Select Page

Water Management Enhancements in SMS v14.5

by Jul 24, 2014Ag Leader, SMS™ Software, Water Management

The release of SMS version 14.5 brings to the table a number of enhancements to the water management module; new efficiencies have been built into the visualization tools, the tile plan validation tool and tile plan editor.

Two new attributes are now available within the Terrain Analysis that will assist you in determining areas of the field that would benefit most from having drainage tile installed. Landscape position will identify the depressions and valleys of the field and ensure that the lowest lying areas are highlighted for drainage; while Drainage Intensity will identify where water will concentrate within the field as water is collected.  In addition to these new attributes, the LIDAR files you may use to create your Terrain Analysis layer can now be imported through the batch utility, making import much more efficient.

The new Landscape Position attribute can be used to easily identify low lying areas of the field

Once you’ve determined the locations of your tile runs and you’re ready to layout your tile plan, there are some new tools to help make this process faster and easier. If you have multiple runs along a field edge or going through a ridge that need to be trimmed, you can now divide them all at once, rather than individually.

If you’ve designed tile plans before, you know how important the drainage coefficient is. Now you have multiple options for calculating the drainage coefficient of your system. It can now be based off of the average grade of a run, or the minimum drainage coefficient (shallowest portion) of a tile run. If you have a run that doesn’t meet your desired drainage coefficient, you receive minimum tile sizing recommendations to assist in finding properly sized tile for your system.

Choose between two ways to calculate your Drainage Coefficient

Minimum tile sizing recommendations help find the correct tile size

Also new this release is a check to ensure that the velocity of water in your tile system is within range, relative to the soil texture for your fields.  During the design process you can now check to see that the velocity is sufficient to prevent the tile from silting in. Conversely, you can make sure the velocity isn’t so much that erosion of the tile bed occurs. This feature utilizes the automated USDA Soil Survey data you have downloaded for your fields. Your tile layout is compared against the soil texture within the corresponding horizon layer, ensuring your tile will flow correctly in any soil profile.

Use the new velocity check, to ensure your tile is placed at the correct grade

To learn more about these new enhancements and more, visit http://www.agleader.com or get in contact with us at 515-232-5363 or SMSsupport@agleader.com and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have!