Irrigation management

Abstract

A system and method for providing irrigation management services is disclosed. The system may include a plurality of controllers, where each controller controls application of water by an irrigation system associated with the controller. A central computer that is remote from each of the controllers may be configured to implement an irrigation management plan that is individualized to each location and based, at least in part, upon one or more characteristics of the location as determined by an on-site visit. The irrigation manager may guarantee that the system will provide a return on investment within a predefined period of time. The system may also detect faults in the irrigation systems using water usage data from the controllers and diagnose the faults. A technician may be notified and dispatched to repair the faults.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for irrigation management, comprising:
 receiving water usage data from a flow meter located at an irrigation property, the water usage data include flow rate information received at a controller at the irrigation property;   based on the water usage data, identifying that an irrigation fault has occurred;   identifying a fault severity for the irrigation fault, the fault severity based at least in part on the water usage data; and   generating a fault response based on the irrigation fault and the fault severity.   
     
     
         22 . The method of claim  1 , wherein generating the fault response includes generating a repair notification to repair the irrigation fault, and wherein, upon receiving the repair notification, a technician is instructed to repair the irrigation fault. 
     
     
         23 . The method of claim  3 , wherein adjusting the irrigation management plan includes adjusting the irrigation management plan until the irrigation fault is repaired. 
     
     
         24 . The method of claim  1 , wherein generating the fault response includes determining a timeframe for response to the irrigation fault, the timeframe based at least in part on the fault severity. 
     
     
         25 . The method of claim  1 , further comprising identifying a fault type for the irrigation fault based at least in part on the water usage data. 
     
     
         26 . The method of claim  5 , wherein the fault type incudes a broken component on the irrigation property 
     
     
         27 . The method of claim  1 , wherein identifying the fault severity includes identifying a water loss caused by the irrigation fault. 
     
     
         28 . A method for irrigation management, comprising:
 receive an irrigation management plan including a watering amount an irrigation station controlled by an irrigation controller, the irrigation management plan including an optimal irrigation level for the irrigation station;   receiving water flow information for the irrigation station from a flow sensor associated with the irrigation station;   determining an irrigation amount for the irrigation station based on the water flow information;   identifying when the irrigation amount has reached the optimal irrigation level;   terminating irrigation at the irrigation station when the irrigation amount has reached the optimal irrigation level; and   if the flow sensor associated with the irrigation station indicates that water is still flowing, identifying that an irrigation fault has occurred.   
     
     
         29 . The method of claim  8 , further comprising:
 identifying a fault severity for the irrigation fault, the fault severity based at least in part on the water flow information after terminating the irrigation; and   generating a fault response based on the irrigation fault and the fault severity.   
     
     
         30 . The method of claim  9 , wherein identifying the fault severity includes identifying an increased fault severity when the irrigation management plan includes a scheduled watering in a timeframe and weather forecast data does not indicate precipitation in the timeframe. 
     
     
         31 . The method of claim  9 , wherein identifying the fault severity includes identifying a decreased fault severity when the irrigation management plan includes a scheduled watering in a timeframe and weather forecast data indicates precipitation in the timeframe. 
     
     
         32 . The method of claim  8 , further comprising adjusting the optimal irrigation level based on weather data. 
     
     
         33 . The method of claim  8 , further comprising modifying the irrigation management plan based on a comparison between the irrigation amount and the optimal irrigation level. 
     
     
         34 . An irrigation system, comprising:
 a processor and memory, the memory including instructions executable by the processor to:
 receive water usage data from a flow meter located at an irrigation property, the water usage data include flow rate information received at a controller at the irrigation property; 
 based on the water usage data, identify that an irrigation fault has occurred; 
 identify a fault severity for the irrigation fault, the fault severity based at least in part on the water usage data; and 
 generate a fault response based on the irrigation fault and the fault severity. 
   
     
     
         35 . The irrigation system of claim  14 , wherein generating the fault response includes generating a repair notification to repair the irrigation fault, and wherein, upon receiving the repair notification, a technician is instructed to repair the irrigation fault. 
     
     
         36 . The irrigation system of claim  14 , wherein generating the fault response includes adjusting an irrigation management plan. 
     
     
         37 . The irrigation system of claim  16 , wherein adjusting the irrigation management plan includes adjusting the irrigation management plan until the irrigation fault is repaired. 
     
     
         38 . The irrigation system of claim  14 , wherein generating the fault response includes determining a timeframe for response to the irrigation fault, the timeframe based at least in part on the fault severity. 
     
     
         39 . The irrigation system of claim  14 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to identify a fault type for the irrigation fault based at least in part on the water usage data. 
     
     
         40 . The irrigation system of claim  14 , wherein identifying the fault severity includes identifying a water loss caused by the irrigation fault.