By Richard Price
Software vs. hardware
It’s important to understand the distinction between these two common terms when it comes to dealing with technology. Software is the program, or application, running on your device that has a user interface (UI) where you can point and click to get around and complete tasks. The best software has an easy-to-follow user experience design (UX) which makes navigating the software more intuitive. Hardware is the computer or device itself. Whether you have a Microsoft Windows personal computer (PC), or an Apple MacBook, iPad tablet running iOS, or Google Pixel mobile phone running Android, the hardware refers to the device itself.
Precision Ag software and data
Last year I wrote Data generated by precision equipment is often stored in proprietary formats that are specific to individual manufacturers and devices. To facilitate data sharing and analysis across platforms, these datasets are frequently exported as geospatial layers, such as ESRI shapefiles. Common examples include planting maps (from planters), as-applied maps (from spray or toolbar applicators), and yields (from combines). This article will summarize three of the most popular platforms: AgLeader Spatial Management Software (SMS), John Deere Operations Center (JD Ops), and FieldView from Climate Corporation.
Source : msu.edu