from the user the default settings for the lift thickness may be associated with the size of the machine likewise the input from the user concerning lift thickness may be approximate ranges based on the size of the machine the productivity parameter may include the speed of the machine or the efficiency of the machine the speed of the machine may be directly inputted by the user or determined from default settings the efficiency of the machine may be directly inputted by the user or determined from default settings after inputting at least one of the characteristics of the soil to be compacted the machine characteristics the water content of the soil the lift thickness or the productivity parameters a response surface value may be calculated with the response surface value the number of passes necessary to reach the desired soil density may be calculate using the following calculation where u03c1 is the desired soil density u201c u03c1 init u201d is the initial soil density u201c u03b4 u03c1 u201d is the difference between the maximum soil density and the initial soil density u201c pass u201d is the number of passes made by the machine and u201c a u201d is response surface value the u201c u03b4 u03c1 u201d and u201c a.