Automated Soil Sampling Planning

Build soil sampling plans in minutes across one or many fields. Choose grid or zones, pick core or composite, let smart algorithms place points and route the path, print lab labels, export, and go.

1 min Dynamic Tutorial

Who it’s for

Farmers, Agronomists, Soil labs, Retailers, and Dealers who need consistent sampling workflows at scale (from a few fields to entire farms or growers).

Soil Sampling Plans Examples

Soil sampling on mobile app. Collect samples, mark points

Zonal Soil Sampling, Zone-By-Zone Option. Go to the next Zone only after finishing the previous one.

Zonal Soil Sampling, Zone-By-Zone Option, ex. 2. Go to the next Zone only after finishing the previous one.

Zonal Soil Sampling, Smart optimum Path Option. GeoPard locates points according to several best practices, incl. path optimum, points distribution, buffer zones

Features & Settings

Zonal or Grid sampling types. Support of Core & Composite sampling types

Multi‑field planning: create plans for one or many fields in a single run.

AI-powered Point placement logics:

• Smart Recommendation (adaptive to zone shape/variability)

• Core Line (skeleton of zones/polygons)

• N/Z (4 points per zone, zig‑zag)

• W (5 points per zone, W pattern)

Routing options & Points location:

• Smart Optimal Path (fastest overall)

• Zone-By-Zone. Go to the next Zone only after finishing the previous one.

Sampling Plan configuration

• Number of points per Zone / Grid

• Grid Cell Size

• Grid Rotation Angle

• Soil agrochemical or Plant Analysis type

• Sample Depth

Optionally set:

• Starting & End Points

• Sequence of Zones draw manually

Printing Labels for Laboratory and samplers:

• Define logic what to put on a soil probe

• Download & Print pdf with labels

• Print from web or mobile

Export Sampling Plan:

• KML (zones, path & points)

• Shapefile (coming soon)

Field execution with GeoPard Mobile App

• Use the GeoPard Mobile App to view plans in the field, add notes, and mark progress.

• Offline mode

• Navigation / Direction of movement tracking (like google maps)

Workflow

1. Start a new Plan

Open Sampling Plans in the left menu or open in a new browser tab https://app.geopard.tech/#/sampling-plans.

Sampling Plan Module, how to start

Select one or multiple fields. Optionally Copy Settings from an existing plan (to get a consistent Soil trend across years).

2. Pick Grid or Zonal, Core or Composite type Analysis Type

• Grid‑based: splits the field into equal cells; best for baselining or when historic data is limited.

• Zone‑based: uses management zones (imagery, yield, soil, etc.) to drive sampling where variability matters most.

Choose Grid or Zonal based sampling plan type

Choose Grid or Zonal based sampling plan type

• Composite: combine multiple cores into a single sample per zone or grid → cost‑efficient.

• Core: individual cores at each generated point → highest spatial resolution (more lab samples).

3. Configure Points & Path Placement Logic (Zonal‑based)

Among options:

• Smart Recommendation: adaptive algorithm balances coverage and travel effort.

• Core Line: places points along parallel lines (great with straight‑pass equipment).

• N/Z patters (4 pts) and W (5 pts) pattern: classic agronomy patterns for gradients and narrow strips.

• Set # of points per zone and sample depth.

• Sample Depth: Set the depth of soil samples.

• Agrochemical Analysis Type: Tailor to the type of soil test you need.

Soil sampling Points & Path Placement Logic

Set the Number of points per zone

Select Agrochemical Analysis Type

4. Set Routing and Path options

• Smart Optimal Path: single efficient route across the field (may cross zones).

  • It's great for automated soil samplers (like Wintex, Amity, Falcon, AutoProbe, Dakota Fluid Power, etc.)

• Zone‑by‑Zone: go to the next zone after you finish sampling in the current zone.

  • Suits great for manual samplers

• Optionally draw a custom zone sequence to define driving order.

5. Labels for Laboratory & Printing (6×6 cm, 5×7 cm, 10×10 cm, A4)

• Core sampling type: stickers are generated for points.

• Composite sampling plan: stickers are generated for zones.

For composite sampling, the Zone Label Template sets the zone names, which are then used for printing labels for each zone.

For core sampling, the Point Label Template sets the point names, which are then used for printing labels for each point.

6. Generate & Review

• Click Generate Plan. Inspect points, route, and zone sequence on the map.

7. Adjust Plan (Select zones, Start/End points, Move, Delete points, Sequence of zones)

Adjust settings and Regenerate if needed (no extra charge applied):

• Select Zones map for each selected field: By default, GeoPard automatically selects the most recent zones map or generates a grid based on your chosen parameters.

Select Zones based on which Sampling page is generated

• Edit Start/End points. GeoPard makes automated optimum path recalculation

• Move or delete points

8. Exports (for sampling in a 3rd party software)

• Routes, Points and Polygons in one file: export as KML for navigation apps.

• Points/Polygons: export as Shapefile/GeoJSON when needed (coming soon).

Export Soil Sampling zones, route and points as kml

KML export examples (zones, boundary, points and route) - all in one kml file

Sampling KML export example 1

Sampling KML export example 2

9. Field execution with GeoPard Mobile App

Use the GeoPard Mobile App to view plans in the field, add notes, and mark progress.

• Navigation Mode (google maps like)

• Offline mode

• Print labels from mobile

• Mark points as executed

Soil Sampling collection with GeoPard mobile application

Billing & Tracking

• All sampling activities appear in Activity Log, ensuring full traceability.

  
• Creating a new plan is inlcuded in yearly subscription and triggers a one-time charge for pay-as-you-go plan (regeneration is free).

Tips & best practices

• Use Zone‑based + Smart Recommendation on fields with strong variability (imagery/yield/topography).

• Prefer Composite to reduce lab costs; switch to Core for detailed diagnostics.

• Set sample depth to match lab protocol and crop needs.

• For straight rows, Core Line gives clean coverage; for strips and narrow zones, use W.

• When operators prefer structure over speed, go Zone‑by‑Zone and define a manual zone sequence.

• Re-use sampling plans across years to understand soil trends via consistent sampling locations

FAQ

• Can I copy a plan’s settings to another field? Yes, use Copy settings when starting a new plan.

• Does Smart Optimal Path respect zone boundaries? It prioritizes the shortest drive. Use Zone‑by‑Zone to keep visits grouped by zone.

• How are labels generated? By the selected Label Template (Point or Zone) when you choose Core vs Composite.

• What’s included in a charge?

  • Pay-As-You-Go Plan: A single charge per new plan. Tweaks and regenerations are free.

  • Yearly subscription: the module is included in the price

Known limitations (current)

• Extremely irregular field shapes may require manual fine‑tuning of zone sequence.

• If a field has no zones and you choose Zone‑based, you’ll be prompted to create a Zones Map first.

Related docs

• Zones Maps and Analytics (creating variability zones) - Basis for Zonal soil sampling

• Export / Download (Shapefile, GeoTIFF/GeoJSON)

• Operations Log (traceability)

• Mobile App: Working in the field

Changelog

September 2025 — Initial release: multi‑field plans, grid/zone analysis, Core/Composite sampling, Smart/N‑Z/W/Core‑Line placement, Smart Optimal Path vs Zone‑by‑Zone routing, labels, Activity Log, billing per new plan.