The Soil Information System (SIS): Optimizing Inputs and Maximizing Yield.

The Soil Information System (SIS) is a system consisting of proprietary hardware, software, algorithms, and processes that are used to create information products useful for agriculture and other applications. The SIS has been used to map over 600 sites on four continents over the past five years. The sensors utilized by the SIS technology are deployed in a series of steps that each leads to a more refined set of targeted observation locations in subsequent steps. This iterative and adaptive smart sampling process results in observations that have maximum 3D spatial significance, extrapolation potential, and interpolation capacity. A database of observations from the SIS collected around the world is used in the processing and interpretation of the results of newly obtained sensor data. The resulting information products enable the optimization of nutrients and soil amendments as well as the timing and placement of irrigation. Plant available water, nutrient holding capacity, compaction intensity and distribution, and amendment application rate recommendations are just a few of the 65 plus map products generated. The SIS services have been shown repeatedly to generate a complete return of investment within the first year.