Glossary

Plain definitions of terms used throughout the app and this manual.

AB-Line — straight, parallel driving passes on the Field Survey screen. Mark point A, drive, mark point B, and the app lays evenly spaced passes at your swath width, guiding you down each with the lightbar and arrows. See the Levee & Contour Guidance chapter.

A→B Grade — running average slope between the start point and your current position on the survey screen, in percent.

Active Workflow — the mode highlighted on the Home screen with a colored badge. Picking a workflow gates the rest of the app: only that mode's screens are accessible until you Change Mode.

AGD — a drainage design file format (text, XYZP layout) exported by land-forming design software. Includes proposed elevations, section boundaries, and named benchmarks.

Antenna Level — the warning chip Blade Ht 0 — antenna level shown when blade height is unset. Means raw GPS elevations are being used (no antenna-to-cutting-edge offset applied), which is wrong for survey/grade math but acceptable when grading an imported design with a calibrated benchmark.

Auto Balance — Terracing button that tunes the channel depth offset until cut and fill volumes balance (within compaction allowance).

Auto-Hold — automatic grading hold triggered by GPS quality drop, communications loss, or app backgrounding. The blade halts; the chevrons keep updating so you can still see grade error.

Auto Grading — the mode where the blade is moved automatically by the controller based on GPS position and design target. Started with the Start button on the Grade screen.

Auto Measure — RTK-averaged blade height calibration. Run with the implement up, then again with it down; the difference becomes blade height.

Auto-Nudge — multi-pass grading. The app stages cuts so the deepest cut on the design is reached over several passes (one Max Cut Per Pass at a time).

Benchmark (BM) — the offset that aligns GPS elevation with survey elevation. Set in the Calibrate Elevation sheet (BM badge in stats bar). The badge turns green when calibration is active this session, amber when restored from an earlier one.

Berm — the raised earthen ridge in a terrace. Built by filling on the downhill side of the channel.

Berm Min Height — the minimum height of the finished berm above original ground. Default 18″ / 46 cm.

Best-Fit — the default Slope-IQ design mode. Hugs terrain as closely as possible while always going downhill.

Blade Height — distance from the GPS antenna to the implement's cutting edge. Set in Settings → SURVEY.

Benchmark Offset (Settings → SURVEY) — the live calibration offset between raw GPS elevation and the survey frame. It is the single value that aligns everything: stats-bar Current Elev, design targets, and the controller setpoint. The Settings row is a read-only readout — it updates whenever you calibrate via the BM badge, and its Open calibration button jumps to the Calibrate Elevation sheet. The offset is persisted across app restarts; the only way to change it is to calibrate (a reference row, or Advanced → typed elevation / Zero to current GPS / Clear) in that sheet. Reinstalling the app removes the value (it lives in the app's local preferences).

Bottom Width — width of the ditch floor (Slope-IQ, Simple Grade) or the channel floor (Terracing). Defaults to the configured Swath Width.

Bluetooth GPS — alternative GPS source over Bluetooth (BLE or Classic SPP). Used with an external receiver instead of the controller's built-in GNSS.

Channel — the water-carrying ditch in a terrace. The cut half of the cut/fill pair.

Channel/Berm Toggle — Terracing-only sidebar toggle that switches the active grading target between the channel design and the berm design without leaving the screen.

Change Mode — Home-screen button that exits the active workflow and clears the in-memory session (survey, design, grading job, nudge, coverage, track). Saved files on disk are not affected.

Chevron — the directional arrow indicator on the Grade screen showing how far above or below grade the blade is.

Compaction Allowance — the percentage by which fill compresses when packed. Used in Terracing volume balance. Fixed at 15% in this build — not operator-adjustable.

Contour — a line of constant elevation drawn on the map in Levee mode. Driving a contour means holding one elevation. Pick one with Select Nearest, Next Contour, or by tapping it; steer it with the lightbar and arrows.

Contour Interval — the elevation difference between one contour line and the next in Levee mode. A smaller interval draws more, closer lines. Set in the contour settings dialog before generating.

Coverage Grid — the heatmap of grid cells on the map showing what is at grade and what still needs work.

Raise Sensitivity / Lower Sensitivity (formerly CRS Raise / CRS Lower) — how fast the app's manual Raise and Lower buttons move the blade, 0 (slow) to 9 (fast). They do not change automatic grading.

Cut — material removed below existing terrain. Positive cut means going deeper.

Cut/Fill Error — distance between the blade and the design target, in inches or cm. Positive = above grade (need to cut). Negative = below grade (over-cut).

Cut Volume — total earth to be removed by the design, in cubic yards or cubic meters. Slope-IQ, Simple Grade, and Tiling all show this in the design dialog.

DC (Min Valve DC / Max Valve DC) — duty cycle: the power the control module gives the valve coil, in tenths of a percent (500 = half power). In automatic grading the valve starts at Min Valve DC and the power climbs towards Max Valve DC while the blade lags behind. App starting values 301 / 701; a new or reset control module holds 400 / 600. They do not change the manual Raise and Lower buttons.

DEM — Digital Elevation Model. The interpolatable surface built from a Forming design's points.

DGPS — older differentially-corrected GPS fix. Sub-meter accuracy. Not precise enough for grading.

Design — the saved target profile for grading. For Slope-IQ it's a curved line; for Simple Grade a flat plane; for Forming a 3D surface; for Tiling a depth-constrained pipe path.

Design Chart — the cross-section preview shown in every design dialog. Plots terrain (existing) and design (target) along the survey distance. Drag the divider on the Grade screen to enlarge it.

Ditch Assist Control Module — the standard cab-mounted control module that drives the scraper blade. Connects over Wi-Fi at 192.168.5.1:2000; the app finds it automatically once the tablet is on its network. Holds its own valve settings (Min / Max Valve DC) in its memory; the app sends grading commands and reads back GPS plus controller status.

Drain-IQ — the LiDAR drainage data layer hosted on the manufacturer's CDN. Per-field overlays for existing elevation, ponding depth, and depressions. Configured in Settings → DRAIN-IQ.

Field Survey — the whole-field survey screen. Drive the field to collect elevation points (for Levee contours or to export to design software), with optional AB-line guidance for driving straight parallel passes. Also reachable as a quick survey mode without the guided wizard.

Final Target — the un-nudged design target elevation at the current position.

Freeform — the Slope-IQ mode where you place vertices anywhere with no grade rules.

GeoTIFF — raster terrain file format used by the Levee mode and Drain-IQ overlay layers. Includes embedded geo-coordinates.

GNSS — Global Navigation Satellite System. Generic term covering GPS plus other constellations (GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou).

Grade Alert — sound + vibration alert when the blade is on grade (within ±2″ of target by default; adjustable 0.5″–6″ via Grade Alert Threshold). Toggle in Settings → ALERTS.

Grade Zone — three states based on cut/fill error: On Grade (within ±1″), Too High (need to cut), Too Low (over-cut).

Guided — the Slope-IQ mode where you tap survey points to mark them as control points.

HDOP — Horizontal Dilution Of Precision. Lower is better. Below 1.0 is excellent; the exact threshold for degraded depends on your RTK Sensitivity setting: Low ignores HDOP, Mid fires at 1.2, High at 0.9 (release at 0.9 and 0.7 for hysteresis). Visible in the GPS status badge, which shows -- when the receiver sends no figure.

Hold (Manual Hold) — operator-initiated pause of auto-grading commands without exiting grading mode. Tap Hold on the Grade sidebar; tap Resume to re-enable. The chevrons keep updating during a Hold so you can still see grade error.

Imported Benchmark — a BM read from an AGD design file. Drive to it and 5-second-average GPS to calibrate.

Inlet — the upper end of a ditch / tile line. Water enters here.

IQ Survey — wizard-driven survey mode. Walks you through readiness checks, blade height, and recording.

Job — a grading session's saved state. Includes the design, BM, nudge offset, coverage, graded terrain, and pass count. Auto-saves while you grade.

KML — Google Earth vector format. Supported as a map overlay layer (boundaries, points, polylines).

LandXML — XML-based 3D design surface format used by survey and civil engineering software. Imported via the Forming workflow's LandXML option.

Lightbar — the horizontal bar of blocks across the top of the Levee and AB-line guidance screens. It lights up on the side you have drifted to (your error side); the center turns green when you are on the line. The on-map arrows point the opposite way — toward the line — so steer toward the arrows.

LinearInterpolator — the engine that maps your GPS position onto the nearest segment of a Slope-IQ design and computes the target elevation.

Levee — contour-following workflow for levee, terrace, and field-smoothing work. Draws the field's elevation contours and steers you down one with a lightbar and on-screen arrows; the blade is not automatic. See the Levee & Contour Guidance chapter.

Log Alert — Settings → ALERTS toggle. Plays a brief beep every time a survey or Field Survey point is logged.

Lookahead — controller feature that uses your projected position N seconds ahead instead of current. Compensates for hydraulic delay. OFF by default.

Manual Grade — fixed-grade single-slope mode where there's no design surface, just a percent slope and a reference distance. Parameters (grade, direction, depth offset) are set in the inline Set Grade bar at the bottom of the map; applies in both Manual Grade mode and the excavator manual-grade sub-flow.

Depth Offset (Manual Grade) — a positive depth below the captured 0+00 reference, entered in the Set Grade bar (inches, or cm in metric). Target = start elevation − depth offset ± grade × distance. Each manual-grade segment carries its own depth offset; the Clear Offset button (Leveling / Dig Level Area bar) removes a depth offset there.

Manual Grade Reference Distance Warning — the pre-Start check that warns if you are too far from the reference point (0+00) before engaging manual grade. Set in Settings → Pre-Start Safety.

Master BM — the primary 0MB benchmark in an AGD file.

Max Cut Depth — the deepest cut Auto-Nudge will apply in a single pass. Default 2″ / 5 cm. Configurable in Settings → GRADING.

Min Grade — minimum drainage slope, in percent. Default 0.05% for Slope-IQ, 0.10% for Tiling.

Nudge — temporary depth offset applied to the design target. Tap Nudge Up / Nudge Down in the sidebar; default ±2″ per tap, effectively unlimited total range (±999″). Reset clears it. Auto-Nudge controls Nudge automatically across multiple passes.

On Grade — the chevron indicator state when the blade is within the ±1″ window. The "On Grade" banner appears in the center of the Grade screen.

Outlet — the lower end of a ditch / tile line. Slope-IQ auto-detects; toggle to override.

Over Max — chart legend for the warning band when a Slope-IQ design exceeds the Max Depth setting (drawn as a red diagonal-hatched fill).

Pass — a single trip up or down the ditch with the blade engaged. Auto-Nudge tracks pass count and adjusts depth between passes.

Pre-Start Safety — Settings group with two warnings that fire before the Start button arms:

• Elevation Mismatch Warning — if the design target differs from current GPS by more than this slider value. Behind the Elevation Mismatch Check switch, which is off by default.
• Manual Grade Reference Distance Warning — if you're too far from the reference point in Manual Grade.

Profile Chart — the elevation chart at the bottom of the Grade screen. Cursor on the chart matches your live position. Resizable — drag the divider up to enlarge.

Proposed (P column) — design elevations in an XYZP file (the 4th column).

Reference Point (0+00) — the user-chosen origin for Manual Grade mode. The reference distance warning fires if you Start too far from this point.

Reset (Reiniciar) — clears the active survey, design, grading progress, nudge offset, and coverage. Saved files on disk are not deleted. Confirmation prompt always appears.

Resume — re-engage auto-grading commands after a Hold. Sidebar button. Only enabled while Hold is active.

Rock Hit Detection — Tiling-only feature (Settings → GRADING → Rock Hit Detection, default ON) that auto-nudges the target up by the measured error when the blade stays more than 2″ above design for the sustained sample window. Fires a yellow banner, SnackBar, and beep with a 5 s cooldown between fires. See Tiling → Rock-hit detection.

RTK Fixed — high-accuracy GPS lock with integer ambiguities resolved. Centimeter-level precision. Required for grading.

RTK Float — partial RTK lock with ambiguities not resolved. Decimeter precision. Not endorsed for survey or grading — wait for RTK Fixed; working on Float is at your own risk.

RTK Sensitivity — how aggressively the app pauses grading when RTK quality degrades. Low / Mid / High in Settings → SURVEY. Default Mid. Low pauses only on loss of the RTK Fixed solution and ignores HDOP; Mid and High also pause on poor satellite geometry.

Section Boundary (2BAL{n}) — closed polyline in an AGD file marking a balance section. Drawn as a dotted pink line on the map.

Side Slope — design parameter for ditch and channel cross-sections. Expressed as a ratio (e.g. 6:1 means 6 horizontal to 1 vertical).

Simulator (Sim) — internal GPS source that replays a pre-recorded path so you can practice or capture screenshots without driving. Pick Simulate in the connect step.

Slope-IQ — the Ditching design dialog with three modes (Best-Fit, Guided, Freeform).

SoG — Speed over Ground (in mph or km/h depending on units). Reported by GPS.

Stats Bar — the white strip across the top of the Survey and Grade screens. Shows Distance, Points, Elevations, Drop, Grade, RTK status, BM badge, Wi-Fi, layers, settings.

Stop & Navigate — the action on the Stop Auto-Grading prompt that halts hydraulics and proceeds with the navigation you tapped (e.g. Home).

Stay — the action on the Stop Auto-Grading prompt that cancels the navigation and keeps the blade running.

Sunlight Mode — high-contrast theme alternative to Dark mode. Switch in Settings → DISPLAY.

Survey — sequence of GPS points along the planned route. Recorded with the Start button on the Survey screen.

Survey Direction — confirmation prompt that fires when applying a Slope-IQ design to a freshly recorded survey. The app guesses inlet/outlet from the elevation gradient and asks you to confirm.

Survey Interval — minimum distance between recorded survey points. Default 10 ft / ~3 m. Set in Settings → SURVEY.

Swath Width — implement width. Used as the default Bottom Width in design dialogs and as the coverage grid tile size. Set in Settings → IMPLEMENT.

Target Elevation — design elevation at the current position. The number the controller is trying to hit.

Tile Pipe — the perforated drainage pipe being installed. Drawn as a black solid line on the Tiling design profile chart.

Tiling — the mode for designing tile drainage with depth-constrained best-fit. Single-pass.

TIN — Triangulated Irregular Network. The triangle-based surface model used for LandXML imports.

Track — the orange dotted breadcrumb line on the map showing your last 5,000 GPS positions.

Volume Balance — Terracing summary showing channel cut volume vs. berm fill volume (with compaction). Goal is +0 m³ — channel cut equals berm fill.

WMS — Web Map Service. Online raster overlay format supported as a map layer.

Workflow — the high-level mode picked from the Home screen card grid. The eight grading workflows are Ditching, Simple Grading, Manual Grade (a sub-flow of Simple Grading and Excavator), Land Forming, Tiling, Terracing, Excavator, and Leveling. Two additional workflows sit alongside them: Levee & Contour (contour-follow steering, no auto-grading) and LiDAR & Mapping (online field prep for satellite imagery cache, saved LiDAR DEMs, and flow / depression mapping products).

XYZ / XYZP — text design file formats. XYZ has 3 columns (existing only); XYZP has 4 (existing + proposed). Comma, space, or tab delimited.