Algorithms and software for determining interrelations between agricultural management zones in different tours of agrochemical surveys

The study considers the problem of determining geographical relationships between agricultural management zones (MZs) across different rounds of agrochemical surveys of agricultural lands in the Republic of Belarus. A computational algorithm is proposed for identifying relationships between MZs from successive survey rounds, based on the application of the Weiler – Atherton polygon clipping algorithm. The algorithm enables the detection of intersection areas between MZ boundaries and the calculation of the percentage of overlap between MZs of the previous and current survey rounds, thereby allowing the establishment of hierarchical “parent – child” relationships among them. Software developed on the basis of the proposed algorithm was implemented using modern web technologies (PHP, Drupal, MySQL, Bootstrap, Leaflet). The system provides batch processing of large volumes of geospatial data, interactive visualization of MZ boundaries on digital maps, and remote access to analytical results. Experimental validation using geodata from the supposed 15th and 16th agrochemical survey rounds demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach in identifying spatial correspondences between MZs. The developed computational algorithm and software offer new opportunities for the field history maintaining, optimization of fertilizer application rates, and evaluation of their agronomic efficiency, as well as for addressing advanced challenges in the precision agriculture and comprehensive biosphere assessment.