Contour levees across a field
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Mode 07 · Levee & Contour Guidance

Drive the contour. Build the levee.

Ditch Assist™ uses RTK GPS to turn field elevation into driveable contour lines. Survey the field, import a GeoTIFF or XYZ point file, or fetch public LiDAR where coverage is available, then pick the line you want and steer it with a lightbar and map arrows. Built for rice levees, paddy dikes, contour berms, existing ridge top-up, and field-smoothing work where the operator keeps the blade in their own hands.

Required hardware → Get a quote
New to Ditch Assist?

Ditch Assist™ is centimeter-accurate RTK GPS grade control and guidance for agricultural earthwork — one kit, one Android tablet, any compatible RTK source. Levee & Contour Guidance is included with the platform alongside ditching, terracing, tiling, land forming, simple grading, leveling, and excavator workflows — no per-mode activation.

What is Ditch Assist? →
What it is

Pick an elevation line and keep the machine on it.

Levee & Contour Guidance turns elevation data into driveable contour lines. Select the contour you want, follow the lightbar and map arrows, and build a levee, paddy dike, contour ridge, or conservation berm at a constant elevation without hand-flagging the field.

This is horizontal guidance only. The operator keeps full control of steering and blade hydraulics while Ditch Assist keeps the selected contour visible in the cab. A Ditch Assist control module is required to generate and follow contours; the Guidance Kit is enough, with no automation valve or hydraulic plumbing. If the job needs a designed terrace channel and berm as one cut/fill-balanced structure, use Terracing mode instead.

Ditch Assist Levee contour guidance screen with selected contour and lightbar
Contour levees built across a field
Is this the right mode?

Best for / not for.

Best for

Operators who need RTK steering guidance to follow a constant-elevation contour — rice levees, paddy dikes, contour berms, conservation ridges, and existing ridge top-up — while keeping the blade in their own hands.

Different job?

Operators who need automatic hydraulic blade control or vertical grade control. Levee mode is horizontal steering guidance only — use Ditching, Terracing, Land Forming, Simple Grading, or Leveling mode for automated raise/lower grade control.

Watch it work

Watch Levee mode generate and drive contours.

This walkthrough covers the complete Levee workflow: controller connection, elevation-source choices, contour interval and smoothing, generated contour lines, lightbar steering, map arrows, and coverage tracking.

What the Levee walkthrough covers

Levee & Contour Guidance is a horizontal steering workflow for following true elevation contours. It does not automate hydraulics or provide vertical grade control. The operator drives and controls the blade while Ditch Assist shows the selected contour, offset direction, lightbar feedback, and completed coverage.

  • 1. Connect through the control module Levee mode requires a Ditch Assist control module. The RTK GPS must be connected through the controller; Levee cannot run from only a Bluetooth GPS receiver.
  • 2. Choose a field data path Start with Survey New Field when no elevation data exists, or use existing data from a saved survey, point file, GeoTIFF DEM, saved LiDAR DEM, public LiDAR, or saved job.
  • 3. Import or create the surface Public LiDAR can be fetched where coverage exists in Canada or the United States. Large GeoTIFF DEMs may need resampling first; one to three meter resolution is usually a good target.
  • 4. Set contour interval and smoothing Choose the contour interval the machine will drive, then adjust smoothing if the contour lines look too jagged. The default smoothing value is usually fine.
  • 5. Generate and select contours Ditch Assist generates contour lines from the elevation surface. As the machine moves, the nearest contour can become the active guidance line.
  • 6. Drive, stop, and repeat Tap Start when the correct contour is selected. The app marks completed coverage as you drive, then you can stop, move to the next contour, start again, and continue until the needed levees are complete.
Before Levee

Before you follow the contour.

Levee & Contour Guidance depends on a Ditch Assist control module, RTK GPS through the controller, and usable elevation data. Use the setup walkthrough to prepare the field before you lose internet.

  • Connect the tablet to the Ditch Assist module Wi-Fi and confirm the RTK GPS is connected through the controller. A Bluetooth-only GPS connection is not enough for Levee mode.
  • Fetch LiDAR, cache imagery, and save the field surface while online so contours can be generated later from the tablet.
  • Use the Guidance Kit or another Ditch Assist module to drive the lightbar and map arrows; Levee mode does not automate the blade.
Setup video
The workflow

Typical Levee workflow.

Start from a driven survey, saved survey, point file, GeoTIFF DEM, saved LiDAR DEM, public LiDAR download, or saved job. Ditch Assist builds the contour surface, lets the operator accept or adjust the boundary, then generates steerable contour lines for the field.

Ditch Assist Levee mode choice screen for surveying a new field or using existing elevation data
Ditch Assist Levee traced field boundary before generating contour guidance lines
STEP 01

Choose how to create the surface

Open Levee mode, then survey a new field or use existing elevation data. The source panel supports saved surveys, XYZ point files, GeoTIFF DEMs, saved LiDAR DEMs, public LiDAR fetches, and saved Levee jobs.

STEP 02

Confirm boundary and settings

Use the traced boundary, draw your own, or skip the boundary when the whole surface is useful. Set contour interval and smoothing, review the estimated line count, then generate the contour map.

STEP 03

Pick a contour and steer

Choose a contour on the map or step to the next line. The selected contour turns orange, the lightbar shows offset, and the map arrows point back to the line. Tap Start to record coverage while the operator builds.

Levee source panel showing survey, GeoTIFF, LiDAR, point file, and saved job options
Six ways in

Build contours from the data you have.

Drive it, import it, fetch LiDAR, or resume yesterday's work.

Levee guidance starts with an elevation surface. Ditch Assist can create that surface from a new driven survey, saved survey, XYZ point file, GeoTIFF DEM, saved LiDAR DEM, public LiDAR download, or saved Levee job. Surveying and importing are useful on their own; generating and following contours requires a connected Ditch Assist control module or the simulator.

Drive it

Survey New Field

Drop a benchmark, drive the field back and forth, and the app records elevation under the GPS as you go. Best when you have a clean field to drive and no existing elevation data.

Import a raster

GeoTIFF DEM

Drop a drone DEM, a survey raster, or any GeoTIFF elevation file. The app reads the grid and asks the source units (meters or feet) so the contour spacing comes out correct.

Free public data

LiDAR — US & Canada

Fetch public LiDAR from US 3DEP or Canadian HRDEM where coverage is available. Pick the region, draw the boundary, and the app downloads the DEM before building contours. Internet is required at download time.

Resume previous

Saved Survey

If you (or someone) surveyed this field before with the tablet, pick it from the list. The app rebuilds the surface from the saved points and re-uses your benchmarks.

Plain text

Point File (XYZ)

A plain text point file with latitude, longitude, and elevation per line. Comma, space, tab, and semicolon separators are supported. Preview the first lines, confirm columns and units, then import.

Pick up tomorrow

Load Saved Job

A saved job holds the elevation surface, contour settings, field boundary, active contour, and coverage. Load it later and the app rebuilds the contours and restores your progress.

Point files

Use survey points without special file prep.

Import latitude, longitude, and elevation from a simple delimited text file.

When a point file is selected, Ditch Assist previews the first rows and lets the operator set the delimiter, column mapping, header-row option, and elevation units before contours are generated. That keeps survey data from other tools usable without turning the job into a desktop file-conversion project.

Ditch Assist Levee point-file import dialog with delimiter, column, and unit settings
Already have elevation data?

Send it before you commit to a system.

If you already have a drone DEM, GeoTIFF surface, CSV/TXT point file, saved survey export, or LiDAR-derived elevation model for levee or contour generation, send us a sample before you buy. We can test the handoff and confirm whether Ditch Assist can turn it into usable contour guidance.

What we check

Can the file build contours?

We look at coordinate system, units, point columns, elevation values, file size, surface density, and whether the app can generate clean contour lines from the data.

If it loads

You know before ordering.

When the file imports cleanly, we can tell you what workflow fits: point-file import, GeoTIFF DEM, saved LiDAR DEM, saved survey, or a different source path.

If it does not

We look for the fix.

If the data is too large, missing coordinates, using unexpected units, or exported in a format the app cannot read directly, we will look for a practical conversion or resampling path.

Steering guidance

Lightbar across the top. Arrows on the map.

Once a contour is selected, the active line stays obvious. The lightbar shows how far and which direction the machine is from the contour, while large map arrows point the way back. When the machine is on the line, the center blocks go green and the arrows clear out of the way.

Ditch Assist Levee mode showing selected orange contour, lightbar offset, RTK status, and steering controls
LIGHTBAR

Lightbar — where you are

The lightbar runs across the top of the screen. Blocks fill on the side you drifted toward, changing from green near center to yellow and red farther off. Tap the lightbar to adjust sensitivity for rough shaping or tighter finish work.

ARROWS

Arrows — where to go

Large arrows flank the machine on the map. They point the direction to steer back to the selected contour. If the machine drifts right, the arrows point left. When the machine is on the contour, they disappear and the lightbar center goes green.

AUTO-SWITCH

Auto-switch between contours

As the operator moves from one contour to another, Ditch Assist watches which line is genuinely closest and can switch the active line. On looping contours, it follows the strand being driven instead of jumping across the field.

Bonus — Field Survey screen

AB-line guidance for straight, parallel passes.

Same lightbar, same arrows — only the line you follow is different. Mark point A, drive a hundred feet, mark B, and the app lays evenly spaced parallel passes across the field at your swath width. Drive the nearest pass; the app auto-selects the next as you move over.

Useful for driving a clean grid while surveying a new field (so the contours build off even, complete coverage), and for any time you want straight, repeatable parallel passes on the Field Survey screen.

The walkthrough also covers setting swath width, dropping benchmarks, RTK filtering, pausing and resuming, saving the survey, and exporting points for desktop design software.

Equipment

Guidance only — the blade stays in the operator's hands.

Levee mode is horizontal steering help, not automatic blade control or vertical grade control. The hardware story is simple: a Ditch Assist control module (the Guidance Kit is enough), RTK GPS connected through that module, and an Android tablet. No PWM valve, no plumbing, no automation install.

Guidance Kit

The Guidance Kit — module & harness only

The Guidance Kit is everything Levee mode needs. A Ditch Assist control module talks to the tablet over Wi-Fi, receives RTK GPS data from the machine receiver, and unlocks contour generation, lightbar guidance, and coverage recording. No automation valves, no hydraulic plumbing — the operator steers and works the blade hydraulics manually, eyes on the lightbar and arrows.

This is the right kit for levee, dike, contour-berm, or ridge-maintenance work that is hand-operated by preference or by machine type: float scraper blades, paddy field implements, tractor-mounted dirt blades, and similar equipment. It is also the most affordable way into the Ditch Assist platform: start with Guidance, add Automation later if the operation needs auto-grade on other modes.

The same module also supports guidance workflows across the Ditch Assist app — Ditching, Simple Grading, Land Forming, Tiling, Leveling, and Terracing — wherever on-screen on-grade feedback is enough.

Automation Kit also works

Already have the Automation Kit? Levee runs on it too.

If you've installed the Automation Kit for other workflows (Ditching, Terracing, Land Forming, Leveling, Simple Grading), the same control module runs Levee mode without modification. The automation hydraulics simply aren't used in Levee — the kit operates as guidance only when you're following a contour. Pick Levee in the wizard, generate contours, steer the line.

This matters for mixed-job operations: one workflow can use Automation for controlled grading, then Levee can use the same module as guidance only for a dike top-up or contour follow later in the day.

RTK GPS

Any RTK GPS — including affordable Emlid bundles

Levee mode is best at RTK Fixed accuracy for both surveying and following. RTK Float can be used for following with reduced precision at lower sensitivity settings; the app flags degraded accuracy when it happens. Bring a compatible RTK source from Trimble, John Deere, Topcon™, Hemisphere, Emlid, or another standard NMEA source. For Levee mode, the RTK GPS must feed the Ditch Assist controller; a Bluetooth-only connection to the tablet is not enough.

Starting fresh? Ask about our affordable Emlid Reach RS3 or RS4 bundle — centimeter RTK at a fraction of legacy-brand pricing, well-suited to the paddy, dike, and contour-guidance operator who is not already tied to a brand.

Where it earns its keep

The work Levee mode was built for.

Rice paddy dikes

Constant elevation along a paddy dike is the difference between an even flood and a wasted irrigation. Drive the contour, build the dike on it, hold elevation across uneven ground without staking.

Contour ridges and berms

Use Levee when the job is simply to follow a constant-elevation line with manual blade control. If the job needs a designed terrace channel, berm-height check, and cut/fill balance, use Terracing mode.

Flood-irrigation levees

Levees that follow a constant elevation across uneven ground are difficult to stake by eye. Generate the contour from elevation data, drive it once, and the line is kept in the saved job.

Soil-conservation work

Conservation contractors and SWCD teams shaping ridges, swales, and contour berms across a landscape they don't own. Where public LiDAR coverage is available, they can download the area, generate contours, and drive.

Land-smoothing on the contour

Smooth or land-plane along the natural contours of a field — for finish work or to even out a rough surface before another pass. The coverage map shows where you've been across multiple days.

Replacing hand-flagged contours

No more walking the field with a level and a roll of flags. Generate the contour on the tablet, drop it on the map, and use the lightbar to keep the line under the machine — every pass, every day.

FAQ

Contour guidance questions.

Answers for operators looking at RTK contour steering, rice levee guidance, contour-ridge layout, and public LiDAR workflows.

Contour steering

What does Levee mode actually do?

It draws true elevation contours from a field surface, lets you select one, and provides horizontal steering guidance along that constant-elevation line with a lightbar and on-map arrows.

Blade control

Does it move the blade automatically?

No. Levee is horizontal guidance only. The operator steers and controls the blade manually. It does not automate hydraulics or provide vertical grade control. Use Ditching, Terracing, Land Forming, Simple Grading, or Leveling when you want automatic raise/lower control.

Hardware

Can I run it with Bluetooth GPS only?

No. Levee needs a Ditch Assist control module, and the RTK GPS must connect through the controller. The Guidance Kit is enough; no automation valve or hydraulic plumbing is required.

Elevation data

Can I use LiDAR or a drone DEM?

Yes. Import a GeoTIFF DEM, import an XYZ point file, use a saved survey, drive a new survey, or fetch public LiDAR where US 3DEP or Canadian HRDEM coverage is available. Very large GeoTIFFs should be resampled first; one to three meter resolution is usually a practical target.

Accuracy

Do I need RTK?

For building or following levees accurately, use RTK Fixed through the Ditch Assist controller. If accuracy drops, the app warns that guidance may be less reliable so the operator can slow down or wait for the fix to recover.

Mode choice

Levee, Terracing, or Land Forming?

They are separate modes. Use Levee for steering along a contour with manual blade control. Use Terracing when Ditch Assist should design and grade a channel plus berm. Use Land Forming for imported 3D design surfaces.

More than Levee

Same kit. Every other surface job too.

The Guidance Kit unlocks Levee guidance and on-screen guidance across the rest of the Ditch Assist app. Add the Automation Kit when you want Ditch Assist to drive the hydraulics automatically in grading modes. No per-mode activation: drive a paddy dike in the morning, survey a drainage ditch in the afternoon, switch to Terracing mode for a channel-and-berm job next week — same tablet, same operator.

Mode 01

Ditching

Surface drainage — survey, design with Slope-IQ™, auto-grade pass by pass.

See Ditching → Mode 02

Terracing

Cut a channel, build a berm. Wide-base farmable terraces with balanced cut and fill.

See Terracing → Mode 03

Land Forming

Variable-slope and all-way designs from OptiSurface™, Ezigrade™, Topcon™ AGForm-3D™, AGD, and LandXML.

See Land Forming → Mode 04

Simple Grading

Single-slope grading or a sloped plane — the fastest path from arrival to graded ground.

See Simple Grading → Mode 06

Leveling

Flat pads for grain bins, machine sheds, riding arenas, and equipment yards.

See Leveling → Mode 05

Tiling

Sub-surface tile drainage with Tile-Best-Fit and Automatic Rock Hit Recovery.

See Tiling →
Excavator using the Ditch Assist DIG kit for bucket-tip guidance Ditch Assist DIG
Excavator guidance

Have an excavator or backhoe too?

Add Ditch Assist DIG™ as a separate excavator guidance kit for bucket-tip elevation, trench design, and dug-earth mapping. It uses the same familiar Ditch Assist app experience, so operators can expand from implement grade control to excavators without learning a different UI.

See Excavator mode → DIG™ Kit
Emlid RTK GNSS receivers for contour levee guidance
Optional RTK GPS bundles

Need RTK for contour guidance?

Contour Levee mode depends on a clean elevation surface and stable machine position while you steer the line. Existing RTK works, or Ditch Assist can quote an Emlid RS4 / RS3 base-rover bundle with the Ditch Assist-specific RTK cable, base tripod, tripod extender, and mount hardware.

Emlid RTK options →Get a quote
Compatible equipment

Steering guidance for anything that pushes dirt.

Pull-Type Scrapers (any brand) Land Levelers Pulldozer™ Paddy Field Blades Tractor-mounted Dirt Blades Eagle Ditcher™
Try it live

See the real app before you talk hardware.

Try the Levee & Contour workflow yourself: contour generation and lightbar steering, all in your browser.

Open the app simulator →
Ditch Assist app home screen in the browser simulator