Vineyards and blocks

Vineyards and blocks are the foundation of everything else in Archer. Almost every other feature — field features, trouble spots, work plans — is recorded against a block, so getting this mapping right is the first job for any new site.

Vineyards

A vineyard represents a single physical site. You'll usually create one vineyard per property or contiguous piece of land you manage.

At minimum a vineyard has a name and an owning organisation. It then acts as a container for the blocks and features that belong to that site.

Blocks

A block is a subdivision of a vineyard — typically a single variety with consistent row layout and trellising. Blocks are defined by a polygon boundary that you draw on the map (usually walking or driving the boundary with GPS/RTK).

Each block stores:

• Name — how it appears in the app and portal.
• Variety — the grape variety planted in the block.
• Boundary — the polygon that defines the block's extent.
• Row layout — derived from the boundary and trellising details.
• Status — draft, released, or deprecated (see below).

Block versioning

Blocks in Archer are versioned. This matters because field work — especially spraying — depends on exact row positions and boundaries. You don't want someone editing a block mid-season and silently changing the map that the team is working against.

Every block has one of three statuses:

• Draft — you're still mapping or reviewing. Not used for operational work.
• Released — the "live" version. This is what field devices will use.
• Deprecated — an older version that's been superseded.

When you want to change a released block, Archer creates a new draft version. You can work on the draft until you're happy with it, then release it. The previously released version is automatically deprecated.

See Block versioning for the full workflow.

Where mapping happens

Block boundaries are almost always mapped on the mobile app, in the field, using GPS/RTK. The portal is used to review, tweak attributes, and manage versioning.

• Creating a vineyard — portal
• Mapping a block — mobile
• Editing block details — portal and mobile
• Block versioning — portal