Trimble Introduces Portable WM-Topo Survey System for Water Management

BOONE, Iowa, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) today introduced the WM-Topo™ survey system, a portable topographic data collection solution for water management which includes a Trimble® Nomad® handheld computer and a pole-mounted Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver.

The announcement was made at the Farm Progress Show.

The lightweight WM-Topo system can be carried into hard-to-reach areas such as:

• Ditches and Steep Terrain—areas with challenging terrain or ditches are typically inaccessible to tractor or truck-mounted survey equipment.
• Muddy Fields—frequently surveying is done at times of the year when it is very wet and often impossible to drive a vehicle through the field.
• Fields with Mature Crop Cover—customers may want to survey a field when the crop is in, which makes vehicle access prohibitive.

Farmers and drainage and leveling contractors can use the WM-Topo system to collect topographic data across a field that can be transferred to Farm Works™ Surface software or the FmX® integrated display via a USB stick, or wirelessly via Trimble's Connected Farm™ solution. The data can then be used to create a 3D model of the field. The WM-Topo system can also be used to calculate the grade between two given points in a field in order to determine the existing slope or check the grade accuracy of newly installed pipe. This information allows users to make better water management decisions.

"We understand that water management is top of mind today. The addition of the WM-Topo system to Trimble's product mix continues our goal of providing solutions to better meet our customers' growing water management needs," said Erik Arvesen, vice president of Trimble's Agriculture Division. "The portable WM-Topo system is an ideal tool to survey hard-to-reach areas with challenging terrain, crop cover or in adverse weather conditions."

The WM-Topo system can be used as an alternative, or to supplement, survey work previously conducted on the FmX display, providing a more portable option for data collection in terrain that is difficult to access. The system is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2012. Contact a local Trimble dealer at www.trimble.com/locator for more information.

The WM-Topo system is the latest addition to Trimble's water management product lineup which includes the FieldLevel™ II system for water management and the WM-Drain™ farm drainage solution.

About Trimble's Agriculture Division

Trimble's Agriculture Division is a leader in precision agriculture, GPS and guidance solutions that help customers operate farm vehicles and implements more efficiently, save on input costs, and increase yield and productivity. Solutions include vehicle and implement guidance and steering; application control for seed, liquid, and granular products; laser- and GPS-based water management technology; and seamless field-to-office information management and record keeping. To ensure better decision making, Trimble also offers an integrated operations management solution called Connected Farm that provides information exchange across the entire farm.

For more information on Trimble Agriculture, visit: www.trimble.com/agriculture.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

For more information, visit:  www.trimble.com.

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SOURCE Trimble