System and Method of Sub-Surface System Design and Installation

Abstract

The system and method of the present invention provides comprehensive design and installation management for agricultural water management systems. Maps and grade profiles are created from data collected by Global Positioning devices in the field. Latitude, longitude, and elevation are triangulated from GPS data to develop contour, grade, and profile maps, used to design drainage systems in real time. Customer billing information and vendor pricing information are produced from map and grade profile data. Interfacing and machine control for machines used to install drainage and/or irrigation systems are generated from contour, grade and profile data. Data is exported and imported in common file formats for efficient data exchange.

1 . A system for managing drainage system design comprising: 
 a computer;    an input device for accepting GPS data into said computer, said GPS data comprising a plurality of data points collected in sections;    means within said computer for mapping a field using said plurality of data points;    means within said computer for designing a drainage system design from said GPS data,    means for generating a cost estimate for said drainage system, and    means for producing an instruction set for tooling machines installing said drainage system.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  comprising: 
 a mobile vehicle for collecting survey data in GPS format.    
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said mobile vehicle carries a Real-Time Kinematic Differential Global Positioning System device.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the mobile vehicle is selected from the group consisting of: ATV'S, construction equipment, tractors, trucks, cars, boats, ships, helicopters, and airplanes.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a tooling means for installing said drainage system according to said instruction set produced by said management means.    
     
     
         6 . The system for managing drainage system design of  claim 1  wherein the management means is a personal computer.  
     
     
         7 . A method of managing drainage system design comprising: 
 gathering GPS data of a field needing a drainage system said GPS data comprising coordinates of a plurality of points along a perimeter of said field;    constructing a drainage system design from said GPS data;    generating a cost estimate for said drainage system; and    producing an instruction set for tooling a machine installing said drainage system.    
     
     
         8 . The method of managing drainage system design of  claim 7  further comprising forming a contour map of the field.  
     
     
         9 . An improved tiling machine for clearing sub surface areas, said tiling machine having an on-board computer and a GPS device, the improvement comprising: 
 a GPS-based instruction set downloaded into and executed by said on-board computer for controlling grade and depth of sub surfaces areas cleared by the tiling machine.    
     
     
         10 . (canceled)  
     
     
         11 . An article of manufacture comprising: 
 a computer program product, said computer program product comprising a means for grid initialization, a means for dropping a point on a grid, a means for querying the altitude of the point, and a means for generating topographic lines, wherein said grid initialization comprises means for identifying a bounding box according to longitudes and latitudes of a plurality of points on a perimeter of said bounding box.    
     
     
         12 . A method of managing drainage system design according to  claim 7 , wherein said step of gathering comprises: 
 collecting and recording a plurality of latitude and longitude coordinates at predetermined intervals around a perimeter of a field; and    collecting a plurality of data points within said field in sections.    
     
     
         13 . A method of managing drainage system design according to  claim 12  wherein said sections comprise of swaths of varying widths dependant upon the topography.  
     
     
         14 . A method of managing drainage system design according to  claim 12  wherein said plurality of data points within each section of said field comprise coordinates of a high point and low point in said section.  
     
     
         15 . A method of managing drainage system design according to  claim 14  wherein said plurality of data points within each section further comprise coordinates of at least one depression.