R7® Tool Georeferencing Changes

In the past, anyone using the R7^® Tool by WinField United was able to georeference themselves using the Google Earth platform. A blue dot would indicate the user’s location and track his or her movement through a field. Now, as a result of Google Earth’s most recent update, this functionality will no longer be supported.
 
The good news is, we’ve discovered another way to accomplish the same thing.
 
The latest iteration of the R7^® Tool — available via tablet and desktop, and through the R7^® Tool app — contains location services. In the top center area of the R7^® Tool dashboard is an arrow pointing toward 2 o’clock — just like on iPhone^®. Clicking on this icon enables users to note their location within the R7^® Tool. Here’s how.
 
1. When you are in the field and want to note a location, open an R7^® Tool map on your tablet — for example, a Yield Potential Map or a prescription map. 
 
2. When you reach an area of interest in the field, press the location arrow on the dashboard and your location will be indicated on the screen.
 
3.  When you get to a new area of interest, press the location arrow. Again, your location will be marked.
 
You will not be tracked, so when you arrive at a new area you want to note, you’ll need to press the arrow again — essentially refreshing the screen. In my experience, this new method works best when accessed through the Google Chrome browser.
 
On a related note, this change in georeferencing does not affect your ability to compare Yield Potential Maps to farmers’ yield maps while riding with them in the combine. Harvest provides a great opportunity to review the season and answer questions such as:

• What did this crop year look like?
• What decisions did we make and why?
• What were the consequences or benefits of those decisions?
• What were the outcomes of applying a particular product on a portion of the field for comparison purposes?

Yield Potential Maps from the R7^® Tool align closely with yield maps from the farmer’s combine. Using both of these maps gives you the ability to apply technology and initiate conversations that can assist farmers even late in the season. You can also pull the farmer’s yield map into the R7^® Tool and perform yield analysis that way. This allows some connectivity points between you and farmers late in the season, allowing you a meaningful look at that final report card.
 
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