Jason KoeblerMay 12, 2024

Scoop: Solar storm is causing farmers' tractor GPS systems to go haywire. Many have shut down planting altogether during a critical period. A Deere dealer said accuracy is "extremely compromised"

https://www.404media.co/solar-storm-knocks-out-tractor-gps-systems-during-peak-planting-season/

Solar Storm Knocks Out Farmers' Tractor GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season

The accuracy of some critical GPS navigation systems used in modern farming have been "extremely compromised," a John Deere dealership told customers Saturday.

404 Media
Show threadJason KoeblerMay 12, 2024
This is a reminder of how much modern tractors rely on satellite and internet connections. Many farmers can't or won't plant right now bc tractors have been highly automated to increase yield. Rows are planted so tightly together that humans can't navigate them w/o killing crops
Show threadJason KoeblerMay 12, 2024
One farmer called it a "shitshow." Another: "All the tractors are sitting at the ends of the field right now shut down because of the solar storm." Another said their systems that are normally centimeter-accurate were off by 3-6 feet and tractor kept "wandering off" and had to be constantly corrected.
Show threadJason KoeblerMay 12, 2024
This, from a John Deere dealer, is wild. They warn that affected tractors operated during this time will likely have made maps that are wrong, which will be wrong throughout the growing system, and which are wrong in an inconsistent way
Show threadThetaPhi

@jasonkoebler Interesting to figure out who or what fucked up here. SBAS/WAAS provider? DGPS makers messing up ionospheric correction? Space weather parameters out of spec for the software running on the RTKs? All of the above?

nb: As much as I dislike Deere, this should be handled completely blameless, the way the FAA handles an investigation. So many lessons to learn here.

May 12, 2024 at 4:02pmWeb
Show threadGraham Sutherland / PolynomialMay 12, 2024
@thetaphi @jasonkoebler kinda hard to run accurate GPS in the middle of a G5 class geomagnetic event tbf.
Show threadMatthew SkeltonMay 12, 2024

@gsuberland @thetaphi @jasonkoebler Indeed, which also suggests that the over reliance on GPS for centimeter accuracy in crop planting is a nasty failure mode that should be avoided.

The solar storm is just a dress rehearsal 🎭 for nation state actors knocking out GPS and causing food shortages.

#resilience

Show threadInsecurity Princess 🌈💖🔥May 12, 2024
@matthewskelton @gsuberland @thetaphi @jasonkoebler do you think that's the most important thing for farmers to prepare for?
Show threadGraham Sutherland / PolynomialMay 12, 2024
@saraislet @matthewskelton @thetaphi @jasonkoebler can y'all untag me from future conversation in this subthread please :)
Show threadOlivier MenguéMay 12, 2024
@gsuberland @thetaphi @jasonkoebler But are Glonass and Galileo better?
Show threadGilgwathMay 12, 2024
@dolmen @gsuberland @thetaphi @jasonkoebler no, just different. It's mostly a question of who controls the satellites, not wheter the tech is better. The idea is very simple: receive time signals from different sources and with relatively simpel math you can sauce out where you are. The simpler the signal, the smaller and simpler the receivers can be. That's why GPS has only little error correction and no authentication codes.
Show threadOlivier MenguéMay 13, 2024
@gilgwath @gsuberland @thetaphi @jasonkoebler That's why I'm asking if Glonass or Galileo have stronger designs to resist to such disturbances.
Show threadBishop WhitewindMay 12, 2024
@gsuberland @thetaphi @jasonkoebler yeah I have a satellite up like out here. It's only a small one but it was not having a happy time. During the peek I had to shut it off to make sure it didn't damage itself.
"Turn off anything you have that relies on satellites or space in general right now. I think this might cause some sort of damage."
Robot tractors trying to flee Kansas. I didn't exactly expect.