Phase Spatial Zone Maps

Phase Spatial is the Phase Ultra workspace for building, reviewing and exporting zone maps and prescriptions. It can combine supported soil and yield data, create management zones, add rates, repeat a setup across eligible paddocks, and send an area-weighted rate back to a planned product line.

Spatial is still in development. Always check the source data, paddock boundary, zone geometry, rates, units and equipment compatibility before using an export. Phase does not choose agronomic rates or replace professional advice.

Spatial is included with Phase Ultra. Phase Pro users see an upgrade explanation instead of the workspace.

Spatial currently supports:

For a yield map copied from a USB stick or another file source, use More → Data Centres → Yield Center → Import so the yield record is saved in Phase. Use Spatial file upload for temporary analysis only.

Spatial needs a paddock with a mapped boundary. A saved yield layer needs at least three usable cells. A soil layer needs at least three numeric results for the selected metric linked to sites with latitude and longitude.

Add or repair a boundary in More → Farms & Fields. Import soil results in More → Data Centres → Soil Centre → Import soil tests.

A soil test matched only by paddock name, without coordinates on its soil site, can appear in Soil Centre but cannot form a Spatial surface.

When soil was sampled by management zone instead of GPS point, import the zone boundaries in Soil Test Import and link each area to its matching soil result. Those area results can then become a Spatial layer.

Step 1: Open More → Data Centres → Spatial and acknowledge the in-development notice.

Step 2: Confirm the paddock and name the project.

Step 3: Switch to Create, then add one or more supported data layers.

Step 4: For each layer, set its influence, direction and any available sampling-year or depth filters.

Step 5: Choose the number of zones and the method:

With one source layer, custom cut points use that layer's units, such as pH. With several blended layers, cut points use the combined 0–1 score.

Step 6: Build the zones and wait for processing to finish.

Step 7: Review source coverage, zone ranges, hectares, small patches and unzoned areas before editing or exporting.

The default Equal area method creates relative zones. Zone 1 has the lowest combined score and the highest-numbered zone has the highest score. Direction controls whether low or high source values contribute to higher-numbered zones. This ordering is not an agronomic recommendation. Use one layer with Custom cut points when the job genuinely needs boundaries such as pH 5.2 and 5.8.

The View layers mode lets you inspect a source layer and change opacity, colour scheme, classes and display smoothing. These view settings do not change the source data and do not carry into the zone map.

Spatial Agent changes the visible workspace controls. Useful requests include:

For reliable results, add a layer first, then ask Agent to change its influence or date range. Topsoil means 0–10 cm and Subsoil means 10–30 cm; an explicit range such as 10–30 cm uses that range.

Agent cannot choose agronomic rates, act on a described corner of a paddock, or use an unavailable layer. Review every control it changes before building or exporting.

Set layers, influence, depth, zone count and filters before editing. Regenerating the map clears manual Paint and Erase changes.

Use the smoothing control only after reviewing how it changes small patches and edges. Independently verify areas and totals before ordering or applying product.

Rates are optional. Leave every rate blank for a plain zone map.

For a prescription-style export, enter a rate for every zone, use an explicit 0 for a no-apply zone, use the same unit across all zones, and check each value after using Agent.

Supported units are kg/ha, t/ha, L/ha, mL/ha, g/ha, units/ha and seeds/ha. Spatial does not convert between units. Mixed units cannot be exported as one prescription.

Open Spatial from a selected paddock and product line in Crop Plan Studio to carry the product and base rate into Spatial. Every zone starts at the flat base rate so you can adjust the distribution.

When the zones and rates are ready, select Use in crop plan. Phase writes the area-weighted average rate to that planned product line, scales its cost per hectare and adds a [VR] note. The zone geometry remains in Spatial; it is not copied into the crop plan.

Save version stores a version in Phase and requires active farm access plus permission to edit crop plans. Saved zone maps appear in the paddock's Spatial Zone maps list. Turn a saved map on to view it, or select Edit to reopen it at the zones stage. Generated zones, rates and manual Paint or Erase changes are restored; saving later changes creates another version instead of silently changing the earlier one.

When exporting, first choose what the file represents:

Then choose a format:

ISOXML, direct John Deere prescription transfer and other direct-to-machine transfers are not currently implemented. Always check the controller's supported format and import steps.

Export is blocked when prescription zones use mixed units, contain invalid rates, or are only partly rated. Give every zone a valid non-negative rate—including an explicit 0 for a no-apply zone—or clear all rates for a plain zone map. Exported files include applicable warnings; they still require compatibility and safety checks before field use.

For a prescription, select the rate column shown in the export instructions when importing to the controller. Check the product, rate column, units, paddock and every zone value on the machine before application.

After building a zone setup, select Apply to other paddocks.

The batch carries the current source choice, filters, zone count, method, cut points, patch cleanup and rates to each eligible paddock. It still calculates each paddock from its own data. Check the results individually before using them.

A multi-paddock export uses the FIELD attribute to separate paddocks in one file. Confirm the controller or mapping software can filter that field correctly.

The preview uses an approximate 20-metre grid. Zone edges can extend around half a grid cell beyond the authoritative paddock boundary. Inspect the export in a compatible GIS or review tool before use.

If Soil pH does not appear, check that the selected paddock has at least three numeric pH readings and that each linked soil site has coordinates.

If no paddocks appear, add or repair a boundary with at least three points in More → Farms & Fields.

If no zones appear, select a layer, keep at least one influence above zero, check that depth or date filters have not excluded every sample, and confirm the boundary is valid.

An unzoned area is outside the reach of the selected data. It does not mean a zero rate.

If export is refused, either clear every rate for a plain zone map or give every zone a valid, non-negative rate in the same unit.

For a save or build problem, open More → Help chat and include the farm, paddock, project name, exact error and a screenshot.