Software vs. Hardware

It’s important to understand the distinction between these two common terms when it comes to dealing with technology. Software is the program, or application, running on your device that has a user interface (UI) where you can point and click to get around and complete tasks. The best software has an easy-to-follow user experience design (UX) which makes navigating the software more intuitive. Hardware is the computer or device itself. Whether you have a Microsoft Windows personal computer (PC), or an Apple MacBook, iPad tablet running iOS, or Google Pixel mobile phone running Android, the hardware refers to the device itself.

Precision Ag Software and Data

Last year I wrote Data generated by precision equipment is often stored in proprietary formats that are specific to individual manufacturers and devices. To facilitate data sharing and analysis across platforms, these datasets are frequently exported as geospatial layers, such as ESRI shapefiles. Common examples include planting maps (from planters), as-applied maps (from spray or toolbar applicators), and yields (from combines). This article will summarize three of the most popular platforms: AgLeader Spatial Management Software (SMS), John Deere Operations Center (JD Ops), and FieldView from Climate Corporation.

Desktop and Mobile Software

SMS, which is for PCs and installs as an application, comes in two forms: SMS is a powerful tool to run on your local machine (unless you’re a Mac user). It integrates well with AgFiniti, their web-based application, which allows for downloading geospatial ag data from the cloud to your desktop (more on that below). SMS features a detailed management tree that organizes data by farm, field, year, and operation. A key advantage of SMS is its ability to collect, catalog and visualize precision ag data (Figure 1). Additional benefits include: local data backups without reliance on cloud-based services, functionality in the absence of internet connectivity and broad compatibility with monitors and equipment from multiple manufacturers. The data tree under Project Workspace shows your farm, field, year and specific operation (planting, spraying, fertilizing). Once a layer is highlighted by clicking on it, a map appears in the “Preview Window” in the bottom left. Clicking “Create New Map” then brings that map into the main window with an editable legend to the right.

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Figure 1. SMS catalogs and visualizes data contained in Project Workspace with attributes like yield.

Web-Based (cloud) Platforms

JD Ops is a web-based platform that catalogs data from implements, while the UI works through a web browser (Figure 2, left). Creating a username and password is free for anyone, but getting data requires linking your machine with a in-cab modem or being linked with a farm that is willing to share (Manage Team . is also accessible via a mobile app that syncs with the cloud to visualize maps on your phone or tablet. It lets you track linked equipment in real time and provides reminders for service based on operating hours. The home page also provides daily weather updates like rainfall, temperature, wind and humidity readings.

FieldView is a web-based platform for cataloging data from implements installed with their FieldView Drive 2.0 hardware system. Basic FieldView is free, but the plus version is $649 per year and allows you to link and share with other farms. They utilize two mobile apps: FieldView and FieldView Cab that work with Apple and Android operating systems. In addition to cataloging data by field, year and crop, FieldView offers Field Health snapshots. These indexed images reveal areas of the field of high/med/low vegetation from the Climate Crop Index (CCI) (Figure 2, right). FieldView includes a Dashboard that summarizes key information such as grain prices, historical weather and operational progress throughout the growing season.

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Figure 2. John Deere Operations Center (left) serves as a centralized platform for data management and map visualization, while FieldView (right) adds an additional layer of Field Health imagery.

Other Web-Based Platforms

  • is the web-based companion platform to SMS, providing seamless data transfer and remote access to precision ag data. The Essentials License ($420) allows users to visualize field maps through both web and mobile apps. Data collected by the in-cab monitor can be wirelessly uploaded to the cloud, where they can be downloaded and organized within SMS. Prescriptions created through SMS can be transferred through AgFiniti directly to compatible precision monitors, eliminating the need to exchange files using USB drives.
  • Panorama is a web-based platform that catalogues data using Precision Planting 20/20 monitors, and a license costs $500. Maps are visualized to reveal attributes recorded at different operations. For example, planting maps can show population, hybrid, singulation and other data. At harvest, the analytical tool “Lasso” allows you to select any portion of the field to see the yield distribution.
  • Xarvio is a field-management software from BASF. It can be linked to implements through services like John Deere or Precision Planting to import data directly. Xarvio is free to register.

Data Analytics

SMS Advanced and JD Ops offer tools to perform analysis on yield data. In SMS Advanced, yield data can be visualized as a normalization map using the Multi-Year Averages Analysis toolbox (Figure 3). These maps classify management zones into user-defined categories of normalized yield. This process uses yield data from all crops and gives a visualization of field productivity.

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Figure 3. Multi-year averages analysis maps show patterns of yields from more than 1 year of data.

JD Ops can generate Summary Maps within the Field Analyzer tool, which calculates the average productivity of a single crop across multiple growing seasons. The Summary Maps interface displays all the seasons in which the selected crop has been grown, allowing users to choose one or more years to include in the analysis. The resulting map represents average crop performance across the selected seasons (Figure 4); however, the analysis is limited to a single crop type. Research has shown that yield patterns can vary among crops, and it’s important to consider multiple crops in the rotation when evaluating long-term spatial productivity.

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Figure 4. John Deere Operations Center Summary Map allows users to select data (left) and create single crop average (right).

In both SMS and JD Ops (Figures 3 and 4), greens represent high yields, and reds represent lower yields. Note that the spatial patterns look similar, as both programs use the same yield monitor datasets from corn (2023, 2024, 2025); however, the attributes are different. In SMS, normalized yields are categorized from 0-100 by calculating the pixel yield divided by the field average yield. This allows SMS to compare different crops over different seasons. In the SMS example, areas of green represent yields at a higher distribution (~65 – 100). In JD Ops, the colors refer to actual measured yields.

The benefits of cataloging yield data are well known. Research at MSU has shown that management zones can be derived from analyzing yield maps. Both analysis maps from SMS and JD Ops have similar spatial patterns but fail to consider zones that fluctuate from areas of high to low yielding, known as unstable zones. Recent research integrates topography into yield analyses, identifying slopes, depressions and hilltops, helping explain yield variations in greater detail associated with differences in water availability. MSU Extension offers free yield data analysis to help farmers understand historic field performance and identify opportunities to improve management in the current and coming seasons. If you’re interested in diving deeper into your yield data, please reach out to me to learn more.