Frequently asked questions about how Sites work in the Arable app.
What is Sites?
Sites is a new way of organizing and viewing your Arable data. Previously your Arable data were associated with the device itself as well as a "Location" which corresponds to a single GPS point. With Sites, your data are still associated with the device, but now they can be associated with fields, blocks, or any other kind of management zone.
What are the benefits of Sites?
The Sites structure has several benefits over Locations.
Easier deployment and redeployment
Better year-over-year and season-over-season continuity of data
Enhanced area-based features
What's the difference between Assign, Include, and Exclude?
Assign = The data from the device will be associated with the Site even if the device leaves the Site boundaries.
Include = The data from the device will only be associated with the Site while the device remains inside the Site boundaries.
Exclude = The data from the device will not be associated with the Site even if inside the Site boundaries.
Can a single Mark device be associated with multiple sites?
Yes, a device can be Assigned or Included in multiple sites.
Can Sites overlap?
Yes. Site boundaries can overlap and you can choose whether to Include, Assign, of Exclude each Mark from each Site.
Can you validate a sensor without having an associated Site?
Yes.
Will Seasons and Teams from my Locations be applied to my new Sites?
Arable can automatically convert existing Locations to Sites and these new Sites will retain the Season and Team settings.
If any Sites are created manually the Seasons and Teams will also need to be manually recreated.
If I remove a Site with a Season, will it also remove the Season?
Yes.
Can a Site be assigned to multiple Teams?
Yes.
Will Location-Specific Alert settings be carried over to Sites?
No, any custom notifications configured for Locations will have to be manually reconfigured for each Site in the Alert Settings menu.
Do I have to manually draw all of the boundaries for my Sites?
No, Sites can be created with default boundaries, and the shapes or sizes of Site boundaries which will not affect any core functionality.
Some advanced features may require precise boundaries and those prerequisites will be identified when necessary.
Can my Sites be any size?
The area of a Site cannot exceed 10 square kilometers.
The longest linear dimension of a site cannot exceed 10 kilometers.
An assigned location outside the site’s boundary cannot be further than 10 kilometers from the site’s centroid (geographic center).
I already have shapefiles for my fields, can I use those to create my boundaries?
Yes, if you have shapefiles we can upload them to apply the same boundaries to your Sites.
We recommend using the Site ID in your API calls to avoid confusion and facilitate multi-year analysis. However, you may continue using Location or Device.
Can I move a device from one Site to a different Site?
Yes. You will need to change it from Assigned/Included for the existing Site to Excluded, and then Assign/Include it with the new Site.
How will remote data be used with Sites?
If a Site contains any Mark with an anemometer accessory then the Mark's anemometer data will be used for the Site.
If the Site only contains Marks without anemometers then remote data will be used for the Site.
How are data aggregated in Sites with multiple devices?
Can I create a Site for historical Locations no longer active?
Yes. In the "Create New Site" screen you can search for any Location or Device ID to create a Site for it.
Can I remove historical deployment Locations that were created by accident or testing?
Yes, you can archive and hide any Locations that you don't want to see. Contact support@arable.com to request these Locations to be archived. Any Sites created from these Locations can be Removed from the Edit Site menu on the Sites page.
