# There's NOT an app for that (irrigation design app)



## thebmrust (Jun 29, 2020)

In this day and age, why isn't there an app for irrigation design?

Does anyone have suggestions instead of using pen & paper in 2020?


----------



## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

Are you asking for software that will auto-design a system for you? Or are you looking for more of the CAD aspect. Either way options exist but as anyone who drafts/designs knows, CAD is just a tool - no different than paper/pencil but with a steeper learning curve. It's the engineering knowledge behind the scenes that makes it a functional design. When I design structures I need to know what material to use where and then pick the appropriate software input to tell the software what I need done. The cad program helps put everything together.

For diy irrigation design there are landscaping software design packages that have Irrigation components ... but I'd bet they're more graphical in nature. The heavy duty professional irrigation design software (RainCAD comes to mind) can do the calculations for you but it has quite a learning curve, not to mention price tag.

There's always the RainBird & Orbit options who offer cloud-based design software/services in the hopes you'll use their products for the install. It's still only meant as a starting point though. The nuances of the design have to be tweaked on site.


----------



## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

As a software engineer and having done DIY irrigation in my yard, it's possible to design software that "automatically" designs a full irrigation system from a satellite photo and some scale measurements. There'd be a Q&A session at the start for soil type, grass type, brand preferences, and so forth.

However, it's an _extremely_ difficult problem for a computer to solve. The math and rules are easy, but computers are just not good at making subjective decisions. Remember the early days of getting directions from MapQuest or Google Maps? That's a relatively simple problem compared to a fully automated irrigation layout program.

It comes down to development cost. Suppose it take 8 "Man Years" to create the final software. You will easily have a million dollars invested in engineering salaries alone. Is there a large enough market for DIY irrigation installers to recoup the investment? If not, can this be an ad-based service?

Oh, and don't forget the liability insurance! What happens when your company is sued for producing a flawed design? You can pretty much plan on NEVER allowing the "app" to be used in California for this reason alone (and similar litigation-prone regions).


----------



## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

https://www.design.orbitonline.com/. I used this one but did most of the design the old school way on graph paper and a compass. My 16 year old niece asked me, "What are you taking geometry why do you have a compass?" Even with paper and the orbit tool I still did a bunch of the design in the trenches. Because I diy'd I did a lot of field testing to double check distance and to figure out how many heads I wanted on a zone, also manifold placement. I personally don't like Orbit products everyone has a preference but I went with mostly Hunter.


----------



## thebmrust (Jun 29, 2020)

Nothing fully automated... but if I can input tech details (gpm, psi, boundaries) something to compute square footage.
Then I would draw in lines (specific diameter) then add a sprinkler head the app would/could compute coverage. Add in more heads (From a library) then it would update.

Yes, I know Orbit and Rainbird have services available. It would be nice to be able to sit in my yard and look at something and say "what if I...".

I have no problem paying for an app. But I (and probably a majority of others) do not want to learn CAD to do it.

I have also found that there isn't a good (if any) app to work small average. There are a few LARGE farming/Ag apps, but nothing yet for an average to small/medium property management apps available. Again, use a map or photo upload to create property lines, square footage, ammunition's (water, road, buildings).

Set calendars/reminders, track growth (with pics), changes over time (history). Search pesticide or chemical uses (search "2,4-D") to see how much or how often I used it. Same for fertilizers, iron, etc.

There are a lot of homeowners in the world, and so much is going digital, yet in some areas (property management/yard care) we are still stuck in the first millennium.


----------

