Research and development of software for spatial optimization of mechanized operations

• Grant number: 15/01071-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: November 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Agricultural Machinery and Implements
• Principal Investigator: Mark Spekken
• Grantee: Mark Spekken
• Company: Mark Spekken Engenharia
• Associated researchers: Caio Jhonathan Dario de Oliveira ; Michel Rudan Isaias Vargas
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/24265-9 - Research and development of software for spatial optimization of mechanized operations, BP.PIPE

Abstract

SOMO (Spatial Optimization of Mechanized Operations) is a company dedicated to IT (information technology) development hosted in ESALQTec in the Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ) - University of São Paulo, Piracicaba-SP. Keeping a view on the development of navigation and guidance systems (automatic pilot and traffic control), support systems that create routes for their use become necessary. Works were carried in the field of path-planning of machines on agricultural fields aiming to minimize the impacts like unproductive time, overlap of agricultural inputs, soil compaction and loss by water erosion; all obtaining a positive result. The main researcher of this project participated in a number of scope-related works and proposes the development of an application that merges several aspects of impact in an automated system capable to simulate in real time a significant number of routes to find an optimized final route. A total of five key processes are considered for the achievement of an optimal route: creation and positioning of tracks minimizing coverage overlap; evaluate soil loss by track parallelism to same height level (using the RUSLE equation) or create these tracks in a gradient slope for water run-off conduction; extract the time and space needed for maneuvering (using kinematic equations based on mechanical and operational variables); seek an optimal sequence of maneuvering along tracks minimizing logistics of servicing operations (using detailed traffic costs and heuristic algorithm); and the transformation of these impacts in economical values for global optimization. Specific results are expected from each one of the processes in the form of variables to be converted in a unique economic value, besides the georeferenced route (or route options) capable to be transferred to navigation systems. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SPEKKEN, MARK; DE BRUIN, SYTZE; MOLIN, JOSE PAULO; SPAROVEK, GERD. Planning machine paths and row crop patterns on steep surfaces to minimize soil erosion. COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE, v. 124, p. 194-210, JUN 2016. (12/07958-2, 15/01071-4)