Using the Grape Forecaster Module

Setting up Vineyards and Blocks in Grape Forecaster standalone software is exactly the same as setting up Vineyards and Blocks in the agCommander system.

You can find references and links to this process in this document. 

See also the links below to view other Knowledge Base articles relating to the process of setting Vineyards and Blocks and Rows.

By default, Grape Forecaster is designed to generate random sample spots for you. However to setup a list of your own sampling spots we provide you with the Sampling Spots Template designer…

go to Configuration / Sampling Templates … This will display the following screen. 

Adding a template can be done in another (much easier) way also. If you allow Grape Forecaster to auto-generate a set of sampling spots for a block, you can then save that set of sampling spots as a template for later use. We will see this option later in this article.

Step 1

Ensure you have selected the appropriate Vintage and the appropriate Block from the list on the left of the screen.

Step 2 Ensure you are located on the "Samplings" tab

Step 3 Click on the "Add" button to add a new sampling...Select the proposed sampling date, the sampling type etc.

Set your Tolerance of Doubt and estimate of Variance values.

Choose the number of sample sites and if you have chosen a “Bunch Sampling” enter the number of bunches per site.

Now you can choose to simply accept a randomly generated set of sampling spots or you can choose to manually set up or manipulate a set of sampling spots. To view a randomly generated set of spots, choose "Auto-Generate Sample Spots" then click "Generate Spots", or  “Manually Crate or Edit Spots" to set up sites manually.  When you choose manual mode, the " + Spot" button is enabled as is the "Use Template" pick list. Simply choose a template from the pick list and click "Apply" if that is your choice of setting up sampling spots.  

Having set up the sampling spots (regardless of the way in which you did it), you will see that the "Save as New Template" button is enabled.  To save the sampling spots to a template fro future use, clicks that button and provide a name for the template.

The screen shot below shows an automatically generated set of sampling spots for a Bunch Sampling where I have chosen to sample 1 bunch per vine. The program has suggested a sample size of 28 and I have chosen a sample size of 30. 

Step 4 

Either export your sampling spots to a PDF or Excel file for printing, if you choose to use pen & paper to record the results, or simply open up the Grape Forecaster Module on the agCommander Mobile app, to see the pending samplings on the main listing. 

With the sampling set up you will either be entering sampling results directly into the Grape Forecaster Module on the mobile device or into your printed data collection sheets. 

To get fully acquainted with the processes involved in sampling, please refer to the Grape Forecaster document.