The GPS Tracking Technology Behind How Corn Mazes are Made
26 Sep 2013In honor of Fall, which arrived promptly on September 22, 2013 at 4:44 P.M EDT, here is a story about a favorite fall family activity and GPS tracking of course.
Every Fall, a variety of corn mazes are created to entice and delight children, adults, and entire families. They are the perfect way to celebrate the fall season, but how are they made?
As you might expect, they are a lot of work to put together, but with the help of GPS tracking technology, landowners have the ability to create elaborate corn mazes through various applications.
Prior to using modern technology, corn mazes were created through sketches on graph paper and measured manually into the field. Now, a lot of this additional labor is saved with GPS.
What is a Corn Maze?
A corn maze is a large maze that is created using tall fields of corn. It promotes fresh air, exercise, and a fun and safe family activity. You’ll likely hear about several corn mazes in your local area, as farm and land owners often provide corn mazes during the fall season.
They are made by cutting the fields of corn to make pathways going different directions, requiring participants to try and find their way through the maze. Some are simple and easy to get through, especially if tailored to younger children. Others are more elaborate and take quite a bit of searching through windy paths of corn.
How Does GPS Help Create Corn Mazes?
GPS tracking is used to create a path for the corn maze to be cut. It starts by creating a grid plot, either on graph paper digitally. Then a vehicle is fitted with a GPS tracking device. Similar to GPS vehicle tracking, the vehicle is then driven around the property where the maze will be and GPS coordinates are obtained. The electronic version of the maze design is overlaid over the map of the field, where a program plots the maze and lets a mower go through the GPS-guided path for cutting the maze at the right locations. Pretty neat, huh?
What is the Growing Process for Corn Mazes?
The corn maze always begins with a field full of tall corn, already planted. Landowners often begin designing the maze while the corn is growing, as it can be a long process with the more twisty and elaborate mazes. The corn is planted in rows going two directions for a more dense crop that creates the walls of the maze, not easily seen through. When the corn stalks reach a foot tall, the tractor will cut through the field according to what the GPS tracking system came up with for the maze. It is ready once the remaining corn stalks reach 10 feet in height.
What Happens After the Season is Over?
When the fall season is over, the corn maze is flattened and the corn stalks are used for animal feed in most cases. Farmers generally earn a profit for the corn mazes because of entry fees, as many corn mazes can attract up to 30,000 people during the fall season.
Corn mazes have been around a long time, and are now easier to create with the help of GPS tracking technology. It is also helping farmers make more intricate mazes that are more challenging (and fun) for participants.
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