Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Lake and Land Management Software

Just wondering if anyone has experience with some sort of software to help keep track of lake and land management stuff for food plots, lake maintenance, stockings, harvestings, trail cams, etc etc.

Something simple could help out the small pond owner tremendously to keep track and something with a few more bells and whistles would help the large property owner keep track of everything all in one place tremendously as well. Kind of like a Quickbooks for lake and land stuff.

Any thoughts or ideas or experience out there????

N8ly,

If you are somewhat computer savvy: windows based excel, access, for Mac numbers. They offer different style of spreadsheets and data management templates. You could taylor fit one of these for your needs.

It's an interesting idea Nate. I am aware of software that organizes game camera photos. Sorts them, calculates buck to doe ratios and if you camera notes moon phase, barometric pressure, etc... It'll even chart that. Not sure if there is something so widespread in demands though. That is a lot of demands for one software program to cover.

I've had some experience in creating excel spreadsheets to track data. I've created excel spreadsheets to track patient outcome statistics for a local hospital and have also created an excel spreadsheet for a nursery client to calculate a re-potting calendar (determining when a given species of plant needs to be re-potted to a larger container in order to optimize plant growth and, accordingly, nursery profits) and a few other excel based client solutions.

I mention this because in my experience you need to work backwards in order to come up with a given solution. In other words you need to determine what "output" you want (what types of information reporting you want to be able to extract from the software) in order to determine what data needs to be recorded and how it needs to be recorded. (I don't know whether or not that makes sense to anyone other than me).

So far I haven't heard of any software for land or lake management.

A couple of years ago I had a discussion on this very same subject with Bob Lusk. I mentioned that it seemed to me that someone should invent a temperature/dissolved oxygen/water clarity probe that could be placed in a pond and that would send information back to a computer (along the same lines as those weather station kits that you can purchase that will send information to your computer). This information could then be stored and utilized by the software.

IIRC, Bob mentioned that there were several companies exploring such a set up. Note after an internet search I found a company that does have a wireless system to tract oxygen levels and send that data to a PC.

Right now all we have is Dwight.

Special Note:
I'm certainly not criticizing Dwight, he is being much more diligent about tracking pond data that anyone I know.

I have been messing around with the Android app Creelcard on my phone and my cheap chinese android tablet computer. The custom fields feature let me add some fishery management fields. It is good for tracking catches and such, it looks like it will work for me but I have not had enough time to fish the pond this year . The paid version lets you export in .csv format.

I am trying to get a handle on Google's AppInventor site to make something, but it does not like my devices which makes it hard to develop anything.

There is a program named Lake Management Solution (developed by Commerce Systems Group) it uses Microsoft Dynamics NAV software. As far as I can tell however it seems to be aimed more at resource planning than actual lake management.

I found another software, ironically enough named Aquanate, that seems to be geared toward fish farm production.

If you search on agricultural management software there are many vendors that sell software geared toward managing farms. Perhaps something along those lines could work.

Moderators feel free to delete these references if you find that it violates forum rules.

As an also and besides I have been researching farm taxation and accounting lately. I have been amazed by the level of technology utilized by many of today's farmers. GPS technology combined with software to track, crop yield, fertilizer efficiency, etc, etc.

you the man Jeff, thanks for the info on whats available. It really cant be that hard to make a software to keep track of lake stuff: water quality, stockings, harvestings, photos, treatments, feedings, fertilizings, surveys, catch rates, relative weights, etc.

I think many pond owners would benefit from a Lake Program 2357 Deluxe special edition with a bonus special pond tape measure.....but wait if you order in the next 5 minutes you get this handy dandy pond thermometer valued at over $19. Just pay seperate shipping and handling.

Are you mocking my Personal Snow Plow 5000?

Nope. But tis the season for stocking up on SP 5000's. I am thinking Pre-Christmas gifts for all HB employees and especially their spouses and children.

An excellent choice, how can you go wrong?

Hey guys, I've been working on a software project for the past 2+ years. It will calculate WR's, PSD, CPUE's, Population estimates, chemical calculators and even make harvest recommendations. Working on adding an area to track water quality, growth of tagged fish, and making a management key. All based on Catch Records.
Saw this thread and thought I'd see what you guys think about that or if someone had something to add/ request?
As of now it's only for Largemouth Bass/ Bluegill but that could change.

PS, some other planned features are...
length & girth to weight calculator
compares length distributions to industry standards
graphs catch records with WR comparisons
WR's for Bluegill with graphs
chemical estimators for Sonar, Aquathol, Dye and Clearcast
tank mixes based on enter-able tank size and desired % solution
CopperSulfate treatments for Ick, based on pond size/ water temp/ alk
Water loss based on Evaporation rate and pond size
Pumping requirements to fight evaporation based on well output
Mark and Recapture estimates
and a basic fish stocking calculator

I was hoping you would come along!!!

Any data acquisition features?

This is actually pretty simple to accomplish with industrial control platforms. Someone who knew what they are doing could engineer and develop the application in a couple weeks.

One could develop screens for a cell phone, and that would give you access to the system from any place in the world. If you are out on a lake or pond, and need to record data, simply log in and and have at it.

If an event happens, such as a sudden shift in a parameter you are monitoring, it can be data logged as well as be emailed or sent as a text message.

With the platform I use most often, the software is free, but hardware can get a bit pricy.

I'll have an RAS example in a couple of months when the test rig is finished.

These platforms are so capable and flexible that they can be applied to virtually anything.

Something to think about.

DataBass, how will you account for all the variables in different ponds across the country, or will it be region specific?

JKB � Currently I don�t plan to have Remote Access Services, I originally thought about making it a web-based program because of the ease of programming and it would cost me considerably less to produce. However I felt that this would be less valuable to the end user. Not everyone will have internet while near the pond and personally I like to buy something and then after that I own it, period. I never liked subscriptions and the like when it comes to software. Now magazines, like PondBoss, that�s a different story, and I do subscribe.
I do plan to make a simple Excel spreadsheet or something of that nature that can be used to import data. That way if you have Quickoffice or something similar on your phone you can use that to log data in the field and simply upload it to the program without duplicating your efforts. That also allows users to upload past catch records etc.

Esshup � The program is in no way region specific, however it is specific to Largemouth Bass. There are certain things that we know to be true of LMB, regardless of where they reside. For example if a LMB has a WR of 74% we know that he�s not getting enough to eat. Furthermore the program will automatically categorize your LMB into industry standard size categories, (stock, quality, preferred etc) calculate proportional stock densities and average the WR of each size category. This lets us take a look deeper into the problem. Following the example above, let�s say this bass that had a WR of 74% was in the quality size range, 12-14.9� and quality bass accounted for 40% of LMB capture and averaged 75% WR. Then we know that there is a disproportionate amount of LMB in the quality size range and they are all underweight. There are simply too many mouths to feed and not enough forage to feed them. So, what do we do about it. Well we start by increasing the harvest rate of this size fish and then we might want to add some forage fish of the appropriate size or implement a feeding program etc etc. It�s a lot easier to understand when you�re looking at the data.

I have it set up to output graphical data so that is easy to visualize. In the Sneak Peek above I�ve circled in red the areas of interest. Point #1 the color coded data shows the % distribution is high and the WR�s are low. Point#2 the graphed data shows a distinct dip in this size range. The solid line represents 100% WR so any point below that is underweight, the red line is a trend line. Point #3 Another visual aid to show the low WRs of this size range. And Point#4 illustrates the high percent distribution of �quality� bass. You may also notice that preferred bass are also a higher percent than the standard but their WR�s are in the 90�s so it�s not of major concern at this time.
Computer programming can only do so much, it�s not a 100% replacement for a biologist and I don�t think that there ever will be. But it will give the average pond owner a way to evaluate and track the health of their fishery. Another good thing about it is that it�s all based on industry standards. Meaning that you can use the printout or email data option to send your data to any biologist in the United Sates and they would be able to make sense of it, be it Texas, Florida, New York, California etc we all use the same �language� to evaluate a LMB fishery. I�m sure your biologist would be willing to review your data for a small fee and make further recommendations and certainly that would be far less expensive than an electroshocking survey. Not to say that this ultimately will be better than electroshocking because it does have some limitations but let�s face it, a lot of us can�t afford a shocking survey. Even those of us who can could go longer periods between surveys with the use of a program like this. But at the same time even you professionals who do shockings could use this to help visualize your data. Truth be told that�s why I started making the program, so that I could quickly interpret data and make recommendations. Electroshocking reports used to take me a full day to prepare and I found myself making the same calculations over and over. Thus DataBass was born.
Some of the limitations, especially for you northern guys is that it currently doesn�t account or calculate for additional predator species, walleye, pike etc. But if your primary focus is LMB and they are the most numerous predator DataBass can help you, regardless of where you are located. And if this is well received I�d be willing to work on a Northern edition, if I could find the right biologist to help. Being from Texas I don�t have any experience with most of those other species.
I do truly value the opinion of everyone here so if you have criticisms or questions please feel free to voice them.

data, a few thoughts:
R.A.S...if it is based primarily off of an excel spreadsheet, it should be very easy to create an android app to sync data collection on a chromebook, tablet or phone to upload to a hosted database, which then can export the data to your spreadsheet, whenvever the client gets back to the computer in which the program is actually loaded and installed..

The dual api's i think are the only complication, how to sync the app with the hosted database, and then use some sort of user information (ip, cookie, or even u/password) to send it to the program on the client's computer. That is a lot of hoops to jump through, so maybe just an app to send the input data from the android device to a google doc would be easier, but google doc spreadsheets are notoriously buggy, so I dunno. Send me a PM if you need an ap developer. I have a few that i work with regularly.

Furthermore, I think you would get a lot more sales if you could team up with someone to nail down the algorithms for other predator species as well. It has to be in some ways very similar, to move from LMB to pike, trout or SMB or any of the other preferred species (GSF?). It would just be a matter of changing the algo's to process different equations for different fish, for instance, the often-quoted-on-this-forum 10lbs of food for an LMB to gain a pound (bad example, i know, but i am running with it), should be able to translate to walleye easily, or the length-girth LMB calculator, given a different ratio in the algo, should easily calculate the weight of an NP. I'm sure with all of the expertise here on these forums, someone should be able to help you crunch the numbers for different species.

I think the fact that you are making the results generated by your program digestable for a lay-person however scientifically relevant for a biologist is the key move here, and so far, it looks like you are making one heck of a rockin' program.

-mike

I just thought, though, that multiple species being tracked means that is one hell of a large ap to run on anything smaller than a tablet. So if you were to expand it past LMB, you would have to limit the ap to only data entry and syncing to whatever database you use. So the owner would have no idea the effect until after it had synced to the database, and then synced back to the @-home program.

So your customer would then need 3 things to make this work...a program, an ap for data entry, and a website, hosted by you or your company that could transfer the information (could be marketed as a back-up system too, which offers you another opportunity to make a profit, where if a CPU crashes, you have sourced the information based on the user's username and password, and for a small fee can sell them their backed up data).

So the user has options, they can either take the spreadsheet down to the water on a laptop, or record it manually with pen and paper, and then input into their own version of the program, or using apple or android ap, can send the data to your hosted database, which then will sync with their personal program, and backs up the data for them. So you have a remote data entry method (android or icloud ap), a remote storage and back-up facility (your website), and a program that you sell as your main product....

my marketing wheels are turning.....sorry.

It's a little more complicated than an Excel spreadsheet but excel certainly could be used to import data and give the user a simple way to store data no matter where they are, internet or not. I'm meeting with the developers in the next few weeks so we'll have to see what they say about it. I'm really trying to keep the cost down, would like to be able to sell it for no more than $100 each, So i'll have to make some decisions on what to and not to include. I do like the idea of a smart phone import/ storage app. Guess we'll see. Thanks for the feed back, I've put a tremendous amount of time into this deal and I've been dying to get some opinions.

Understood that the end-user program will be much more complex than an excel sheet. I was just referring to the data input method, and the database storage method for data that has been input by the ap.

Good luck with this man, I can see it really taking off, especially if you make the functions applicable to any field, given that each algorithm could be altered to perform different functions. A salinity function could be altered to show alkalinity of soils, or a DO tracking function could be altered to track sulfur content of waste water at mining locations....making your program applicable to almost everything that land/pond/whatever managers need to keep track of. I know environmental lawyers who would kill for an easy-to-digest reporting software that would boil things out into environmental impact statements faster than engineers can read them.

sorry to hijack if i have hijacked

-mike

All nice stuff here guys!

I am more talking about industrial control systems, SCADA, if you will.

One would not have to create an app for a cell phone, merely create screens that could easily be viewed and manipulated on a cell phone. The amount of species/data would be limitless! Seriously!

Charts/graphs... are easily generated in real time. The amount of stuff you can do with these platforms is endless!

We do this stuff all the time and is very common in manufacturing/mining/processing/waste water/farming operations, to name a few.

Remote systems are also easy. Some of the routers we use have ranges up to 40 miles. Not my first choice, unless you are close and have no major obstructions. I like the radio modems that utilize sim cards from an ISP.

You are on to something that could be valuable to someone.

Like I said, I do this stuff all the time. Be it a Blueberry farm, manufacturing facility, waste water operation... Easy to adapt a Lake and Land Management Scenario. These platforms have been around for some time now, and they keep getting better.

Enough shop talk for now.

BTW JHAP: The sensor thing has been available for quite some time now. Well before your first fitting of a BCNCP Good Inquiry though.

There probably should be a different chart for length to weight LMB depending on whether they are pellet fed or just have natural forage. Pellet fed LMB are just hogs!

JKB:
I respectfully disagree, however, the only example i can point to that most everyone uses is the google docs example, which i have already ceded is very spotty. An ap is usually the a+, #1 way to make everything as user-friendly as possible, even the best mobile-adapted site can't resolve to every type of phone, number of touchpoints etc. But, I digress.

Anywho, best of luck, DataBass. Let us know how it continues to turn out, and let me know if i can help with anything, i'd be happy to.

We are both in different programming and control worlds. I do not need a specialized application for a cell phone to literally take control of a factory -via- my cell phone. Kinda scary, but I get paid to do this every day, and it is really easy.

I should have taken esshup's advice and counted three second's before hitting the post/reply button. But, in my eyes and what I do, This is a no brainier for any type of system you might want to implement, Including Lake and Land Management! and it would be limitless to what you could achieve! Seriously! Canned software and Apps are just that! Programmer/Developer institutes limits, and you have to wait for them to add a new gizmo to do the new gizmo thing in the app/software. Not here, just drag,drop and add a tag or other data.

Good discussion! And I really appreciate it!

Where's the fun in that?

I guess my point is, while it may be a no-brainer for you, or me (honestly i agree with you, and don't mind figiting with a site on my droid...)...is it like that for everyone?

My fiance works for a 75 year old botanist, and although he is much more computer-literate than one would have expected for someone who spent their career in the field and not behind a computer, he has trouble navigating a lot of sites even with a mouse, keyboard and one of those giant screen-magnifier thingies. For him, or someone who fat-fingers their posts on their smartphone so that every one has an "edited by skinnybass" moniker right above their signature, a user-friendly ap might be a much better solution than simply mobile-optimization.

-mike

I am with you skinny.

This discussion is probably a bit above the DIY realm, but really fun!

I too have phat fingers on occasion, but compensate in programs for my deficiencies.

Take care Skinny! I really enjoyed it!

We will talk again!