Project Overview

Application Development

Water Quality

Project Home

Project Milestones

Literature and Link

Project Staff

July-Dec 2004

AFOPro^TM V2.2 is released to incorporate innovations that were created by peripherals (CNMP templates, PI’s and Fetilizer recommendations), and output in MSWord. 

• A new version of C-Graz^TM is released to include more animals (sheep, goats, dairy cattle) and to include nonideal conditions such as those often experienced on hobby farms (e.g., heifer retention).

• The Common Web Scoring tool (CWS) is created to keep scores for NRCS programs that include EQIP, WHIP and GRP.  The new site is released in December, 2004.

• ESRI-USC presents AFOPro^TM to Certified Crop Advisors (CCA’s) in South Carolina and is invited to present at the mid-Atlantic CCA conference hosted by the University of Delaware, West Virginia University and the University of Maryland.

• ESRI-USC makes two presentations at the SWCS conference (July 24-28, 2004) in St. Paul, MN.  The titles of the presentations are as follows:

1. A Case Study of EQIP Scoring Systems in Three Southeastern States.  Can We See the Desired Effect?

2. Getting a Handle on Water Quality: Alternatives for Limited-Resource Watershed Managers

• ESRI- USC is invited to present AFOPro^TM for continuing education credits as part of the National ASAE meeting in Tampa, Florida in July, 2005.

 Jan – Jun 2004

• Development on AFOPro^TM peripherals to enhance state-specific usability begins in earnest with 1) CNMP templates, 2) Fertilizer Recommendations and 3) Phosphorus Indices.

• ESRI-USC begins work on targeted sampling in the Bush River.

• The EQIP signup season ends with 1866, 2552 and 859 for the states of Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia, respectively, totaling 5277 applicants in all served by over 400 users in field, area and state offices across the three states.

 July-Dec 2003

•  AFOPro^TM V2.0 completed and user base increases to 216 users, and is operational for 17 states (excluding users in NRCS field offices in South Carolina and Vermont).

• New version of EQIP-for-the-Web is released to serve South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama NRCS.

• NASIS for the Web adds North Carolina Soils to the systems.

• New tools developed by request of the NRCS were as follows:

• 1.      Web-based Composter and Dry Stack Structure:

• 2.      Web-based Clemson Fertilizer Recommendations

• 3.      Web-based Manure Loading, Hauling, Application and Incorporation Cost Calculator

• 4.      Standalone Phosphorus Index for South Carolina

• AgReportMaster is released – this was the prototype version of the current CNMP templates found on the AFOPro^TM websites.

• ESRI-USC becomes more involved with Technical Service Providers (TSPs) and provides AFOPro^TM training to 79 new TSPs.

 April – June 2003

• AFOPro V1.0 publicly released April 17 – CCE approval requested on same day

• C-Graz Beta released on May 6, 2000 - CCE approval requested on same day

January – March 2003

• AFOPro Beta released on Feb 27 for evaluation by NRCS-NHQ team.

• C-Graz prototypereleased on March 13, training of NRCS (NC/SC) personnel and extension personnel commenced on the same day.

• All counties in SC used EQIP for the web to enter EQIP scoring data - with 2924 total applicants and requests for some $27.9 million of EQIP funding.  Est savings for NRCS-SC – 3 staff years.

• NASIS for the web receives 355 unique visitors and delivers 5,700 reports (most popular report was Non-Technical Descriptions)

October – December 2002

• AFOPro prototype tested in South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas, in November alpha tests commenced for PA, MI, SC, DE, MD, GA, TN and VT.

• Final version of NASIS for the web released

• EQIP for the web completed, training completed

 July – September 2002

• AFOWizard deployed in 14 counties in SC, a prototype of AFOWizard was developed for Arkansas (with full knowledge of NRCS-Arkansas)

• Began work on EQIP for the web

April- June 2002

• AFOWizard 1.1 completed, shown to meet National NRCS standards and policies for Nutrient Management in South Carolina, all other requirements set by NHQ (November 2001 were met).

• NASIS for the web released.

• AFOPro design and development initiated

January – March 2002

• AFOWizard undergoes major changes to meet NRCS Policies and Standards on Nutrient Management

• CNMP Biolerplate Document Developed for South Carolina and Served on the web (see:  http://www.esri.sc.edu/Projects/usda/literature_and_link.asp )

• Completed Grid-based erosion prioritization tool for NRCS-SC work in McCrady training site

• Began work on NASIS or the web

• South Carolina Geodtatabase Completed on SQLServer to serve natural resource related raster and vector data, as part of ESRI-USC’s enterprise GIS infrastructure development  effort

October –December 2001

• AFOWizard V1.0 CCE approved

• Visit (on invitation of NRCS-Ohio) of Hopedale Ohio office to work with AFOWizard V1.0

• State-wide display of spatial data on ArcIMS® developed, soils data query developed for Marion County, SC

• Visit by NHQ (and Purdue U.) resulting in a publishing of findings of AFOWizard V1.0 shortfalls with respect to National Nutrient Management policies and standards.

Example of regulatory buffers around ditches, wells and residences overlaid on the farm fields (in orange/brown) 

July-September 2001

• Phosphorus Indices calculators for Mississippi and Ohio developed to interact with AFOWizrd V1.0.

• Start of Geodatabase development using Microsoft SQLServer Software

• Training/Outreach:  30 site visits made in NRCS-SC filed offices on Customer Service Toolkit and GIS Training. ESRI-USC staff person spent a month in Mississippi conduction Customer Servioce Toolkit training, at NRCS-Missisppi’s request .

Toolkit training session in Darlington, SC

April-June 2001

• SC Phosphorus Index tool to link to AFOWizard developed

• First use of AFOWizard outside of SC in Waynesville, MS

• Prototype of a Grid-Based CRP wizard using the Environmental Benefits Index, developed.

• Pilot ArcIMS® site for Marion county layers (tracts, fileds, soils, photography, hydrography) completed

• Dillon County Tract and Field GIS shape file digitization complete

  (5a)   (5b)

Conversion of polygon vector buffer data (left) in assigning grid cell values of 10 (red cells), 5 (mauve cells) and zero (white cells).

Go to 'Interactive Mapping' to view this live

January-March 2001

• Marlboro County Tract and Field GIS shape file digitization complete

• AFOWizard V1.0 developed – first link from Customer Service Toolkit to application external to NRCS

June – December, 2000

• Marion County Tract and Field GIS shape file digitization complete

• V2.0 GISDSS  deployed in Marion and Marlboro Filed Offices

 January – June, 2000

• V1.0 and V1.1 of GIS DDS developed, shown in Washington, DC

• Web-Based GIS system development started

January-December, 1999

• First visit to NRCS in  Fort Collins, CO

• Start of Digitizing Tract and Filed data in Marion Co. SC

• Start development on GIS-based decision support system (GISDSS)