Field Operations Data Model

The Field Operations Data Model (FODM) is a set of components designed to present a common programming interface to the wide variety of field devices that are used in agriculture.  FODM consists of a device independent runtime engine and plug-in Field Operations Device Drivers (FODDs) for type of supported field hardware.   There is also a standalone application called the Field Operations Viewer that can be used to quickly view and/or convert data logged from supported devices.

This page has links to the most current copies of the viewer, the runtime engine, and the supported drivers.

FOViewer

The Field operations viewer is a simple stand-alone application that can be used to read and display the data logs from supported field devices.  The data that has been read can also be exported to shapefile, csv, or other formats.   This viewer was written as a test platform for companies that are implementing support for FODM.  It is now being made available to the public, but please keep in mind that this tool is not intended to be a full mapping solution. Nor has it been robustly tested or documented. It is being introduced for public use because it can be used to generate shapefiles with product information from Deere FieldDoc cards. It has now been updated to export yield data in the Ag Leader Advanced Ascii format, as well.  Support for the FOViewer will ONLY be provided via e-mail, or through a discussion forum. You may use:

• NewAgTalk Precision Ag Forum -- A popular discussion forum for practitioners of precision ag.
• MapShots EASi Suite Forum -- A forum for more general MapShots software discussion.

This install will always include the latest version of the FODM Runtime (found at the bottom of this page).

• Field Operations Viewer: (16.8 mb) Version 3.11.08 -- Jun 24, 2009.

3.11.09 -- Corrects an issue related to recovering legacy section data.

3.11.08 -- Incorporates the latest FODM Runtimes. No other changes from 3.11.01.

3.11.01 -- Provided support for displaying individual section status.

3.10.11 -- Updated to include the ability to print the currently displayed map if the map printing feature is installed by a FODD. Currently, only the Precision Planting 2020 FODD installs a printing component.

After installing the viewer, please install one or more FODDs from below. When a FODD is installed, it will automatically be detected by the FOViewer the next time it is started.

Field Operation Device Drivers

The following are downloadable FODDs (Field Operation Device Drivers) for use with FODM and the FOViewer. After downloading the viewer, download and install any necessary FODDs. Each FODD indicates the oldest version of the FODM Runtime with which it will operate. If in doubt about the version of the runtime installed on your computer, please download the FODM Runtime from the bottom of this page.

If you are using a mapping solution that incorporates FODM, you can download any of these FODDs to get the most current implementation for your target device, even if your software vendor has not published an updated version of your mapping solution.

• AGCO
• Ag Leader
• CNH
• FieldLink
• John Deere GreenStar
• Mid-Tech
• New Leader
• Precision Planting
• Raven
• Shapefile
• Trimble

• Falcon Device Driver (2.11 mb), Merge module (457 kb): Version 264 -- November 14, 2008. Requires FODM 3.09.16 or greater. Writes Falcon TIF prescription files and reads Falcon as-applied files. There is no need for any licensing (no subscriptions, Map Translator, or acre charges).
• Console I Device Driver (1.5 mb), Merge module (235 kb) : Version 238 -- April 21, 2009. Requires FODM 3.09.16 or greater. The Console I data logging format is also referred to as Datatronics III or Power Performance III. Console I and its data-logging format is available on some European tractors. It does not support harvest data or product application. The device driver writes planned tasks and reads logs for the Console I format.
• Console II Device Driver (1.58 mb), Merge module (376 kb) : Version 314 -- September 14, 2009. Requires FODM 3.09.16 or greater. This is the newest format. AGCO’s Console II is ISO-BUS and logs data according to the ISO specification. Over time, this will be the preferred format. AGCO already has combines logging this format and are about to release a console on application equipment. Don’t be confused – the firmware on the new console is referred to as: FIELDSTAR II and Falcon VT. They log a different format than the predecessor of the same name. The format is sometimes referred to as task controller.

  The Auto-Guide 2 support requires the Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 (23mb).

• FIELDSTAR Device Driver (12.7 mb), Merge module (2.28 mb): Version 246 -- April 21, 2009. Requires FODM 3.09.16 or greater. FIELDSTAR data is handled by this device driver. FIELDSTAR data includes harvest data and application data from the terminal of the same name.

• MapShots Ag Leader Field Operations Device Driver: (18.4 mb) Version 3.10.25 -- Jan 7, 2010.

  3.10.25 -- Updated to read Cotton .ilf files. Uses the SwathWidth when no AppWidth was entered in .ilf application logs. Re-enabled the summary report for .yld files

  3.10.20e -- Updated the Insight FODD to correctly handle the new Seed Population Module, which gets recorded as Site Verification data. Corrected an error in calculating the seeding and spraying rates when some sections are turned off

  3.10.20c -- Corrected an installer issue that copied the mpsCtrl2.ocx as mpsCtr2.ocx

  3.10.20b -- Rebuilt the MSF export to correct an IBY problem

  3.10.20a -- Updated the Insight appliction FODD to support individual section mapping, and the new Insight version 6.0 firmware. The Insight FODD version is now 1.1.0.1

  3.10.20 -- Updated the FODD so that it is no longer necesssary for all .yld or .ilf files in a folder to be from the same machine. For each file that is read, only related files are scanned for calibration information.

  3.10.17 -- Updated to work better with the auto-archive features of Pioneer's FIT Application. The install was updated to pre-create the Machine Library folder so that the FODD can work with out special handling in Vista.

  3.10.16 -- Updated the .msf export to limit the length of exported names. Updated the .tgt export to work with regional settings that use a comma as a decimal point.

  3.10.14b -- Corrects a problem related to processing multiple files from the same day.

  3.10.14 -- resolves a licensing issue with the 3.10.14 build. It also publishes the monitor serial number and season as File properites, and it differentiates files between seeding and application.

  3.10.11 -- Includes the first draft of the new Insight Multi-Product FODD. This FODD now installs as a new component called AgLeader Insight. With this component, there is no longer a reason to select a machine configuration. You can still use the old component found within the standard "Ag Leader" selection if you do not need the new multi-product features, or if the new component is not working properly for you. You can force the legacy VB Insight FODD to forward transparently to the new .Net FODD by adding this string value into your registry:

  HKey_LocalMachine\Software\FODM\Drivers\MPSAL2\ForwardTo = "ilfFOD.ilfApplicationReader".

  3.10.10a -- Includes a corrected component from AgLeader that should prevent IBY files with interior holes from locking up the Insight display.

  3.10.09 -- Introduces the ability to generate IBY files within the .msf export.

  This FODD requires the Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 (23mb). (The installer will tell you if this framework is missing.)



• MapShots Ag Leader Text Field Operations Device Drivers: (700 kb) Version 3.02.01 -- December 4, 2007.   Requires FODM 3.09.16 runtime or greater.

These FODDs are neither endorsed nor supported by Ag Leader.

• MapShots CNH Voyager Field Operations Device Driver: (1.5 mb) Version 3.01.19 -- Nov 16, 2006.   Reads CNH Voyager yield files. Requires FODM 3.06.05 or greater.


• MapShots CNH Voyager2 Field Operations Device Driver: (1.1 mb) Version 1.01.10 -- Dec 16, 2009. Reads CNH Voyager 2 yield files. This FODD now supports a test version of card setup and Rx generation.

  WARNING -- The card setup feature is in beta testing and you should not use this without discussing prerequistes with your software vendor. In it's current implementation, writing a card with this FODD and importing it to your monitor will add all exported items to those that are already in your monitor. The setup card should really only be used in a monitor where the existing setup has been erased. Code to resolve this limitation is being implemented.

  WARNING #2 -- The Voyager 2 cannot deal with prescriptions that have polygons with "holes" in them. This would be a common situation when using soil types or contours for a base map. Surface prescriptions with lots of small cells are not an issue. This issue will be resolved, but as long as this warning is posted, please be aware of this limitation.

  You can review this post on NAT for a long-winded discussion of some issues with the entire process.

  This FODD requires the Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 (23mb). (The installer will tell you if this framework is missing.)

  1.01.10 -- Added support for reading split-planter and dry spreader logs.

  1.01.08 -- This version replaces invalid characters in farm and field names with an underscore, and it tries to filter out default CNH GPS Receiver locations.

  1.01.07 -- Added serialization to the COM components so they can be run on a background thread for multicore processors and web servers.

  1.01.05 -- Introduced the first pass as reading as-applied data. We have successfully read as-applied data from a seeding operation. The data is read into the sections as defined in the monitor, but we are skipping subsections as we found several incorrect subsection defintions in the test data that we were working with. A later FODD release will support reading products other than seeding

  1.01.04 -- Introduced the first pass as reading site-verification data.

  1.01.03 -- Corrected an internal identifier so that this FODD did not conflict with the Precision Planting FODD.



• MapShots CNH Flexi-Coil Field Operations Device Driver: (1.5 mb) Writes Flexi-Coil .pre prescriptions files and reads Flexi-Coil .log as-applied files. Requires FODM 3.09.16 runtime or greater.

These FODDs are neither endorsed nor supported by CNH.

• MapShots FieldLink Field Operations Device Driver: (6.5 mb) Version 3.01.06 -- September 18, 2007.   Requires FODM 3.09.16 runtime or greater.

This FODD supported voluntarily by MapShots.

• Deere GS2 Field Operations Device Driver: (4.8 mb) Version 3.1.4.9 -- Dec 14, 2009. Writes Deere GS2 setup and prescription files, and reads GS2 yield and as-applied data. Supports both the 2.x, and 3.1 versions of GS2 firmware.

  This FODD requires the Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 (23mb). (The GS2 FODD installer will tell you if this framework is missing.)

  Version 3.1.4.9 Work to remove "out-of-memory" issues when reading large amounts of data.

  Version 3.1.4.6 Re-enabled the "Merge operation regions by variety" option that got inadvertently disabled. Resolved an issue with reading Commodity Cart data where a product could be set to the incorrect units upon importing.

  Version 3.1.4.5 Corrected an issue that caused the full machine engaged status to be set incorrectly with RowSense data. Worked around some non-spatial sensors found in some Cotton logs. Removed support for the 1.x firmware versions (2007 and prior version).

  Version 3.1.4.4 Allows for the importing of log files from the 2009 Summer Update.

  Version 2.07.18 Corrected an error the caused full machine engaged status to be logged as individual section status.

  Version 2.07.17 Provided support for processing harvest logs when the crops are not properly setup by the office software. Corrected a problem that could cause issues with mositure content under some scenarios.

  Version 2.07.16 Add support for objects serialization so this FODD can be run on a background thread on multi-core processors and async web servers.

  Version 2.07.14 Adds a Grower device property, and correctly parses the combine serial number from the log files, when entered by the user.

  Version 2.07.13 corrects a problem related to calculating the width of planter components if the components were not centered on the planter. For instance, logging a configuration of 6 rows on the left to one variety, and 18 rows on the right to a different variety caused the acres of the 6-row variety to be doubled.

  Version 2.07.12 will retrieve the published field boundaries (but not the driven boundaries) that are associated with each application log. The GS2SetupReader was enhanced to export a field boundary shapefile into each RCD field folder, and a single Boundaries shapefile that contains all field boundaries. This latter is exported at the root of the card image.

  Version 2.07.11 supports reading site-verification data when an operation is logged without a product defined. The process for calculating machine offsets was also tweaked.

  Version 2.07.10 publishes the crop name of an as-planted variety log as the Commodity property, and some of the container names are a little friendlier.

• Deere GS1 Field Operations Device Driver: (1.4 mb) Version 3.10.34 -- Oct 15, 2008. Writes Deere GS1 setup and prescription files and reads GS1 Combine Yield Mapping, Harvest Doc, SeedStar, SprayStar, and Field Doc operation logs.

  Version 3.10.34 resolved a problem that prevent Pioneer FIT from reading a second unloaded card.

  Version 3.10.33 resolved a problem with the second instance of a product mix within a gsd file.

  Version 3.10.32 resolved a problem with the built in archive function.

  Version 3.10.31 resolved a problem that was observed when processing some specific setup files.

  Version 3.10.27 correctly handles the latest updates for GS1 split planter firmware.

  Version 3.10.22 supports reading all clients at once from multi-client cards, and it provides a registry setting option for assinging a default task name to any monitor task that is not defined in the setup files.

• GreenStar Crop List: The Deere monitors require crop/commodity names that match their internal list. This document defines the supported crops. However, reasonable substitions are also supported. For instance, "Corn" will be mapped into "Corn (Wet)", "Wheat" will map into one of the Deere wheats, and you can use Soybeans or Soybean. Choose Milo if you want Grain Sorghum.
• Formatting a GS1 card: The GS1 monitor requires a very specific card format that can only be performed from the DOS prompt on Win2K, XP, and Vista machines. This document describes the required format and steps to perform it.

This FODD is endorsed by Deere and supported voluntarily by MapShots.

• MapShots Mid-Tech Field Operations Device Drivers: (3.8 mb) Version 3.02.25 -- Apr 18, 2008.   Requires FODM 3.09.16 runtime or greater.

• MapShots New Leader Field Operations Device Driver: (700 kb) Version 1.00.00 -- Apr 9, 2007.   Requires FODM 3.09.03 runtime or greater.

• Precision Planting 20/20 Field Operations Device Driver: (3.5 mb) Version 1.11.7 -- Nov 4, 2009.

  This FODD provides access to all available data calculations, with data summarized across all rows associated with each variety. Data is also available for the averages of the Row Unit Modules (RUMs). A Diagnostic option in the FODD will optionally publish calculations for each individual row.

  1.11.7 -- Exposed some new engineering sensors and added predefined sensor themes to the FOViewer.

  1.11.6 -- Made each COM Interop class serializable so the component can be run on a background thread.

  1.11.5 -- Added a new Is2020Card interface to the fodPrecisionPlantingReader class so that a client application can more easily test for a valid 2020 card, w/o needing to process all files.

  1.11.4 -- Updated the manner in which domains are created such that support is now included for field names that are only unique within a farm, rather than unique within the monitor. Added support for automatic heading calculation when the GPS receiver does not supply heading. And, compiled the FODD in X86 mode to ensure that it will work with 64 bit development environments.

  1.11.3 -- Fixed issue where reading 2008 data failed due to inconsistent active_rows and planter_rows in FieldMap file.

  1.11.2 -- Added support for SOR48 planters and updated the Farm device property to publish "Unknown" rather than an empty string for default farms.

  1.11.1 -- RUM data on diagnostic rows was skewed by one row. Updated some units for parameters in the diagnostic data. Added support for four hybrids. Fixed a bug that caused ODD and EVEN active row settings to disable half the planter. Changed the recursion value so that all data can be read by pointing to the root of the USB drive. Removed a leading '.' from the filename extension.

  1.10.2 -- Supports a Detailed mode for exploring data for individual rows.

  1.10.1 -- Updated to support the new Version 10 firmware, and corrected the way the engaged status was set for the overall machine on each GPS site.

  1.0.0.22 -- Added serialization support so that the FODD can run on a background thread on multicore processors and web servers.

  1.0.0.21 -- Corrected a scaling error on the RUM data vacuum reading.

  1.0.0.20 -- Handles situations where there are more rows assigned to a variety than there are rows on the planter. Also traps errors on single files such that all other files can still be processed.

  1.0.0.19 -- Corrects a problem with multiple row segments for a single variety.

  Note -- Version 1.0.0.18 that was posted on May 28 was inadvertently version 1.0.0.17. The link was corrected the morning of Jun 2. We apologize for this confusion.

  Version 1.0.0.18 Includes support for printing maps from the FOViewer. It also filters out small files with less than 30 or so records, and it corrects an open issue with split-row planters.

  Version 1.0.0.17 included support for populating the FODM domain objects so that the data would be more comparable to that published by other field devices. It also includes improved support for split-row planters.

  Version 1.0.0.16 Supports reading data when both varieties were assigned to All rows, and the resolution is increased on some of the seeding statistics.

  Version 1.0.0.14 Resolves a problem with duplicate filenames across folders.

  Version 1.0.0.13 Supports reading data where varieties were assigned w/o assigning rows.

  Version 1.0.0.12 Supports reading data files where no seed variety information was entered. It also populates the TargetPopulation device property with the list of defined setpoints.

  Version 1.0.0.11 Excludes RUMs without downforce sensors from the average downforce calculation, corrects the "loss per acre" calculation, and updates the the Margin calculation.

  Version 1.0.0.10 includes a 20' inline offset for the planter from the GPS receiver, along with elevation (for firmware version 2.1.13 or newer). It also supports the new row-number syntax for planters with an extended number of rows.

  This FODD is distributed and supported by Precision Planting.

• FarmWorks Raven RBin Field Operations Device Driver: (1.6 mb) Version 1.0.0.17 -- Apr 16, 2009.   Requires FODM 3.10.05 runtime or greater.

  This FODD is developed and supported by FarmWorks.

• MapShots Shapefile Field Operations Device Drivers: (4.5 mb) Version 3.03.10 -- Mar 31, 2009.   Requires FODM 3.09.16 runtime or greater.

  Version 3.03.10 Adds a new driver that has explicit knowledge of Apex yield site exports. This driver reads the accompanying text file in the shapefile set and parses the FGDC meta-data to determine crop and other information that is missing from the shapefile.

  Version 3.03.01 provides handles invalid filenames that would be generated from special characters within the templated filesnames. It also avoids exporting surface cells that are marked as out-of-field.

• MapShots Trimble Field Operations Device Drivers: (700 kb) Version 3.00.08 -- Oct 30, 2008.   Requires FODM 3.09.16 runtime or greater.

• FODM Runtime: (5.0 mb) Version 3.11.09 -- Jun 25, 2009.  Install this file if you are simply updating your computer to the latest version of FODM.

• FODM Runtime w/ Visual Basic: (8.2 mb) Version 3.11.09 -- Jun 25, 2009.  Use this installation on computers that have never seen FODM (There is little reason for an end user to ever download this install as FODM by itself has no user interface. You will either download the Field Operations Viewer, or your mapping software vendor will have already installed this for you and you only need to update with the simple install.)

• FODM SDK: (19.0 mb) Version 3.11.09 -- Jun 25, 2009.  This is a full installation of FODM, the Visual Basic Runtime, The Field Operations Viewer, programming help files, and sample code. It should only be downloaded by people that intend to write applications that use FODM.

3.11.09 -- Corrected an issue with code that tried to recover section status from legacy data.

3.11.08 -- Corrected a problem that caused section status to be lost when exporting to an XML file, and importing again.

3.11.05 -- Fixed a problem with UTC values that went beyond signed 32 bit ranges.

3.11.01 -- Added support for filtering by section status in the *array methods.

3.10.22 -- Corrected the process for rolling up component offsets when a machine offset was involved and the rollup was being done at the combination level.

3.10.21 -- Includes updates to handle fixed width child components more appropriately. It also includes a function to automatically decompose product mixes properly into individual mix elements. And it includes some corrections to the way the the FCD headings are calculated when the device does not provide GPS heading.

• MapShots Visual Studio Templates: (11 kb) September 24, 2007.  This is a Visual Studio Installer that will install a C# .Net 2.0 FODD project template and a .Net C# 2.0 item template for a class that has the correct attributes and GUIDs for a COM Interop class.