Why is it important to verify sensor placement before calibration?

Verifying sensor placement before calibration is crucial because improper placement can lead to wildly inaccurate readings. Yield monitoring relies on precise data collection to assess the amount of crop produced in a given area. If sensors are not positioned correctly, they may fail to capture representative samples across the field or might be influenced by factors such as soil variability, landscape features, or equipment movement. These inaccuracies can propagate through the calibration process, resulting in a distorted understanding of crop yield that could misinform management decisions, resource allocation, and overall farm productivity. Therefore, ensuring that sensors are correctly placed dramatically enhances the reliability of the data collected and the subsequent calibration process.