other western states, spurred the development of a “prior appropriation” water right model. In a prior appropriation water right model the land owner enjoys a right to apply water to a “beneficial use” subject to a decree. Under a prior appropriation water model, the first person to take a quantity of water from a water source for a “beneficial use,” such as agricultural irrigation, has the right to continue to consume that quantity of water for that defined purpose indefinitely. Junior users can use the remainder of water available from a particular water source so long a-s they do not infringe on a senior user&#39;s rights. Each individual&#39;s water right is associated with a historical yearly quantity of water that was beneficially used and an appropriation date that defines the seniority of their right. In some jurisdictions, if one does not apply his or her water allotment to a beneficial use over a predetermined period of time, the water right may lapse and a junior water rights holder may petition an appropriate governing body for ownership of the non-used portion of the senior user&#39;s water right. Thus, water rights owners may lose valuable water rights if they implement strategies to conserve their consumptive water usage. 
     However, water rights under the prior appropriation model are not always connected to the land and can in some circumstances be transferred similar to real property. Indeed, some prior appropriation jurisdictions allow water right holders to sell, or otherwise convey all or a portion of their consumptive use water right to a third party. In these situations, the proceeds of the water right sale can be used to offset the costs of conservation efforts, which may include loss of crop revenue, decreased crop yield, legal and engineering transaction fees, monitoring instrumentation, flow measurement, and jurisdictional reporting. More specifically, the water right holder is able to trade his/her previously-defined water right in a “water market” or “water bank” to a willing buyer. In practice, a water court, or other administrative body, assesses historical water usage data associated with a parcel of land, defines and quantifies the total water appropriation amount for that parcel of land, and approves the amount of water that may be sold to a third party. 
     As one might imagine, many water right holders are interested in conserving their water and monetizing some portion of their water right (see  FIG. 1 ) for economic benefit. However, there is no systematic method or system that identifies individual elements of a water right so that the total amount of water that may be conserved can be estimated. Also, no tool exists that allows the water right holder to estimate the economic impact of a proposed water conservation effort and allows them to streamline the bureaucratic process associated with reporting water use to facilitate a sale or lease of water. 
     Thus there is a long-held need to provide a system that optimizes agricultural land and water use and facilitates water conservation by allowing a holder of a water right to assess actual water usage and compare such quantity with the historical water usage allotment, wherein the difference between the actual use (actual consumptive use plus historical return flow obligations) and the historical use (historical consumptive use and historical return flow obligations) would be available for trade, sale, or lease. One embodiment of a system contemplated by the present invention is sometimes referred to herein as SWIM® or Sustainable Water and Innovative Irrigation Management®. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Water Conservation 
     It is one aspect of embodiments of the present invention to provide a system for planning optimal limited water use with an associated water monitoring, data logging, recording, storage, and transmission system for use with one or more parcels of land or within a geographically-defined area. One embodiment of the present invention employs one or more server-side and client-side applications that are linked by personal data assistants (“PDAs”), cellular telephones, smart phones, portable computers, or similar devices. The contemplated system may include several integrated modules that allow a water user, such as a farmer or ditch company, to model different water use scenarios associated with crop selection, crop planting locations, crop rotation, and irrigation plans. For example, one system allows a farmer to explore different irrigation techniques with the goal of limiting consumptive use water so that an allotment of water for lease or sale to other water users can be identified. One embodiment employs an intuitive user-friendly graphical interface with modeling and real time (or near real time) data verification to the various applications. Additional data could be systematically provided to the system through pre-existing remote sensing, mobile, and geographic information systems (GIS). Data sources may be public or private. 
     In operation, a water requirement associated with a particular parcel(s) of land is determined using individual user and/or system inputs. Such inputs may include crop type, crop location, geographic location, historic cropping and water use, historic rain or snowfall data, geographic character of the land, field size, field location, planting schedule, rotation schedule, harvest schedule, etc. Next, water that could be conserved is identified by analyzing farmer wishes, environmental conditions, commodity prices, and other relevant data. Farmer&#39;s wishes may include acceptable irrigation methods, acceptable crop varieties, acceptable field size, acceptable income, etc. 
     At least some environmental condition data may be gathered by one or more field monitoring systems to help farmers adhere to planned limited irrigation schemes and provide underpinning of reports to regulatory agencies. Monitoring may employ various sensors, data collection and storage devices, and communication devices, which may communicate either by wire or wirelessly to a software tool, i.e. a water use and land use “manager” that may be installed on a central server or similar computing device. Monitoring may be used to identify environmental conditions on a continuous real-time basis or pursuant to a predetermined schedule. Monitoring may also provide pre-event or post-event alarms, which may notify the user of weather events that may affect the irrigation scheduling plan so that adjustments to the system, irrigation schedules, etc. can be made. In this example, the predefined irrigation operations plan that adheres to a water budget is suggested by a “planner” and accepted by a farmer during a growing season. Thus, an alarm could be triggered if a storm deposits rainfall onto the parcel, which would allow the farmer to alter a pending irrigation event. This functionality will also allow the farmer to adjust an irrigation plan to maximize crop production. 
     One goal of embodiments of the present invention is thus to provide tools for planning and optimization of water usage and to create a water asset balance, which allows a water right owner to maximize the return on the investment and their annual net returns. One intent is to maximize a land owner&#39;s profit tied to their water right and their farming operations as opposed to only maximizing crop yield (i.e., farming operation profit) with little quantification or concern as to the actual amount of water applied. 
     Planner 
     As mentioned above, it is one aspect of the present invention to provide a land and water use planning system and method. In one embodiment of the system, the farmer inputs various information related to current water use and crop configuration into the planning system. This data may include existing and acceptable crop mix i.e., (wheat, sugar beets, corn, sunflower and/or dried beans, etc.), acreage, irrigation method, soil types, water supply, climatic data, rainfall predictions, historical data, return flow from runoff and to groundwater, crop yields, commodity prices, water shares currently controlled, assessment costs and amount of water rights currently leased or owned. Information about the economics associated with the farm may also be input and used to project land use changes, alternative practices, and potential profit. 
     The planner will output various information that will help the farmer optimize land and water use associated with the parcel under consideration. The planner of one embodiment of the present invention may output information related to estimated dollars per acre per crop, suggested cropping patterns and rotation, crop coefficients, historical water use, predicted water use, change in net revenues, etc. Cropping plans from individual farms may be aggregated for monitoring, management, and reporting by a land and water management tool, i.e., “manager.” Further, a water-related portfolio, i.e., an irrigation schedule to be utilized by a water management consortium, a ditch company, or other water manager may be generated. Reports required by water agencies may also be generated. Crop water production functions and crop coefficients for use in the evapotranspiration rate equations may also be used in the projections, including those projections related to regulated deficit irrigation and related farming practices. 
     It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a planning/monitoring system that is easy to use. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, one embodiment of the contemplated planner is to be used primarily by farmers who may have limited time to devote to land/water planning. Thus, one embodiment of the invention employs common third-party applications and an easy to use input system to encourage use of the planning system. 
     The “planner” or “planning system,” as used with respect to some embodiments of the invention, refers to a computer program or a module thereof that is accessible by way of a personal computer, smart phone, or other computing methods known in the art. The planner of one embodiment gathers data from various sources, some of which comprise data entered by the land owner and outputs a suggested land/water use plan to the land owner. The land/water use plan may be selectively altered (with a smart phone, a call to a third party who monitors the plan, a laptop, a computer work station, etc.) so that the land owner can change the land use plan or irrigation schedule as needed. To maximize profits from crops and/or water right sales, the planner may be associated with an optimizer. 
     Optimizer 
     It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a system that uses a collection of algorithms, processes, technology, field methods, data, and methodologies that facilitate planning and integration of other related resources to evaluate and to optimize existing farming practices. The goal of one embodiment of the present invention is to improve farming operations while benefiting from a proportional parting off of pre-established and pre-quantified water rights. Thus, as water is budgeted and reapportioned, an individual&#39;s share of water may be sold or leased to other users for suitable compensation. The optimizer allows a user to consider multiple “willing to grow” strategies and based upon this input, provide suggestions as to the best use of assets, including the land and water. 
     Monitors 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention include an intelligent monitoring scheme (sometimes referred to herein as a “manager” or “management tool”) which can be associated with one or more parcels of land as an integrated management system. One contemplated monitoring system may include a plurality of sensors including, but not limited to: 1) soil moisture measuring devices such as: tensiometers, neutron probes, gypsum blocks, capacitance sensors, or other soil moisture and potential measurement technologies and devices; 2) evapotranspiration measuring devices and techniques such as lysimeters, remote thermal unit recorders and data loggers, and thermal (heat signature) and near infrared imagery; 3) soil chemistry recorders; and 4) water quality monitoring devices that measure water temperature, pH, conductivity, and ion concentrators. Further embodiments of the monitoring system may gather information from tracer tests, aquifer tests, and satellite and low altitude aerial data gathering techniques. Water flow measurement devices such as flumes, weirs, propeller meters, pressure transducers, shaft encoders, flow velocity sensors, ultrasonic level sensors, etc., may also be incorporated into the monitoring system. Further, some or all of the contemplated data may be gathered by on-site mobile data acquisition devices. 
     As weather is critical in assessing the amount of water being used, weather monitoring equipment (i.e., data loggers), such as temperature and relative humidity probes, precipitation gauges, anemometers and pyranometers may also be employed as part of the overall scheme. One skilled in the art will appreciate that Bowen ratio equipment, eddy covariance equipment, scintillometer (used to measure small fluctuations of the refractive index of air), near infrared and heat signature cameras, and stationary or vehicle-mounted evapotranspiration sensors may also be used to gather data. For example, data related to wind speed (using an anemometer), solar radiation (using a pyranometer), temperature, rainfall, soil moisture (using a tensiometer/neutron probe or soil moisture probe), may be gathered. The purpose of soil moisture sensors could be twofold: 1) soil moisture monitoring to predict when the next irrigation should occur (i.e., soil moisture based irrigation scheduling); and 2) monitoring to understand at least the fact of, or the lack of, subsurface soil moisture movement below the root zone which would indicate subsurface return flows. Some or all gathered data may be analyzed to monitor and assess various desired metrics and generate reports. Evapotranspiration rate equations used in the system include, but are not limited to, the Penman-Monteith equation, the Blaney-Criddle equation, the standardized ASCE equation, and other relevant equations. 
     In addition, some embodiments of the present invention employ hand-held mobile communication devices, and stationary and vehicle-mounted sensors to monitor on-site crop stress and evapotranspiration. Ground level measurements may be used to calibrate or interpret remotely sensed imagery (i.e., thermal, near infrared, etc.). Aircraft mounted and satellite sensors, used in conjunction with GIS data and remote sensing, which can normalize differences in a vegetative index and other techniques, may be used to develop an assessment of land and water use and potential for changed practices. Remote sensing may more particularly also include near infrared and heat signature data collection by satellites, airplanes, helicopters, autonomous vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAFs), unmanned balloons, manned balloons, etc. 
     As alluded to above, a series of vehicles, such as trucks, vans, and/or all-terrain vehicles may be outfitted with sensors and RGB and near-infrared cameras. These vehicles could provide access to different crop locations, obtain photographs or digital images of crops, and perform onsite analysis or post processing analysis. For example, comparing evapotranspiration and crop stress measurements is a functional embodiment. Further, by utilizing the latest smart phones, which have advanced web-based or cellular communication functionality and built-in high quality cameras, it is contemplated that a water right owner or other party could take a “snap-shot” picture of their crops and feed the data electronically to the monitoring system by way of a software application integrated into the communication device. It is also envisioned that a farmer or other individual associated with the monitoring systems could use one or more wireless monitors that communicate with a central server or similar device wherein data would be analyzed, reduced, reported, etc. 
     The list of equipment and techniques discussed above is not inclusive as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art. In addition, as research and development continues, monitoring instrumentation, communication devices, computing devices, and the technology related thereto may change and improve and such improvements are deemed to be included within terms such as “sensor”, “monitor”, “instrument”, or other similar terms used herein. 
     It is another related aspect of embodiments of the present invention to facilitate energy conservation. Again, some embodiments of the present invention facilitate water conservation by allowing individuals to closely monitor and alter the amount of water being used for irrigation or other beneficial purposes. Accordingly, electrical energy associated with water pumps and irrigation system control will necessarily be reduced. In addition, costs associated with growing crops, including fertilizer, seed, and plant harvesting expense (labor), will be saved. That is, it is contemplated that at least a portion of the previously-grown crops will not be grown, because the income from leasing or selling a portion of the previously-needed water right will be greater than the profit tied to that crop. 
     In the agricultural context, the monitoring and planning systems and related functionality contemplated herein allows a farmer, engineer, land planner, or others to efficiently and intelligently implement field fallowing, rotational field fallowing, dry farming, or regulated deficit irrigation practices on a selectively adjustable schedule to conserve water. For example, depending on the weather affecting a parcel of land, change in economic objectives, or other factors, a farmer may wish to change their planting or irrigation operational plan. Thus, one embodiment of the present invention allows a farmer or others to identify and optimize actual water use on a per crop basis by measuring evapotranspiration rates of water, affirming regulated deficit irrigation programs, and actual consumptive water use on a real-time or near real-time basis. 
     It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a system that produces reports and comparative data. Often municipalities, ditch companies, water districts, state agencies, etc. require periodic reports of water use to compliment and expand their historical data. Embodiments of the present invention generate required reports for submission to appropriate organizations, perhaps automatically or at predetermined intervals. In this way, the farmer or water right buyer or lessee does not have to be concerned with generating and forwarding such information on a periodic basis. Reports will often aid farmers and water users to ensure successful use and implementation of the technology described herein. Further, such reports may be used as a record of, for example, a farm&#39;s efficiency to help that farmer further optimize crop location and rotations or other practices. 
     As will be appreciated, it is a further aspect of the present invention that reports generated by the overall system can be utilized in water court and other appropriate judicial or pseudo-judicial bodies to establish pre-existing water rights so that water, which has been conserved through implementation of various conservation technologies and/or techniques, etc., can be sold or leased. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the reports generated by the system can be the backbone of a request by a water right holder to an appropriate organization to receive the legal right to sell or lease a certain amount of their water rights. Once that judicial declaration has been received, the water right owner can then proceed to the open market to sell or lease their right proportionally, thus capturing the value of their right and perhaps offsetting the cost of changed practices. 
     The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. Moreover, references made herein to “the present invention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description of the Invention and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detail Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these inventions. 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration showing the change in net revenues and profit that may be realized by users of embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a water balance diagram associated with a river and ditch or canal system; 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing implementation of one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of a farm employing a monitoring system of one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic illustrating a system architecture used by one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  shows a data storage system architecture used by one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  planner optimization system flow; 
         FIG. 8  is a table showing the primary elements of the optimization model of one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 9  shows a graphical user interface associated with inputting current field farming practices in the planner of one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  shows a graphical user interface associated with a crop selection portion of the planner of one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a graphical user interface showing an optimized land and water use plan generated by the planner of one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a graphical user interface showing the water allotment for an optimized land and water use plan generated by the planner of one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  shows a sample management report generated by the planner of one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 14  shows a system for monitoring water flow from a parcel of land to a channel; 
         FIG. 15  is an illustration of mobile sensors and instruments employed by one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a schematic showing a computer network used by some embodiments of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 17  is a schematic showing a computer network used by some embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     To assist in the understanding of one embodiment of the present invention the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein: 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 # 
                 Component 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                  100 
                 Change in net returns 
               
               
                  102 
                 Historic revenues 
               
               
                  104 
                 Historic net returns 
               
               
                  106 
                 Future revenues 
               
               
                  108 
                 Modeled net returns 
               
               
                  110 
                 Change in net returns 
               
               
                  202 
                 River 
               
               
                  204 
                 Diversion 
               
               
                  206 
                 Canal 
               
               
                  208 
                 Tail end returns 
               
               
                  210 
                 On-farm conveyance 
               
               
                  212 
                 Irrigation 
               
               
                  214 
                 Consumptive use (CU) 
               
               
                  216 
                 Saved CU 
               
               
                  218 
                 Surface return flow (Run-off) 
               
               
                  220 
                 Subsurface return flow (deep percoloation) 
               
               
                  222 
                 Conveyance losses and subsurface return flows returned to river 
               
               
                  300 
                 Irrigation management implementation scheme 
               
               
                      300P 
                 Planning/modeling phase 
               
               
                     300D 
                 Design implementation phase 
               
               
                      300F 
                 Farming/maintenance phase 
               
               
                  302 
                 General data 
               
               
                  304 
                 Historic data 
               
               
                  306 
                 Model constraints 
               
               
                  308 
                 Optimization tool 
               
               
                  310 
                 Optimization Results 
               
               
                  312 
                 Aggregated results 
               
               
                  314 
                 Are farm or ditch changes needed? 
               
               
                  330 
                 Farm redesign 
               
               
                  332 
                 Irrigation system construction 
               
               
                  334 
                 Diversion structure construction 
               
               
                  336 
                 Measurement/check structures construction 
               
               
                  338 
                 Installation of monitoring and communication equipment 
               
               
                  340 
                 Configuration of data collection software 
               
               
                  342 
                 Installation of control equipment 
               
               
                  360 
                 Implement cropping plan 
               
               
                  362 
                 Data collection 
               
               
                  364 
                 Irrigation scheduler 
               
               
                  400 
                 Monitoring System 
               
               
                  402 
                 Monitor 
               
               
                  404 
                 Field 
               
               
                  406 
                 Crops 
               
               
                  408 
                 Work station 
               
               
                  410 
                 Aerial data collection 
               
               
                  412 
                 Weather station 
               
               
                  414 
                 Satellite data collection 
               
               
                  416 
                 Full irrigation 
               
               
                  418 
                 Regulated deficit irrigation 
               
               
                  420 
                 Fallowed field 
               
               
                  500 
                 SWIIM system architecture 
               
               
                  502 
                 Client 
               
               
                  504 
                 Internet 
               
               
                  506 
                 Firewall 
               
               
                  508 
                 SQL server 
               
               
                  510 
                 GIS Server 
               
               
                  512 
                 SCADA Instrumentation 
               
               
                  514 
                 Application Server 
               
               
                  600 
                 Farmer activities 
               
               
                  602 
                 Client application 
               
               
                  604 
                 Water cooperative activities 
               
               
                  606 
                 Local storage 
               
               
                  608 
                 Global server 
               
               
                  700 
                 Data entry 
               
               
                  702 
                 Optimization 
               
               
                  704 
                 Store results 
               
               
                  706 
                 Upload preferred crop plan to coop 
               
               
                 1400 
                 System for monitoring water flow 
               
               
                 1402 
                 Stilling well 
               
               
                 1404 
                 Solar panel 
               
               
                 1406 
                 Channel 
               
               
                 1408 
                 Remote transmission unit 
               
               
                 1410 
                 Radio 
               
               
                 1500 
                 Mobile data gathering system 
               
               
                 1502 
                 Vehicle 
               
               
                 1504 
                 Data collection array 
               
               
                 1508 
                 Near infrared (NIR) camera 
               
               
                 1510 
                 Thermal camera 
               
               
                 1512 
                 RGB Camera 
               
               
                 1514 
                 Antenna 
               
               
                 1600 
                 System 
               
               
                 1605 
                 Computers 
               
               
                 1610 
                 Computers 
               
               
                 1615 
                 Computers 
               
               
                 1620 
                 Network 
               
               
                 1625 
                 Server computer 
               
               
                 1630 
                 Application server 
               
               
                 1635 
                 Data base 
               
               
                 1700 
                 Computer system 
               
               
                 1705 
                 CPU 
               
               
                 1710 
                 Input device 
               
               
                 1715 
                 Output device 
               
               
                 1720 
                 Storage device 
               
               
                 1725 
                 Media reader 
               
               
                 1730 
                 Communications system 
               
               
                 1735 
                 Processing acceleration unit 
               
               
                 1740 
                 Memory 
               
               
                 1745 
                 Operating system 
               
               
                 1750 
                 Code 
               
               
                 1755 
                 Bus 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     It should be understood that the drawings are not to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A water balance of the river, canal, or the farm is a useful means of understanding the sources of and the destinations of water.  FIG. 2  provides a conceptual rendering of a water balance analysis, from the river diversion downstream to the on-farm distribution system. Basically, what this illustrative graphic shows is what happens to water once it is diverted from the river  202  into a ditch or canal  206  for irrigation purposes. In many ditch company operations, the character of the water changes significantly as one moves downstream in the canal. Colloquially, some would say that the “color” of the water changes; a reference to where the water came from, or where it is bound, or its decreed use. 
     After diversion into an earthen canal, the diverted flow immediately begins to diminish because of conveyance losses, the most notable of which is seepage. Other losses are attributable to phreatophytes and evaporation from the water surface. Seepage can be quite significant especially over the full length of the canal and is likely the single highest source of loss in earthen canals. Most seepage returns to the river as subsurface flows  222  and the time it takes to actually arrive at the river is a function of distance from the river and the characteristics of the alluvium. This seepage can vary considerably over the length of a canal as well. With a water right change case, this historic surface and subsurface return flow pattern must be maintained into the future. 
     Moving downstream through the canal, some water returns to the river via the end of the canal as wastage or operational spill  208 . Some canals have historically diverted a generous amount of water to assist with practical canal operations. It is easier to deliver equitable flows to canal headgates, especially those at the end of the canal, if the canal is flowing nicely with excess water that can be returned to the river for other downstream users. 
     Continuing reference to  FIG. 2 , a headgate delivery to the farm has similar water balance characteristics as with the main canal. However, the headgate delivery frequently represents the point at which the company&#39;s delivery responsibility ends and the individual farmer&#39;s responsibility begins. Downstream of the farm headgate, there are often on-farm conveyances  210  (ponds and delivery ditches) from which there are losses, and again, those loses are most notably seepage that constitutes historic return flows that must be maintained. 
     Once water is delivered to on-farm irrigated fields, and on through the associated farm irrigation systems, the key elements of irrigation water can be identified as consumptive use  214  (“CU”), surface return flows  218 , and subsurface return flows  220 . Within the consumptive use amount, there is a proportion that may be appropriately termed “conserved” or “saved” or “set-aside” CU  216 . This amount is the water that might be considered for its higher economic value. The total amount of quantified CU can be evaluated in terms of a water budget. The CU volume can be considered, along with old or new proportional uses, and within the confines of the water budget. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic of an irrigation management implementation scheme  300  of one embodiment of the invention. Here, the system includes three distinct analytical phases. A planning/modeling phase  300 P, a design implementation phase  300 D, and a farming/maintenance phase  300 F. 
     The planning/modeling phase  300 P begins by having a farmer, or other user, input general data  302  about the farm, such as field information ( FIG. 9 ), crops being grown ( FIG. 10 ), etc. Historic farm practices  304  related to current irrigation and planting schedules are also inputted into the planning tool. Other model constraints  306  are then entered such as minimum and/or maximum crop areas, which crops a farmer is willing to grow on a field-by-field basis and limits on applied water. Next, an optimization tool  308  is run and desired model results  310  are generated.  FIGS. 11 and 12  are examples of these results which will be discussed below. Alternative scenarios may be run by the farmer and be saved or discarded as the user wishes. The graphic, GIS map, and tabular inputs and outputs will be customized for particular use by the farm, regulators, ditch companies, etc. The farmer must then assess whether existing farming or irrigation schemes should be changed  314 . If changes to the system are made, the planning/modeling phase  300 P is rerun. If aggregated model results from multiple farming operations  312  necessitate farm or ditch changes to support any subsequent lease and return flow requirements, the design implementation phase  300 D of the system is commenced. 
     More specifically, during the planning/modeling phase  300 P a farmer or farmers will use the planner to input relevant data into an optimizing module to provide at least one optimized cropping plan that maximizes income while meeting a prearranged water lease, sale, or alternative land use agreements. Using the planner&#39;s map interface, a farmer will be able to trace fields, preferred crop planting plans, and enter data required for the optimization process. The data required for the optimization process may include general farm data, historical farming practice data and other constraints required for the economic optimization model. The farmer will run the model and evaluate the results. If desired, the farmer can modify the constraints and rerun the model until satisfied with the results. Once satisfied with the proposed cropping plan, the farmer will submit it for the next planting year to a Water Cooperative, for example, for approval. In some instances the Water Cooperative will aggregate all of the farmers&#39; cropping plans to ensure that the proper amount of irrigation water will be available to meet any prearranged water lease agreements. If there is a shortfall or excess water for lease, the Water Cooperative will work with selected farmers to adjust their plans accordingly. If a farmer has never leased a portion of irrigation water, changes may be required to the canal/on-farm delivery systems to handle recharge requirements, increase irrigation efficiency, etc. If changes are required, the tasks in the Design/Implementation Phase  300 D may be required. Otherwise the annual Farming/Maintenance Phase  300 F applies. 
     The design implementation phase  300  may include redesigning, adapting, or reconfiguring the farm(s) as needed  330 , irrigation system  332  construction, water diversion structure  334  construction, and/or measurement and check structure  336  construction. New recharge structures at the farm or ditch level may be suggested as required by the plan. In this phase, instrumentation and communication equipment are also installed  338  and data collection software is implemented  340  to pull data from and/or push data to the monitors described above. Off-the-shelf systems used may include, but not be limited to, Rubicon Water&#39;s SCADAConnect, Motorola&#39;s MOSCAD, and Campbell Scientific LoggerNet dataloggers and weather stations. Data may also be collected from existing weather data networks such a-s CoAgMet in Colorado, CIMIS in California, or other state or federally-supported data network. Controls and communications equipment are also installed  342 . Off-the-shelf irrigation control systems used may include, but are not limited to, the Hunter Industries, Inc. ACC control system, Acclima, Inc. soil moisture sensors and controls, Baseline Controls, ET Water Systems, and Toro Irrigation controls. This phase of the system  300 D positions the farm for monitoring required to support leasing any water as part of a water use change case. 
     Implementation of the optimized land and water use plans may comprise canal planning so that a portion of its water may be leased which may entail consultants/contractors to redesign or update the designs of existing irrigation systems, groundwater recharge systems, and water diversion structures. This analysis may require installation of new or upgraded measurement and/or check structures. To meet some reporting requirements to prove that water is being handled properly, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)/weather station and other suitable instrumentation may be installed to monitor water inflow/outflows, calculate consumptive use (CU) and help accurately deliver water to fields in accordance with the cropping plans and water lease arrangements. Further, if a farmer has changed irrigation methods from surface irrigation to drip or sprinkler, the farmer will generally also install a control system to help schedule irrigations. The SCADA/weather station and control software systems contemplated herein will be configured to properly operate within the constraints of the new land and water use plan. 
     If the aggregate model results from multiple farming operations (cropping plans and water leases)  312  can be accommodated without any needed farm or ditch changes, the farming/maintenance phase  300 F will commence, which requires planting the fields per the optimized land use plan  360  and collecting real-time temperature and climate data  362 , for example. The irrigation schedule of the crops  364  will be set and the actual practices being performed will be recorded, which includes harvest data, etc. In the farming/maintenance phase  300 F of the process, the system will also generally be tasked with generating a plurality of needed and/or desired reports  368  which often will be related to seasonal actual data and periodic water use. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the planning/modeling phase  300 P may be run at any time to further optimize the planting and irrigation of a farm. 
     More specifically, assuming the infrastructure is in place to support the leasing of water (i.e., canal water delivery measurement and controls, consumptive use monitoring, groundwater recharge structures, etc.), farmers participating in a Water Cooperative will plant crops according to their cropping plan submitted to and agreed on by the Water Cooperative. The Water Cooperative will deliver the appropriate amount of water to the farmers and monitor, via the SCADA instrumentation, how much water is delivered to each farm, how much water runs off and calculate consumptive use on a regular basis. This constitutes a water balance monitoring approach of irrigation water and farm operations. 
     The manager&#39;s monitoring functionality will be used to monitor water budgets and plant physiology to determine possible irrigation schedules for the farm on a regular basis so the farmer can apply the proper irrigation amounts in accordance with an annual water budget associated with the farm. As farmers harvest crops they will use and tune a crop water production function and will be able to calibrate/improve the optimization curve used by planner. This will result in more accurate yield predictions in the Optimizer. The Water Cooperative will generate reports required by regulatory agencies as well as reports of projected versus actual results. As the system is used, the land and water use optimization model will be improved based on measured results. 
       FIG. 4  shows a monitoring system  400  that assesses water consumption associated with a given area. A monitor  402  having at least one sensor is positioned in or adjusted to a field  404  having a plurality of crops  406 . The monitor  402  includes an antenna with wireless devices, for transmitting information to a centralized location  408  for assessment. The information may also be saved and/or forwarded to an offsite location for storage and analysis. Such transmissions may also be accomplished by traditional, i.e., non-wireless means (not shown). Information may also be obtained from aerial photography or sensing  410 , local weather stations  412 , ground level measurements, and satellite imagery  414 . 
     In one embodiment, land and water use is optimized using inputs regarding farmer acceptable land use, etc. The outputted plan tells the farmer which fields to use full irrigation  416 , which fields to use regulated deficit irrigation  418 , and how to rotate the crops in those fields. Alternatively the planner will advise the farmer to fallow a field  420 . The planning and scheduling functionality of the contemplated system allows the farmer to maximize profits as a function of crop yield and water allocation sales. 
     Collected field data (water monitoring) is forwarded to a remote server (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) and analyzed by the manager to assess the actual water needed to achieve or monitor a predetermined seasonal water budget. The system models base their results at least partially on crops being grown, water runoff, soil moisture, aerial and satellite data, and onsite data acquisition, which may include remote web-based cameras placed strategically throughout the sites being monitored, etc. It should also be understood that the system collects and sends data to and from various sensors, which can be stationary or mobile data gathering devices, via RF transmission protocols and related methods, or in other ways known by those of skill in the art. Instruments may communicate collected data to and receive data or instructions from a remote server, such as a hosted server (see  FIG. 6 ), via any appropriate communications network, such a-s a network using an RF router, or supply information over an internet communication system. 
     The overall communication network which may be used with one embodiment of the disclosed system may, in fact, be any combination of circuit-switched, packet-switched, analog, digital, wired, and wireless communication equipment and infrastructure suitable for transmitting signals to a server. The communication network therefore may include one or more of the following: intranet, internet, a cellular communication system, a wireless data system, a publically switched telephone network, a private telephone network, a satellite communication system, or a point-to-point microwave system. Depending upon the particular communication network utilized, the system may send and receive signals in accordance with a wireless application protocol, FCC 802.11 standards, a proprietary protocol, or other types of communication protocols. 
     An example of a suitable wireless link between the system and a communication network is a wireless internet link wherein the data is routed to a hosted server based on an IP address. The server may decipher the incoming signals (which may or may not be encrypted) to extract appropriate data. The data may next be processed to generate information which can be displayed or otherwise presented to interested parties through various user interfaces (see  FIG. 11 ). These user interfaces could, but need not be, a web browser application running on a computer connected to a server through the internet. Utilizing the manager, a user can access the server and view collected data, analyze data, generate reports, request that certain analysis be conducted, etc. Additional security and authentication mechanisms, as are generally known in the field, may also be utilized in some circumstances. 
     As will be understood by those of skill in the art, information could also be transmitted by the server or other devices of the system in any of the fashions identified above or a-s generally known. The host server could also include one or more input and output devices which may facilitate bidirectional flow of information between the overall system and the server and users or other devices. If data received from the remote site indicates fault conditions at the site being monitored, alarms or other notifications can also be triggered at the site, at the hosted server, or at another location. Further, instructions to address the alert condition can be sent where appropriate. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , users, i.e. farmers, access the system&#39;s client applications, i.e., the planner and the manager, in any conventional manner using any suitable communication device, including the internet, to constantly or periodically monitor their land and water use project, access reports, communicate with equipment that adjust certain equipment parameters, etc. Users typically will not, however, through use of appropriate security software, be allowed to monitor data collected on other projects which may also reside upon the global server. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, users utilize work station computers or mobile devices to access the server and potentially save some site-specific data on the user&#39;s computer. These computing devices will typically include at least an output device, such as a video monitor or display, and an input device, such as a keyboard or computer mouse. Other types of input and output devices can be used in some circumstances. For example, the output device may include a speaker and the input device may include a microphone, a touch screen, joy stick, or touch pad. In accordance with known techniques, the computer will typically be connected to the internet. An example of a suitable connection includes establishing a communication link through an internet service provider and modem or other device connected to a communication infrastructure, such as a cable communication system or packet-switched telecommunication network. In some circumstances, other techniques could be used to establish a communication link between a user and the server. Other modern and suitable communication links are also envisioned. 
     A wireless communication system is employed by one embodiment which may include a cellular telephone system with packet-switched mobile data capabilities, such as ARDIS, RAM, or CDPD services. The systems provide a communication data packet formed offline and a header and error correction that is added before transmission. A dedicated communication link, therefore, need not be utilized. In some situations, a circuit-switched dedicated communication link may be used. For example, a dial-in wireless internet connection service over the cellular telephone system can be used for the wireless communication link. Some wireless communication systems, for example, provide wireless internet access with the user of a wireless modem that can be connected to a laptop computer, mobile computing device (smart phone), or personal digital assistant. The wireless communication system may utilize any communication protocol and modulation, such as, for example, co-division multiple access (CDMA), time-division multiple access (TDMA), advance mobile phone services (AMPS), general packet radio service (GPRS), or global system for mobile communications (GSM) in accordance with known techniques. 
     In some circumstances, a cellular voice channel may be used to transmit data to the server. In such a circumstance, the monitoring device or the overall system typically may establish a cellular call with the modem connected to a server, either directly or through a network. The call can be terminated after data has been transferred and reestablished as needed, or it may be maintained throughout the monitoring process. 
     As will be understood by those of skill in the art, it is thus contemplated that data collected by a monitor or to be sent to a monitor can be sent in analog or digital formats, and that appropriate circuitry can be utilized to convert the data between various available signal forms. 
     The general system architecture  500  of one embodiment of the present invention utilizes a general client server structure where any number of clients  502  (such as Windows® clients) work via the internet  504  with supporting servers  510  (such as hosted or GIS servers). In turn, the servers may preferably use a back-end SQL server  508  to store critical data, though those skilled in the art will understand that such critical data could also be stored in many other fashions, including on the primary servers. In one embodiment of the present invention, the SQL server  508  is firewalled  506  for added security of client data. In a preferred system, each client will store data locally and only forward necessary data to the application server  514  as required to implement and monitor a real change in water usage practices. 
     The term “SCADA” (acronym for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) as used in  FIG. 5  is a generalization for not only SCADA systems, but also weather stations and other data collection software used in conjunction with the systems as contemplated in this disclosure. SCADA plug-ins may be created on an as-needed basis. Each plug-in will provide summary operational data from a given SCADA system into the SQL Server database for management and reporting purposes. The server will provide the unique business model functionality of the invention including but not limited to the optimization model used to optimize farmer&#39;s cropping plans and irrigation water use. GIS data used by the system will come from several sources including but not limited to public sources of satellite and aerial photography, such as Bing, Google Maps, ESRI, or other internet based GIS tools for wide-area-canal, well, river, roads, etc. map layers. Finally, the farmer himself is a GIS data source for farm related crop practice data that will be stored locally on the farmer&#39;s own computer. In one embodiment of the present invention, the system will provide varying functionality according to the role of the user, which includes, but is not limited to farmers, ditch company administrators, and system administrators. The farmers through the system will have the general functionality of water and crop use planning, irrigation scheduling, and follow up reporting. Ditch company or water cooperative administrators will have the ability to plan a large scale crop and water use plan, water tracking, and regulatory water use reporting. The system administrator will have the functionality of the farmer and the irrigation specialist and further have the ability for general data maintenance and system performance and monitoring. 
     SCADA is fundamental to implementation of the concepts associated with one embodiment of the invention. Generic definitions are appropriate to help describe basic SCADA concepts. The “central system” is a microcomputer-based and interface software used to communicate with remote sites. The software that provides an umbrella over everything is called a “human-machine interface” or HMI. The remote sites include a “remote terminal unit” or RTU. The HMI software can be proprietary and published by the manufacturer of the hardware, or it can be more generic and published by software companies that write more generic HMI programs that are compatible with the hardware of many manufacturers. Flexible and broadly compatible software application programs are known as Wonderware, Lookout, and Intellution, as examples. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the system client applications  600  will store/retrieve key map data from both local storage  606  and from a central server  608  by way of the internet or other appropriate method. Various crop planting scenarios will be creatable by the farmer (user) and saved as separate maps wherein each crop planting scenario will have its own ‘map’. The user will be able to duplicate a scenario, rename it, change some of the inputs and run a new analysis. The application  602  will retrieve common base layers from a GIS server  608  and the farmer&#39;s scenario layers from local storage  606 . When a crop planting scenario is submitted as, for example, a “Farming Year 20—Cropping Plan”, the heretofore local map layers  606  will be pushed to the server  608  where they will then be accessible by Water Cooperatives  604  for water management in keeping with state monitoring and reporting requirements associated with any water transfers. 
     As described above, the planner may work in concert with an optimization module that maximizes the economic value that factors in the farmer&#39;s consumptive use of water. Moreover, the optimizer, after analyzing various practices available to the farmer will assist in setting the stage for future farming operations that may have a favorable overall effect on the farmer&#39;s annual income. The optimizer of one embodiment considers the practices, or a combination of practices, that lend themselves to an annual consumptive use water budget scheme. For example, in any given year, practices may include: 1) regulated deficit irrigation; 2) introduction of new crops, including perennial crops; 3) permanent fallowing or rotational fallowing; 4) introduction of dryland crops; 5) continued full irrigation of selected crops; 6) crop rotations (implies multiple years); and 7) combinations thereof. In following years, a farmer might choose different combinations of these alternative practices. 
     The flow of user experience is conceptualized in  FIG. 7 . Here, the user enters or changes data  700  related to fields, crops, irrigation, and other practices, and then runs the optimization model. If the results of a particular optimization run  702  are of interest, then the results can be stored  704 . When optimization of a particular parcel of land is finalized, the data generated can be uploaded  706  into a larger database for inclusion into larger operations plans that can be adopted by a ditch company or a cooperative operating entity. 
     The optimization model of one embodiment is broadly defined in consideration of the elements that characterize all mathematical optimization models, namely the parameters, decision variables, constraints, and the primary objective function. The objective function is defined for the purposes of this Model to be the maximized projected net returns to the farming operation. The optimizer is often tasked with identifying a land/water use plan that yields the highest “net return”. “Net return” is generally defined as the income from an investment after deducting all expenses from the gross income generated by the investment. In a farming operation “net return” is defined to comprise farm revenues minus the fixed operating costs. Net return has also been more aptly defined as the return to land and management. Farm net returns, by definition, does not include land costs, interest, taxes, and other costs that are fixed regardless of irrigation decision.
         Thus, as used herein, net returns=net crop price×crop yield minus irrigated crop production costs minus cost of water×depth of irrigation applied       

     The decision variables used by the optimizer include assumptions and values for all inputs costs, crop yields, and crop prices. The optimizer may also use default decision variables, which may be obtained from the National Agricultural Statistics Service database (http://www.nass.usda.gov/) but with minor inputs of data from other peripheral sources when the NASS database did not have the needed data. In some instances the defaults may be place holders that allow for quick data input. It is envisioned that the optimizer&#39;s input data obtained by the planner can easily be changed for farm-specific circumstances, or experience, or for that matter, contractual pricing that may be obligatory. One of skill in the art will also appreciate that the default data should also be changed when farm current market influences need to be recognized. Examples of significant influences are increased market price for corn as influenced by the decline of ethanol plant demands or increased price for wheat as influenced by Russian exports of wheat. 
     In one embodiment, the optimizer uses four categories of crops. Crop categories and the underlying assumptions with those crops are:
         1. Full Irrigation (Enough irrigation to maximize yield or profit)
           Yield=f(crop, soil type)=constant   Water for fully irrigated yield is f(crop, soil type)=constant   Fixed production costs&gt;0   Variable production costs&gt;0   Price&gt;0   
           2. Dryland (No irrigation)
           Yield=f(crop, soil type)   Water=0   Fixed production costs&gt;0   Variable production costs&gt;0   Price&gt;0   
           3. Fallow (No crop, but weeds must be controlled after an establishment period so there are fixed production costs)
           Yield=0   Water=0   Fixed production costs&gt;0   Variable production costs=0   Price=0   
           4. Deficit irrigation (The crop is irrigated with 10 to 90% of the amount of irrigation to achieve maximum yield in 10% bracketed increments)
           Yield=f(crop, soil type, irrigation method, irrigation): a nonlinear function   Fixed production costs&gt;0   Variable production costs&gt;0   Price&gt;0   
               

     The optimizer of one embodiment uses the following list of crops: 
                                     Fallow                       Fully Irrigated Corn - grain           Fully Irrigated Corn - silage           Fully Irrigated Winter Wheat           Fully Irrigated Barley           Fully Irrigated Alfalfa           Fully Irrigated Pinto Beans           Fully Irrigated Sugarbeets           Fully Irrigated Onions           Fully Irrigated Cabbage           Fully Irrigated Carrots           Deficit Irrigated Corn - grain           Deficit Irrigated Corn - silage           Deficit Irrigated Winter Wheat           Deficit Irrigated Barley           Deficit Irrigated Alfalfa           Deficit Irrigated Pinto Beans           Deficit Irrigated Sugarbeets           Dryland Corn           Dryland Winter Wheat           Dryland Barley           Dryland Alfalfa           Dryland Canola           Dryland Sorghum           Dryland Millet           Dryland Sunflower                    
One of skill in the art will appreciate that this list is not exhaustive and will be at least partially on market trends, legality of crop, climate etc. Further, some crops are not allowed (not listed) a-s “deficit irrigated” or “dryland” under the presumption that these crops would not be grown as a practical matter, in some areas, under deficit irrigated or dryland conditions.
 
     In addition, the planner optimizer will take into account the farmer&#39;s preferences. For example, the farmer may require a minimum amount of acres of a certain crop to be grown, i.e., corn to feed cattle. Also, the farmer will not grow a crop if money will be lost, with the exception of fallowing. Thus, the farmer will be given preferences related to acceptable crop(s) he or she is willing to grow which can be input on a field by field basis. 
     The constraints associated with the optimizer include decisions and/or assumptions that are associated with the overall farm operation or the assumptions for the pending year under evaluation. Examples of constraints are: 1) the minimum and maximum acreage of the various crops to be grown; and 2) willingness to employ certain practices (deficit irrigation, fallowing, etc).  FIG. 8  summarizes the primary elements of the optimization model and provides examples of defining equations. 
     Again,  FIG. 1  graphically shows the inputs to the optimizer compared to the optimized (modeled) net return. A successful run of the optimizer indicates the projected net return  108  associated with the crops to be grown along with crop yields, the practices to be adopted, and the anticipated unit prices  106 . This modeled net return can then be contrasted with the historic net return  104  from the farming operation. 
     Mathematically, the equations employed by the optimizer of one embodiment are expressed by the following series of equations with the associated variables defined in Tables 1-3 provided below: 
     
       
         
           
             
               NR 
               farm 
             
             = 
             
               
                 
                   ∑ 
                   
                     f 
                     = 
                     1 
                   
                   nfld 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   
                     fldsize 
                     f 
                   
                   . 
                 
               
               = 
               
                 { 
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           
                             ∑ 
                             
                               ndi 
                               = 
                               1 
                             
                             numNDI 
                           
                           ⁢ 
                           
                             { 
                             
                               
                                 selNDI 
                                 
                                   f 
                                   , 
                                   ndi 
                                 
                               
                               · 
                               
                                 NR 
                                 
                                   f 
                                   , 
                                   ndi 
                                 
                               
                             
                             } 
                           
                         
                         + 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           
                             ∑ 
                             
                               di 
                               = 
                               1 
                             
                             numDI 
                           
                           ⁢ 
                           
                             
                               ∑ 
                               
                                 s 
                                 = 
                                 1 
                               
                               numDIWat 
                             
                             ⁢ 
                             
                               { 
                               
                                 
                                   selDI 
                                   
                                     f 
                                     , 
                                     di 
                                   
                                 
                                 · 
                                 
                                   selDIWat 
                                   
                                     f 
                                     , 
                                     s 
                                   
                                 
                                 · 
                                 
                                   NR 
                                   
                                     f 
                                     , 
                                     di 
                                     , 
                                     s 
                                   
                                 
                               
                               } 
                             
                           
                         
                         - 
                       
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           [ 
                           
                             1 
                             - 
                             
                               
                                 ∑ 
                                 
                                   ndi 
                                   = 
                                   1 
                                 
                                 numNDI 
                               
                               ⁢ 
                               
                                 selNDI 
                                 
                                   f 
                                   , 
                                   ndi 
                                 
                               
                             
                             - 
                             
                               
                                 ∑ 
                                 
                                   di 
                                   = 
                                   1 
                                 
                                 numDI 
                               
                               ⁢ 
                               
                                 selDI 
                                 
                                   f 
                                   , 
                                   di 
                                 
                               
                             
                           
                           ] 
                         
                         · 
                         falcost 
                       
                     
                   
                 
                 } 
               
             
           
         
       
         
         
           
             Where:
           Net return for the farm (NR farm) is the field size times the net return per acre for the field for non-deficit irrigated crops (first term), deficit irrigated crop (second term), and fallow (third term).   Net return for the field is net return of the non-deficit irrigated crop (NRf,ndi), if grown (selNDIf,ndi=1 for some ndi),   
         
             OR 
             net return of the deficit irrigation crop (NRf, di,s) at the selected level of deficit irrigation (selDIWatf,s=1 for some s), if grown (selDIf,di=1 for some di), 
             OR
           the cost of fallow if no crop is grown selNDIf,ndi=0 for all ndi and selDIf,di=0 for all di).   Net return for a field f and a crop (ndi or di) is net return minus the fixed costs for the crop minus the variable costs of irrigation minus the fixed costs of irrigation.   NRf,ndi is net return for NDI crop ndi in field f:
 
 NR   f,ndi   =[P   ndi   −vc   ndi   ]·yld   f,ndi   −fc   ndi   −[nir   f,ndi   /aeff   f   ]·vic   f   −fic   f  
 
Where: nirf,ndi is net irrigation requirement for full yield of crop ndi in field f. NRf,di,s is net return for a deficit irrigation (DI) crop di in field f with deficit irrigation water level s. For deficit irrigated crops, the yield and the variable costs of irrigation depend on the irrigation(s) selected.
 
 NR   f,di,s   [p   di   −vc   di   ]·yld   f,di   ·ryld   f,s   −[nir   f,di   /aeff   f   ]·rirr   s   ·vic   f   −fic   f   −fc   di  
   
         
           
         
       
    
     In this equation, the relationship between yield and irrigation is described as a relationship between the proportion of net irrigation requirement of the crop and proportion of full yield (yield if net irrigation requirement of the crop is fully met). In other words, the crop water production function is defined as ryld˜rirr. More specifically, the crop water production function is incorporated in the model as numDIWat paired values of ryld and rirr. 
     When all of the mathematical detail described above is combined into one equation: 
     
       
         
           
             
               NR 
               farm 
             
             = 
             
               
                 ∑ 
                 
                   f 
                   = 
                   1 
                 
                 numfld 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                 
                   fldsize 
                   f 
                 
                 · 
                 
                   { 
                   
                     
                       
                         ∑ 
                         
                           ndi 
                           = 
                           1 
                         
                         numNDI 
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       
                         { 
                         
                           
                             selNDI 
                             
                               f 
                               , 
                               ndi 
                             
                           
                           · 
                           
                             [ 
                             
                               
                                 
                                   [ 
                                   
                                     
                                       p 
                                       ndi 
                                     
                                     - 
                                     
                                       vc 
                                       ndi 
                                     
                                   
                                   ] 
                                 
                                 · 
                                 
                                   yld 
                                   
                                     f 
                                     , 
                                     ndi 
                                   
                                 
                               
                               - 
                               
                                 fc 
                                 ndi 
                               
                               - 
                               
                                 
                                   [ 
                                   
                                       
                                   
                                   ⁢ 
                                   
                                     ( 
                                     
                                       
                                         nir 
                                         
                                           f 
                                           , 
                                           ndi 
                                         
                                       
                                       / 
                                       
                                         aeff 
                                         f 
                                       
                                     
                                     ) 
                                   
                                   ] 
                                 
                                 · 
                                 
                                   vic 
                                   f 
                                 
                               
                               - 
                               
                                 fic 
                                 f 
                               
                             
                             ] 
                           
                         
                         } 
                       
                     
                     + 
                     
                       
                         ∑ 
                         
                           di 
                           = 
                           1 
                         
                         numDI 
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       
                         
                           selDI 
                           
                             f 
                             , 
                             di 
                           
                         
                         · 
                         
                           [ 
                           
                             
                               
                                 ∑ 
                                 
                                   s 
                                   = 
                                   1 
                                 
                                 numDIWat 
                               
                               ⁢ 
                               
                                 { 
                                 
                                   
                                     selDIWat 
                                     
                                       f 
                                       , 
                                       s 
                                     
                                   
                                   · 
                                   
                                     [ 
                                     
                                       
                                         
                                           [ 
                                           
                                             
                                               p 
                                               di 
                                             
                                             - 
                                             
                                               vc 
                                               di 
                                             
                                           
                                           ] 
                                         
                                         · 
                                         
                                           yld 
                                           
                                             f 
                                             , 
                                             di 
                                           
                                         
                                         · 
                                         
                                           ryld 
                                           
                                             f 
                                             , 
                                             s 
                                           
                                         
                                       
                                       - 
                                       
                                         
                                           [ 
                                           
                                             
                                               nir 
                                               
                                                 f 
                                                 , 
                                                 di 
                                               
                                             
                                             
                                               aeff 
                                               f 
                                             
                                           
                                           ] 
                                         
                                         · 
                                         
                                           rirr 
                                           
                                             f 
                                             , 
                                             s 
                                           
                                         
                                         · 
                                         
                                           vic 
                                           f 
                                         
                                       
                                     
                                     ] 
                                   
                                 
                                 } 
                               
                             
                             - 
                             
                               fic 
                               f 
                             
                             - 
                             
                               fc 
                               di 
                             
                           
                           ] 
                         
                       
                     
                     - 
                     
                       
                         [ 
                         
                             
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         
                           1 
                           - 
                           
                             
                               ∑ 
                               
                                 ndi 
                                 = 
                                 1 
                               
                               numNDI 
                             
                             ⁢ 
                             
                               selNDI 
                               
                                 f 
                                 , 
                                 ndi 
                               
                             
                           
                           - 
                           
                             
                               ∑ 
                               
                                 di 
                                 = 
                                 1 
                               
                               numDI 
                             
                             ⁢ 
                             
                               selDI 
                               
                                 f 
                                 , 
                                 di 
                               
                             
                           
                         
                         ] 
                       
                       · 
                       falcost 
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     Decision variables are binary:selNDI f,ndi ; selDI f,di ; selDIWat f,s , and are based on a farmer decision on whether to grow a crop in a given field: 
     selNDI f,ndi ≦willNDI f,ndi  for all ndi,f 
     selDI f,di ≦willDI f,di  for all di, f 
     The optimizer also places a limit on the amount of water available pursuant to the following formula: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 ∑ 
                 
                   f 
                   = 
                   1 
                 
                 numfld 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                 { 
                 
                   
                     fsize 
                     
                       aeff 
                       f 
                     
                   
                   · 
                   
                     [ 
                     
                       
                         
                           ∑ 
                           
                             ndi 
                             = 
                             1 
                           
                           numNDI 
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         
                           { 
                           
                             
                               selNDI 
                               
                                 f 
                                 , 
                                 ndi 
                               
                             
                             · 
                             
                               nir 
                               
                                 f 
                                 , 
                                 ndi 
                               
                             
                           
                           } 
                         
                       
                       + 
                       
                         
                           ∑ 
                           
                             di 
                             = 
                             1 
                           
                           numDI 
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         
                           { 
                           
                             
                               selDI 
                               
                                 f 
                                 , 
                                 di 
                               
                             
                             · 
                             
                               nir 
                               
                                 f 
                                 , 
                                 di 
                               
                             
                             · 
                             
                               
                                 ∑ 
                                 
                                   s 
                                   = 
                                   1 
                                 
                                 numDIwat 
                               
                               ⁢ 
                               
                                 { 
                                 
                                   
                                     selDIWat 
                                     
                                       f 
                                       , 
                                       s 
                                     
                                   
                                   · 
                                   
                                     rirr 
                                     
                                       f 
                                       , 
                                       s 
                                     
                                   
                                 
                                 } 
                               
                             
                           
                           } 
                         
                       
                     
                     ] 
                   
                 
                 } 
               
             
             ≤ 
             
               total 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               irrigation 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               water 
             
           
         
       
     
     Further optimizer assumes a maximum of one crop per field: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   ∑ 
                   
                     ndi 
                     = 
                     1 
                   
                   numNDI 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   { 
                   
                     selNDI 
                     
                       f 
                       , 
                       ndi 
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
               
               + 
               
                 
                   ∑ 
                   
                     di 
                     = 
                     1 
                   
                   numDI 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   { 
                   
                     selDI 
                     
                       f 
                       , 
                       di 
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
               
             
             ≤ 
             
               1 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               for 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               all 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               f 
             
           
         
       
     
     The constraint below indicates that an irrigation level (selDIWat f,s =1 for some s) is selected for a field only if a DI crop is grown in a field (selDI f,di =1 for some di). 
     For a field, if selDI f,di =0 for all di then selDIWat f,s  must be equal to zero for all s. Sum of selDI f,di  for all di has a maximum of one, so sum of selDIWat f,s  has a maximum of one. 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 ∑ 
                 
                   s 
                   = 
                   1 
                 
                 numDIWat 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                 { 
                 
                   selDIWat 
                   
                     f 
                     , 
                     s 
                   
                 
                 } 
               
             
             ≤ 
             
               
                 ∑ 
                 
                   di 
                   = 
                   1 
                 
                 numDI 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                 
                   { 
                   
                     selDI 
                     
                       f 
                       , 
                       di 
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 for 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 all 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 f 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     Another constraint in that the crops must meet the farmer&#39;s minimum and maximum acreage: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     minac 
                     ndi 
                   
                   ≤ 
                   
                     
                       ∑ 
                       
                         f 
                         = 
                         1 
                       
                       numfld 
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     
                       { 
                       
                         
                           fldsize 
                           f 
                         
                         · 
                         
                           selNDI 
                           
                             f 
                             , 
                             ndi 
                           
                         
                       
                       } 
                     
                   
                   ≤ 
                   
                     
                       maxac 
                       ndi 
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     for 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     all 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     ndi 
                   
                 
               
             
             
               
                 
                   
                     minac 
                     di 
                   
                   ≤ 
                   
                     
                       ∑ 
                       
                         f 
                         = 
                         1 
                       
                       numfld 
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     
                       { 
                       
                         
                           fldsize 
                           f 
                         
                         · 
                         
                           selDI 
                           
                             f 
                             , 
                             di 
                           
                         
                       
                       } 
                     
                   
                   ≤ 
                   
                     
                       maxac 
                       di 
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     for 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     all 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     di 
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     The farmer&#39;s wishes as to the minimum and/or maximum number of acres of fallow is considered by using the following equation: 
     
       
         
           
             
               minac 
               fallow 
             
             ≤ 
             
               
                 ∑ 
                 
                   f 
                   = 
                   1 
                 
                 numfld 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                 { 
                 
                   
                     fldsize 
                     f 
                   
                   · 
                   
                     [ 
                     
                       1 
                       - 
                       
                         selNDI 
                         
                           f 
                           , 
                           ndi 
                         
                       
                       - 
                       
                         selDI 
                         
                           f 
                           , 
                           di 
                         
                       
                     
                     ] 
                   
                 
                 } 
               
             
             ≤ 
             
               maxac 
               fallow 
             
           
         
       
     
     Finally, the optimizer dictates that the return from any crop must cover operating costs (NR&gt;0): 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   ∑ 
                   
                     ndi 
                     = 
                     1 
                   
                   numNDI 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   { 
                   
                     
                       selNDI 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         ndi 
                       
                     
                     · 
                     
                       NR 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         ndi 
                       
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
               
               + 
               
                 
                   ∑ 
                   
                     di 
                     = 
                     1 
                   
                   numDI 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   { 
                   
                     
                       selDI 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         di 
                       
                     
                     · 
                     
                       NR 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         di 
                       
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
               
             
             ≥ 
             
               0 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               for 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               all 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               f 
             
           
         
       
     
     OR the net return from any crop must be greater than the cost of fallow: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   ∑ 
                   
                     ndi 
                     = 
                     1 
                   
                   numNDI 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   { 
                   
                     
                       selNDI 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         ndi 
                       
                     
                     · 
                     
                       NR 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         ndi 
                       
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
               
               + 
               
                 
                   ∑ 
                   
                     di 
                     = 
                     1 
                   
                   numDI 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   { 
                   
                     
                       selDI 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         di 
                       
                     
                     · 
                     
                       NR 
                       
                         f 
                         , 
                         di 
                       
                     
                   
                   } 
                 
               
             
             ≥ 
             
               0 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               for 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               all 
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               ⁢ 
               f 
             
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Model Input Variable Descriptions. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Name 
                 Units 
                 Description 
                 Type 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 falcost 
                 $/ac 
                 Cost of fallow 
                 input 
               
               
                 fc ndi or di   
                 $/ac 
                 Fixed cost for growing crop di or  
                 input 
               
               
                   
                   
                 crop ndi 
                   
               
               
                 fic f   
                 $/ac 
                 Fixed cost of irrigation 
                 input 
               
               
                 fldsize f   
                 ac 
                 Size of field f 
                 input 
               
               
                 nfld 
                 integer 
                 Number of fields on the farm 
                 input 
               
               
                 minac ndi or di   
                 ac 
                 Minimum number of acres of crop ndi  
                 input 
               
               
                   
                   
                 or di that the grower will grow 
                   
               
               
                 maxac ndi or di   
                 ac 
                 Maximum number of acres of crop  
                 input 
               
               
                   
                   
                 ndi or di that the grower will grow 
                   
               
               
                 p ndi or di   
                 $/yield 
                 Selling price of crop di or crop ndi 
                 input 
               
               
                   
                 unit 
                   
                   
               
               
                 Total 
                 ac-ft 
                 Total amount of water that can be  
                 input 
               
               
                 available 
                   
                 applied as irrigation 
                   
               
               
                 water 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 vc ndi or di   
                 $/yield 
                 Costs for crop DI or NDI that depend  
                 input 
               
               
                   
                 unit 
                 on the yield (currently harvest costs) 
                   
               
               
                 vic f   
                 $/(ac- 
                 Variable irrigation costs - depends on 
                 input 
               
               
                   
                 ft/ac) 
                 the amount of irrigation used 
                   
               
               
                 willDI f,di   
                 binary 
                 1 if grower is willing to grow crop di  
                 input 
               
               
                   
                   
                 in field f, 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 0 otherwise 
                   
               
               
                 willNDI f,ndi   
                 binary 
                 1 if grower is willing to grow crop ndi  
                 input 
               
               
                   
                   
                 in field f, 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 0 otherwise 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Model Optimization  
               
             
          
           
               
                 Name 
                 Units 
                 Description 
                 Type 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 selDI f,di   
                 binary 
                 1 if NDI crop ndi is selected for  
                 decision 
               
               
                   
                   
                 field f; 0 if not 
                 variable 
               
               
                 selDIWat f,s   
                 binary 
                 1 if this level s of deficit irrigation  
                 decision 
               
               
                   
                   
                 is chosen for field f; 
                 variable 
               
               
                   
                   
                 0 otherwise 
                   
               
               
                 selNDI f,ndi   
                 binary 
                 1 if NDI crop ndi is selected for  
                 decision 
               
               
                   
                   
                 field f; 0 if not 
                 variable 
               
               
                 NR farm   
                 $/farm 
                 Net return from farm 
                 Objective 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Model Component Variable Descriptions. 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Name 
                 Units 
                 Description 
                 Type 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 di 
                 index 
                 Index for deficit irrigated crops 
                 index 
               
               
                 f 
                 index 
                 Index for field 
                 index 
               
               
                 ndi 
                 index 
                 Index for non-deficit  
                 index 
               
               
                   
                   
                 irrigated crops includes  
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 fully-irrigated and dryland 
                   
               
               
                 numDIWat 
                 index 
                 Number of levels (s) of water  
                 index 
               
               
                   
                   
                 production functions 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 (ryld s ~rirr s ) 
                   
               
               
                 s 
                 index 
                 Index for levels (steps) of net  
                 index 
               
               
                   
                   
                 irrigation that can be selected  
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 for a DI crop; also the index to 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 the associated relative yield 
                   
               
               
                 aeff f   
                 proportion 
                 Application efficiency  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                 (no 
                 for irrigation system  
                   
               
               
                   
                 units) 
                 on field f (water delivered 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 to field * application 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 efficiency is 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 the water available 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 to the crop); 0 ≦ aeff f   ≦ 1 
                   
               
               
                 nir f,di   
                 ac-ft/ac 
                 Seasonal net irrigation  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                   
                 requirement for maximum 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 yield of DI crop di in field f 
                   
               
               
                 nir f,ndi   
                 ac-ft/ac 
                 Seasonal net irrigation  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                   
                 requirement for 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 NDI crop ndi; if ndi is a  
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 dryland crop then nir f,ndi  = 0; 
                   
               
               
                 numDI 
                 integer 
                 Number of DI crops in  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                   
                 the model 
                   
               
               
                 numNDI 
                 integer 
                 Number of NDI crops in  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                   
                 the model 
                   
               
               
                 rirr f,s   
                 proportion - 
                 Relative irrigation in  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                 no 
                 field f associated 
                   
               
               
                   
                 units 
                 with s; This level is selected if 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 SelDIWat s  = 1. Theoretically 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 0 ≦ rirr f,s  ≦ 1 but we may  
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 put reasonable limits on it to 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 help get the correct decisions 
                   
               
               
                 ryld f,s   
                 proportion - 
                 Relative yield of crop di in  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                 no 
                 field f as indexed by s; 
                   
               
               
                   
                 units 
                 0 ≦ ryld f,s  ≦ 1 
                   
               
               
                 yld f,di   
                 yield  
                 Maximum possible yield of  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                 units/ac 
                 crop DI in field f 
                   
               
               
                 yld f,ndi   
                 yield  
                 Yield of crop ndi in field f  
                 parameter 
               
               
                   
                 units/ac 
                 (ndi crop may be fully 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 irrigated or dryland crop) 
                   
               
               
                 NR f,di,s   
                 $/ac 
                 Net return if DI crop di is  
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 grown on field f 
                   
               
               
                 NR f,ndi   
                 $/ac 
                 Net return if NDI crop ndi is  
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 grown on field f 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     In this example, dryland crops are included within the optimization as non-deficit irrigation NDI crops. Crop water production functions are handled as a simple lookup table for two reasons: 1) avoiding concerns of a linear versus non-linear function in the optimization; and 2) water production functions from any source can be easily entered by the user and including crop production functions brought about by a farmer&#39;s personal experience gained from operating a plan. In a similar way, new crop varieties including trial varieties can be entered and considered. 
     In operation, the optimizer utilizes farmer/user inputs to mathematically optimize future farming operations against a quantified or presumed consumptive use water budget associated with the farm. To outline the farm and existing or proposed fields, one embodiment of the planning tool allows the farmer to simply “point and click” boundary points over aerial or satellite images of their farm. The farmer then inputs information related to acceptable crops and irrigation practices that the farmer is willing to consider by field. Practices for farmer-consideration include full irrigation, deficit irrigation, dryland crops, and fallowing. Default values for crop market price and per crop input costs are used or any of the default inputs can be changed as may be desirable from the farmer&#39;s experience or perspective. When finished, the farmer has a precise computer-generated map of the farm that becomes the basis for planning and running scenarios. 
     A mathematical optimization is performed that is based on the farmer&#39;s inputs to provide a scenario that can be named and saved. Optimization output data compares historical net revenues with the forecast of net revenues based on the scenario. The forecast of net revenues will likely be less than the historic net revenues but the lease value of the consumptive use water is forecast as well. The lease value of the water, when added to the forecast net revenues, will likely exceed the historic net return. 
     As the end user of the planner may be a farmer and not an engineer or expert in the use of the planning and optimization systems, a “friendly” interface, i.e., an interface that does not require much financial data collection beyond what the farmer inherently knows about their own operations and which does not require searching for historical files or data to be gathered. Further, the mathematical underpinning of the optimizer is intended to be completely behind the scenes and essentially veiled by the user interface, because it is assumed that farmer users are not concerned with the inner workings of the optimizer. That is, farmer users want believable and understandable results against which they can do some “what if” thinking and make decisions about the upcoming cropping year. 
       FIGS. 9-12  show screen captures of the planner of one embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 9  shows a geographic information system (GIS) style field data entry screen. The user does not need to know a GIS program or input features to input field data into the system. Data entry is facilitated by using intuitive point and click tools to overlay the land boundaries over an aerial or satellite photograph. Field boundaries can be input, color coded, named, and resultant acreage returned. The input screen can be set up to show attributes of interest by selecting suitable layers from the list shown on the left side of the map. 
       FIG. 10  shows a user interface for inputs of crops that the farmer is willing to grow along with the acceptability, or not, of certain practices by the farmer. Also, note the input of maximum and minimum acreage for both irrigated and dryland crops is entered via this interface. 
       FIG. 11  shows reported results of the optimization run and indicates the projected net return as a function of the farmer&#39;s inputs. 
       FIG. 12  shows reported water allotment for a given optimization scenario and depicts how the historical CU is split into projected CU and water available for lease. In addition, it depicts the need to maintain historical return flows (return flow obligation). 
       FIG. 13  shows an example of monitored results that are provided by SWIIM Manager. These results can be used to generate customized reports. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 14 , a system for monitoring the water flow  1400  from or to a parcel of land is shown. Here, a stilling well  1402  is positioned adjacent to a channel  1406 . The stilling well  1402  is associated with a solar-powered  1404  remote terminal unit (RTU)  1408 . The RTU  1408  also includes a radio  1410  for communication with the SWIIM Manager or mobile data unit described above. In operation, water entering the stilling well  1402  is monitored and data associated with water flow is sent via the RTU  1408  to the SWIIM Manager, for example. 
     Remote terminal units as discussed in  FIG. 14  may be essentially a computer that can be programmed for the specific requirements at individual sites. The RTU is also generally the point at which sensors are connected. A site with only one requirement, e.g. monitoring the water surface elevation in a flume or weir, would have a water level sensor wired to it. The RTU then communicates to the central system, or conversely, the central system can initiate a time-driven call to the RTU. The RTU can be monitoring one or more sensors, perform logical operations, and create an exception report or alarm. If flows or water levels exceed a pre-set limit at a point in the canal system, an alarm can be raised or action can be taken in the form of gate or check adjustments. Alarms can appear at the central computer or even be transmitted to a mobile phone or pager. 
       FIG. 15  shows a mobile data gathering system  1500  that is comprised of a vehicle  1502  that employs a plurality of data gathering tools. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention employs a data gathering array  1504  with associated GPS locator mounted on a telescoping mast  1506 . The array includes near infrared (NIR) cameras  1508 , thermal cameras  1510 , traditional RGB cameras  1512  and other associated equipment. The mobile data gathering system  1500  also includes an antenna  1514  to facilitate transfer of data to and from the monitors. In operation, at least a portion of the sensors are connected to wireless transmission devices that can transfer data to a central data collection location. It is envisioned that the equipment integrated onto the vehicle will be dismountable to allow for handheld operations if the monitors are located in difficult-to-access areas. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the mobile data gathering system  1500  vehicle may be a land based vehicle, an aircraft, or a satellite, for example. Data collected on the ground may be used to calibrate remotely sensed imagery. 
     One of skill in the art will appreciate that the methods described herein may be performed by a computer via a web service.  FIG. 16  illustrates a block diagram of a system  800  that may use a web service connector to integrate an application with a web service. The system  800  includes one or more user computers  805 ,  810 , and  815 . The user computers  805 ,  810 , and  815  may be general purpose personal computers (including, merely by way of example, personal computers and/or laptop computers running various versions of Microsoft Corp.&#39;s and/or Apple Corp.&#39;s operating systems) and/or workstation computers running any of a variety of commercially-available UNIX or UNIX-like operating systems. These user computers  805 ,  810 ,  815  may also have any of a variety of applications, including for example, database client and/or server applications, and web browser applications. Alternatively, the user computers  805 ,  810 , and  815  may be any other electronic device, such as a tablet computer, internet-enabled mobile telephone, and/or personal digital assistant, capable of communicating via a network (e.g., the network  820  described below) and/or displaying and navigating web pages or other types of electronic documents. Although the exemplary system  800  is shown with three user computers, any number of user computers may be supported. 
     The system  1600  further includes a network  1620 . The network  1620  can be any type of network familiar to those skilled in the art that can support data communications using any of a variety of commercially-available protocols, including without limitation TCP/IP, SNA, IPX, AppleTalk, and the like. Merely by way of example, the network  1620  may be a local area network (“LAN”), such as an Ethernet network, a Token-Ring network and/or the like; a wide-area network; a virtual network, including without limitation a virtual private network (“VPN”); the interne; an intranet; an extranet; a public switched telephone network (“PSTN”); an infra-red network; a wireless network (e.g., a network operating under any of the IEEE 802.11 suite of protocols, the Bluetooth® protocol known in the art, and/or any other wireless protocol); and/or any combination of these and/or other networks. 
     The system may also include one or more server computers  1625 ,  1630 . One server may be a web server  1625 , which may be used to process requests for web pages or other electronic documents from user computers  1605 ,  1610 , and  1620 . The web server can be running an operating system including any of those discussed above, as well as any commercially-available server operating systems. The web server  1625  can also run a variety of server applications, including HTTP servers, FTP servers, CGI servers, database servers, Java servers, and the like. In some instances, the web server  1625  may publish operations available operations as one or more web services. 
     The system  1600  may also include one or more file and or/application servers  1630 , which can, in addition to an operating system, include one or more applications accessible by a client running on one or more of the user computers  1605 ,  1610 ,  1615 . The server(s)  1630  may be one or more general purpose computers capable of executing programs or scripts in response to the user computers  1605 ,  1610  and  1615 . As one example, the server may execute one or more web applications. The web application may be implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in any programming language, such as Java™, C, C# or C++, and/or any scripting language, such as Perl, Python, or TCL, as well as combinations of any programming/scripting languages. The application server(s)  1630  may also include database servers, including without limitation those commercially available from Oracle, Microsoft, Sybase™, IBM™ and the like, which can process requests from database clients running on a user computer  1605 . 
     In some embodiments, an application server  1630  may create web pages dynamically for displaying the development system. The web pages created by the web application server  1630  may be forwarded to a user computer  1605  via a web server  1625 . Similarly, the web server  1625  may be able to receive web page requests, web services invocations, and/or input data from a user computer  1605  and can forward the web page requests and/or input data to the web application server  1630 . 
     In further embodiments, the server  1630  may function as a file server. Although for ease of description,  FIG. 17  illustrates a separate web server  1625  and file/application server  1630 , those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described with respect to servers  1625 ,  1630  may be performed by a single server and/or a plurality of specialized servers, depending on implementation-specific needs and parameters. 
     The system  1600  may also include a database  1635 . The database  1635  may reside in a variety of locations. By way of example, database  1635  may reside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) one or more of the computers  1605 ,  1610 ,  1615 ,  1625 ,  1630 . Alternatively, it may be remote from any or all of the computers  1605 ,  1610 ,  1615 ,  1625 ,  1630 , and in communication (e.g., via the network  1620 ) with one or more of these. In a particular set of embodiments, the database  1635  may reside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functions attributed to the computers  1605 ,  1610 ,  1615 ,  1625 ,  1630  may be stored locally on the respective computer and/or remotely, as appropriate. In one set of embodiments, the database  1635  may be a relational database, such as Oracle 10i®, that is adapted to store, update, and retrieve data in response to SQL-formatted commands. 
       FIG. 17  illustrates one embodiment of a computer system  1700  upon which a web service connector or components of a web service connector may be deployed or executed. The computer system  1700  is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus  1755 . The hardware elements may include one or more central processing units (CPUs)  1705 ; one or more input devices  1710  (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.); and one or more output devices  1715  (e.g., a display device, a printer, etc.). The computer system  1700  may also include one or more storage device  1720 . By way of example, storage device(s)  1720  may be disk drives, optical storage devices, solid-state storage device such as a random access memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like. 
     The computer system  1700  may additionally include a computer-readable storage media reader  1725 ; a communications system  1730  (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.); and working memory  1740 , which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. In some embodiments, the computer system  1700  may also include a processing acceleration unit  1735 , which can include a DSP, a special-purpose processor and/or the like. 
     The computer-readable storage media reader  1725  can further be connected to a computer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, in combination with storage device(s)  1720 ) comprehensively representing remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or more permanently containing computer-readable information. The communications system  1730  may permit data to be exchanged with the network  1720  and/or any other computer described above with respect to the system  1700 . 
     The computer system  1700  may also comprise software elements, shown as being currently located within a working memory  1740 , including an operating system  1745  and/or other code  1750 , such as program code implementing a web service connector or components of a web service connector. It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments of a computer system  1700  may have numerous variations from that described above. For example, customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed. 
     In the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, methods were described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different order than that described. It should also be appreciated that the methods described above may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in sequences of machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a machine, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose processor or logic circuits programmed with the instructions to perform the methods. These machine-executable instructions may be stored on one or more machine readable mediums, such as CD-ROMs or other type of optical disks, floppy diskettes, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable mediums suitable for storing electronic instructions. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. 
     While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.