#Idaho national laboratory software#
#Idaho national laboratory professional#

Our scientists and drillers have developed techniques to obtain the best core possible in basalt, consolidated, and unconsolidated sediment. We drill and core an average of two new wells every year the INL contractor also drills and cores wells for research purposes.

Freeing up water by managing it more effectively will result in more water for everyone else.The USGS INL Project Office has its own drillers and drill rigs to drill and core new monitoring and research wells. “Currently, farmers get first right of refusal for water in the area.

#Idaho national laboratory software#

“We hope this software will help everyone in rural, farm-focused communities,” said Hartley. We are hoping to see it scaled up so it can be used statewide and ultimately, nationwide.” “But for other farms in the area, this concept of comprehensive electronic water data collection is new and could be a total game changer. “Our work with INL has allowed us to better understand data we had already been gathering,” Mickelsen said. This will include polishing the current prototype Hartley and his team have developed and adding functionality and robustness.

#Idaho national laboratory professional#

The next step is to refine the software with INL’s Technology Transfer team and professional software developers. “Understanding how water usage changes in the spring versus the summer, or for wheat versus potatoes, will give the farmers more data to work with as they plan for water use changes throughout the year.” “Water usage is obviously different in different seasons and for different crops,” said Hartley. In vast spaces like Mickelsen Farms, identifying these outliers electronically will also save significant time and manpower.Īdditionally, the software can compile aggregated data highlighting water use over time. It also allows them to see areas in their irrigation circle that might be outliers, either for over or underproducing water. Most farms have allotments each year to mitigate water scarcity, and the software will allow farmers to track how their use is progressing toward that allotment to ensure they do not run out of water. The software also provides more comprehensive information at the pivot, field and farm levels that will help farmers manage water use more effectively. Farmers can then use the data to compare water application rates to needs based on real-time environmental conditions. Through INL’s Technical Assistance Program, Hartley and his team worked with the pivot provider to develop an Application Programming Interface that accesses the data from a farm’s telemetry unit. However, visualizing the data from these units is much more challenging. Many area farmers have operating telemetry units on their irrigation pivots that provide readings of how much water they are using. “We want to make sure, especially in seasons of drought, that we are making every drop count,” said Andrew Mickelsen, the farm’s manager. Mickelsen Farms has been focused for some time on water efficiency. “We worked with them to augment this system’s capabilities with the goal of eventually deploying it across other regional farms.” “Mickelsen Farms had a system in place that collected irrigation data,” said Damon Hartley, INL’s Operations Research Analysis lead for the project. This software will manage farm water supply in conditions of downpours and droughts.