System and method for irrigation management

1. An irrigation management system for controlling one or more water pumps supplying water to a plurality of mobile irrigation systems, the irrigation management system comprising:

a controller configured to:

receive water pressure data from each of the mobile irrigation systems;

compare the water pressure data from each of the mobile irrigation systems with a target water pressure to determine differences between the water pressure data from each of the mobile irrigation systems and the target water pressure;

determine whether the differences indicate that water pressure of at least one of the mobile irrigation systems is lower than the target water pressure;

if the differences indicate that water pressure of at least one of the mobile irrigation systems is lower than the target water pressure, determine which of the differences indicates a greatest deviation below the target water pressure; and

adjust operation of the one or more water pumps to increase water pressure to the irrigation systems in a manner that resolves the difference indicating the greatest deviation below the target water pressure.

2. The irrigation management system of claim 1 , the controller configured to adjust operation of the one or more water pumps only when the difference indicating the greatest deviation below the target water pressure is greater than a predetermined amount.

3. The irrigation management system of claim 2 , the predetermined amount being between two percent and ten percent of the target water pressure.

4. The irrigation management system of claim 2 , the predetermined amount being between 1 psi and 10 psi.

5. The irrigation management system of claim 1 , the controller configured to adjust operation of the one or more water pumps to increase water pressure to the irrigation systems such that the difference indicating the greatest deviation below the target water pressure is resolved in a predetermined amount of time.

6. The irrigation management system of claim 5 , the predetermined amount of time being between one minute and five minutes.

7. The irrigation management system of claim 1 , the controller configured to adjust operation of the one or more water pumps within bounds of a maximum setpoint and a minimum setpoint.

8. The irrigation management system of claim 1 , the controller being implemented by a computer located remotely from the one or more water pumps and from the mobile irrigation systems.

9. An irrigation management system for controlling one or more water pumps supplying water to a plurality of mobile irrigation systems, the irrigation management system comprising:

a controller configured to:

receive water pressure data from each of the mobile irrigation systems;

compare the water pressure data from each of the mobile irrigation systems with a target water pressure to determine differences between the water pressure data from each of the mobile irrigation systems and the target water pressure;

determine whether the differences indicate that water pressure of at least one of the mobile irrigation systems is lower than the target water pressure;

if the differences indicate that water pressure of at least one of the mobile irrigation systems is lower than the target water pressure, determine which of the differences indicates a greatest deviation below the target water pressure;

adjust operation of the one or more water pumps to increase water pressure to the irrigation systems in a manner that resolves the difference indicating the greatest deviation below the target water pressure;

if the differences do not indicate that water pressure of at least one of the mobile irrigation systems is lower than the target water pressure, determine whether the differences indicate that water pressure of each of the mobile irrigation systems is higher than the target water pressure;

if the differences indicate that water pressure of each of the mobile irrigation systems is higher than the target water pressure, determine which of the differences indicates a smallest deviation above the target water pressure; and

adjust operation of the one or more water pumps to decrease water pressure to the irrigation systems in a manner that resolves the difference indicating the smallest deviation above the target water pressure.

10. The irrigation management system of claim 9 , the controller configured to, after determining which of the differences indicates the smallest deviation above the target water pressure, determine whether the difference indicating the smallest deviation above the target water pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold, and to adjust operation of the one or more water pumps only if the difference indicating the smallest deviation above the target water pressure is greater than the predetermined threshold.

11. The irrigation management system of claim 9 , the controller configured to, after determining which of the differences indicates the greatest deviation below the target water pressure, determine whether the difference indicating the greatest deviation below the target water pressure is greater than a first predetermined threshold, and to adjust operation of the one or more water pumps only if the difference indicating the greatest deviation below the target water pressure is greater than the first predetermined threshold.

12. The irrigation management system of claim 11 , the controller configured to, after determining which of the differences indicates the smallest deviation above the target water pressure, determine whether the difference indicating the smallest deviation above the target water pressure is greater than a second predetermined threshold, and to adjust operation of the one or more water pumps only if the difference indicating the smallest deviation above the target water pressure is greater than the second predetermined threshold, the second predetermined threshold differentiating from the target threshold more the first predetermined threshold.