t what’s new
SST Software Partners With Geovantage to Deliver Multispectral Imagery SST Software will soon offer remote sensing services to growers and ag service providers in partnership with GeoVantage, a global provider of multispectral imagery. The partnership will enable SST to provide seamless ordering, acquisition, and delivery of multispectral imagery across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. SST's software currently manages approximately 85 million acres of farmland across 23 countries. Remote sensing is the science of obtaining data about an object from a distance. Since plants absorb or reflect certain bands of light according to their health, monitoring light reflectance with remote sensing technologies reveals zones of crop stress long before they are visible to the naked eye. This gives farmers and agronomists a head start on treating yield threatening conditions. "Although precision ag practices are maturing in many areas, we see the utilization of multispectral imagery as one of the next big waves of site-specific farming," said Tim Riley, SST Business Development Director. "In-season imagery provides benefits for growers and agronomists in the areas of crop scouting, plant health assessment, nutrient management, identification of compaction zones, growth canopy measurements, mechanical errors in application equipment, and insurance claims." SST will initially offer four-band multispectral imagery for red, green, blue, and near infrared along with a calculated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) through satellite acquisition and special aircraft mounted cameras. According to Riley, the future of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is exciting but the technology still needs to mature before it will be ready for widespread use. "At the end of the day, the acquisition model has to be economically beneficial to the farmer and easily executable on a large scale for the ag service provider," said Riley, adding that the partnership with GeoVantage provides the vital elements of rapid response and high-quality acquisition at an economically justifiable price point. GeoVantage, a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in aerial imagery acquisition, has developed aircraft mounted camera pods along with guidance and acquisition software. Nick Morrow, Director of Operations at GeoVantage, states, "GeoVantage has been working closely with agronomists and agriculture associations for over a decade. What we sought was a partner who could merge our imagery with data layers A2
within their agricultural GIS. SST has an established client base that desires imagery services, and they understand how to turn raw data into valuable information that will benefit the farmer. It's an ideal partnership." Starting in spring 2014, ag service providers using SST Summit will be able to order imagery on demand. After specifying a time window, the imagery will be acquired, processed, and seamlessly delivered to SST Summit. "SST has been involved with the acquisition and testing of multispectral imagery for nearly 20 years," said SST CEO Matt Waits. "We are glad the time has finally arrived where there is a fully integrated, economically viable solution for utilizing the benefits brought from remote sensing." In the future, SST plans on integrating the ordering and delivery of imagery products through its Sirrus iPad app as well as offering imagery services integration with other ag software applications through an agX Platform API. ____________________________________
My Shed Mobile App Now Available In 2.0 Version CropLife magazine has named My Shed™ one of the 15th Best New Agriculture Apps Worth Downloading in 2014. Case IH just made it easier than ever for customers to manage their fleets and keep their equipment in peak working condition with the recent release of version 2.0 of the popular My Shed mobile app for Apple and Android smart devices. Launched in fall 2012, the My Shed app provides Case IH customers with mobile access to digital parts manuals, assembly diagrams and part numbers so they can quickly locate parts for specific equipment models and submit parts orders directly to their local dealer. “My Shed features powerful fleet management tools that allow equipment owners to manage, organize and store equipment data from their mobile device,” says Adam Rortvedt, Case IH Parts & Service eCommerce Manager. “With version 2.0, we’ve also introduced a variety of new business management tools, including calculators, product alerts and diagram bookmarks, to name a few.”
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Email orders using “quick hit” buttons to ship orders, pick up orders or get only a quote
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Bookmark parts diagrams and data
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Manage, organize and store equipment data from a mobile device
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Make quick buying decisions with tools like the My Shed disk blade selector and preservative calculator
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Stay current by checking product alerts and videos
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Customize account settings
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Find local dealers by ZIP code or locator map
“One year ago, we were the first in our industry to launch the My Shed mobile app that helps customers find and order parts from their smartphone,” Rortvedt continues. “With the release of version 2.0, customers are now able to manage the most important information about their machines, such as serial numbers, service dates, hours of use and previous parts orders, from their mobile device. So whether they’re in the field or on the jobsite, when they need parts, they can quickly and conveniently submit orders to their local equipment dealer.” The version 2.0 My Shed mobile application is available as a free download from the Apple Store or Google Play. To access the full online version of My Shed, North American customers can visit the Case IH online parts store. ____________________________________
Curtis Industries Introduces Cab System for the John Deere Gator 825i S4 HPX/ XUV Curtis Industries LLC, manufacturer of cab enclosures, attachments and accessories for compact vehicles, is pleased to announce the release of its Commercial Grade Cab System for the John Deere Gator 825i S4 HPX/XUV 4-passenger utility vehicle. Cab features the same innovative design and rugged durability of the Gator 2-passenger cab, including tem-
With My Shed, customers can: •
Access all of the app’s functions from new home page icons
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