Rainfall data collected by a network of radars operated by the National Weather Service will be integrated into an application (app) that helps farmers forecast corn yields throughout the growing process, according to a recent news release.

The Optimizer 2.0 application, developed by Advanced Ag Solutions LLC, now includes a feature that accumulates Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) rainfall data for unique fields. NEXRAD is a system of high-resolution Doppler weather radar stations operated by the National Weather Service.

Optimizer 2.0 features a free daily text alert of changing yield forecasts, by county. Farmers sign up for the app by going to http://www.optmzr.co or texting their zip code to (765) 560-4130. Subscribers enroll their fields to view projections by each soil type in the field.

Rainfall data, collected by NEXRAD, is published hourly and daily. In order for Optimizer 2.0 to work with the spatial rainfall data, subscribers must enroll a specific field into the system. The latitude and longitude information is used to pull information each day.