Issue/Background

While GPS systems have been widely used in agriculture for years, New Zealands hill country farming systems, where animals are grazed in free range conditions outdoors on pastures, meant that the GPS systems designed for driving tractors in straight lines did not suit NZ's farm layouts.

Plus, with overseas consumers becoming increasing concious of what goes into their food, the farmers of NZ needed to have a simple and low cost way to prove they were farming sustainably.

Solution

TracMap designed a new approach to the concept of how to drive vehicles accurately and safely over hill country. They scrapped the traditional appraoch used by other GPS manufacturers, and started again.

By surveying the people in the industry who actually did the work, they were to able to understand what was needed, and built a system that does exactly that.  The result was the multi award winning TM335 GPS system, now the mainstay of most fertiliser spreading in NZ.

Its key to success is its simplicity.  if its painted in on screen, it is treated.  If its not painted, then its not been treated.

Outcome

In the 5 years since the first units went in trucks in October 2006, TracMap units are now in 2/3rds of the fertililser spreading trucks in NZ, as well as tractors, helicopters, planes, quad bikes....