TerraZoner is a professional tool designed for agronomists, crop consultants, and precision agriculture specialists who understand satellite-derived vegetation indices and can interpret results in the context of field history and conditions.

You should be comfortable with the fact that satellite NDVI data cannot distinguish between crops, weeds, or other vegetation — and that weed infestations or volunteer crops may appear as high-productivity areas. Selecting the right input years and providing accurate field boundaries (excluding waterways, tree lines, buildings) is your responsibility and essential for meaningful results.

TerraZoner is browser-based — no installation required. It runs in any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) on Windows, Mac, or Linux. A full-sized monitor is recommended for the best experience. Large tablets will work, but TerraZoner is not designed for phones. You need an internet connection, and that's it.

Yes — same tool, new name. We rebranded from PowerZoner to TerraZoner in early 2026. Everything you knew about PowerZoner is still here: the same multi-year satellite zones, the same topo-refined approach, the same 3×3 dual-layer matrix. The difference is we’ve also folded in our standalone terrain-only zone tool (previously a separate app) as Pure Terrain Zones — so now all four zone approaches live under one roof, one subscription.

If you had a PowerZoner account, your login and subscription carry over. Nothing changes on your end except the name and a few extra features.

A field boundary in shapefile format and a web browser. That's it. TerraZoner is browser-based -- no software to install, no plugins, no configuration. Upload your boundary, and you can generate multi-year productivity zones in minutes.

Minutes, not days. Load your boundary, fetch satellite data, generate zones, and export. The whole process takes 5-10 minutes per field depending on the zone approach you choose. Terrain-refined and dual-layer zones take a bit longer since they incorporate additional data layers.

No. TerraZoner can fetch LiDAR-derived terrain data for your fields automatically. However, if you have your own RTK-collected elevation data (as a point shapefile), you can upload that instead -- it will be used to generate the terrain analysis.

TerraZoner accepts shapefiles (.shp) and KML/KMZ files. For shapefiles, include the .shp, .shx, and .dbf files. Boundaries from John Deere Operations Center, Climate FieldView, SMS, Trimble Ag Software, and virtually any other ag software will work. Having trouble with a boundary file? Contact us and we'll help you sort it out.

Yes. Your subscription includes video tutorials covering every feature step-by-step, complete user documentation, and direct support if you get stuck. Most users are creating professional zones within their first hour.

(1) Multi-Year Productivity Zones use satellite NDVI composites to map consistent productivity patterns -- the foundation that works on all fields, flat or rolling.

(2) Topo-Refined Zones take those productivity zones and split the lowest zone into wet-limited, dry-limited, and other-limited using terrain intelligence -- essential on rolling land.

(3) Dual-Layer Matrix creates a full 3x3 classification where every area gets rated by BOTH productivity AND wetness, giving you up to 9 distinct zone classes for maximum prescriptive precision.

(4) Pure Terrain Zones creates zones from LiDAR elevation data alone — no satellite data needed. Maps ridges, slopes, flats, and depressions based purely on landscape position and wetness potential. Especially powerful for variable rate seeding where plant populations should follow the terrain. Perfect for new fields with no yield history.

Start with multi-year productivity zones -- they're the foundation and deliver the best ROI for any field, flat or rolling. If you're on rolling terrain and your low-productivity zone is lumping hilltops and depressions together, add topo refinement. For field intelligence and advanced VRT where you want every zone to tell you both HOW an area produces and WHY, use the dual-layer matrix -- it's also invaluable for scouting and explaining yield patterns. For variable rate seeding or new fields without yield history, use Pure Terrain Zones -- terrain-based zones that match how plant populations should follow the landscape.

When the dual-layer matrix creates a zone that's too small to be operationally useful (below your size threshold), it needs to merge that zone into a neighbor. Merge priority controls HOW that decision is made.

Water-driven priority merges based on wetness similarity (e.g., a small wet-low area merges into wet-average). Production-driven priority merges based on productivity similarity (e.g., wet-low merges into balanced-low). You choose what matters most for your prescription.

Control and quality. Most automated zone tools give you little control — you upload a boundary and hope the algorithms get it right. TerraZoner replicates the process of doing this manually in GIS software — sourcing multi-year satellite data, classifying zones, refining with terrain — but what used to take hours per field, anyone can do in minutes with the same quality results.

Terrain intelligence. Traditional NDVI tools lump all low-productivity areas together. On rolling land, hilltops fail from drought while depressions fail from excess water. TerraZoner uses LiDAR terrain data to split those apart — something most zone platforms simply can't do.

Plus: flat-rate pricing (no per-acre fees), instant results, and no platform lock-in.

Sentinel-2 imagery from 2015 to present. We composite peak-biomass periods across multiple growing seasons to identify consistent productivity patterns, filtering out single-year anomalies.

Absolutely. The 3x3 productivity-by-wetness classification is one of the most valuable diagnostic tools in TerraZoner. Use it to understand why parts of your field perform the way they do — overlay it with yield maps, crop history, or soil tests to explain patterns that satellite imagery alone can't. Many users say the dual-layer map is their go-to scouting reference, even on fields where they prescribe from simpler zone maps.

C$1,500 per year (approximately US$1,100). That's it. Flat rate. Unlimited fields, unlimited zones, all four zone approaches included. No per-acre fees, no tiered plans, no surprise charges.

No per-field or per-acre fees. Your subscription includes unlimited zone creation for your own operation or your clients' fields. Whether that's 10 fields or 1,000, the price is the same.

We do apply a reasonable use policy. "Unlimited" means one license holder creating zones for their own work — not reselling zone-creation services to other consultants or third parties. We monitor usage patterns and reserve the right to limit or revoke access if we believe the system is being abused. Organizations needing multiple licenses should contact us about volume licensing.

Everything. One price, all features: satellite + terrain-refined zones, Pure Terrain Zones (terrain-only zones from LiDAR), multi-year NDVI analysis (2015–present), 3D terrain visualization, VR prescription generator, zone-based soil sampling tool, all export formats, video tutorials, and documentation.

We stand behind TerraZoner. If it doesn't work as advertised for your fields and we can't make it right, you'll get a full refund within 30 days. We do ask that you check LiDAR coverage for your area before subscribing — terrain features like Topo-Refined zones and Pure Terrain Zones require LiDAR or your own RTK elevation data.

GIS4Ag is a Canadian company. The C$1,500 annual subscription is approximately US$1,100 depending on exchange rates -- making it even more affordable for US-based agronomists.

Your subscription renews annually. You can cancel before your renewal date. And remember, your first 30 days are covered by our satisfaction guarantee.

Standard shapefile (.shp, .dbf, .shx, .prj). This is the universal format for GIS and precision ag software. Your zones will work with John Deere Operations Center, Climate FieldView, Trimble, SMS, QGIS, ArcGIS -- anything that reads shapefiles.

TerraZoner is a tool, not a platform. You upload boundaries to create zones, export your results, and that's it. We're not building a walled garden around your field data.

Yes. Shapefile export means your zones work everywhere. No vendor lock-in, no proprietary formats, no ecosystem you have to buy into.

You do. Any zones, maps, prescriptions, or other outputs you create using TerraZoner belong entirely to you.

Yes. You have full commercial rights to use, distribute, and sell any zones or data exported from TerraZoner — whether that's on a per-acre, per-field, or any other basis.

If your zones are used commercially, academically, or in any published work, you are required to include the following attribution for the underlying satellite data: "Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data". This is a requirement of the European Space Agency's open data policy. For internal or on-farm use, no attribution is needed.

Yes. TerraZoner is a tool, not a platform. Your field data is processed securely and we don't store your boundaries or zone outputs on our servers after processing. You download your results directly. We're not building a walled garden around your farm data.

All payments are processed securely through Stripe, a PCI-compliant payment processor used by millions of businesses worldwide. Your credit card details go directly to Stripe — we never see, handle, or store your card number or any other payment credentials.

Only what's needed to run your account: your name, email address, and login credentials. Passwords are encrypted — we cannot see or access them. We do not store credit card information, field data, or zone outputs. We collect the minimum necessary to provide the service and nothing more.

No. Your information is not sold, shared, or provided to any third party for marketing or any other purpose. The only external service that receives data is Stripe for payment processing.

LiDAR coverage is extensive across the US and Canada. Ontario is virtually 100% covered, Manitoba about 90%, Saskatchewan around 35% and growing. In the US, 35+ states have coverage encompassing roughly 95% of major agricultural regions. Check the interactive coverage maps below to see if your area has LiDAR. If it doesn't, you can upload your own RTK elevation data, or simply use Multi-Year Productivity Zones which work anywhere with satellite imagery alone.

You can still create multi-year satellite productivity zones — those work everywhere. If you want terrain-enhanced zones, you can upload your own elevation data (RTK survey points, drone-derived DEMs) to unlock the full terrain features. Not sure? Contact us and we'll help you figure out the best approach for your area.

Our wetness index combines terrain position analysis with water flow modeling to classify every point on the landscape from wet to dry. It's specifically designed to handle complex terrain -- including depressions within hills and nested landforms that trip up simpler topographic algorithms.

Yes, fully browser-based. Any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) on desktop or laptop. No installation, no plugins, no minimum system requirements beyond a standard computer and internet connection.