New Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Technologies
USEFUL for Nutrient and Pesticide Management
Marilyn G. Hughes
Program Associate
Rutgers Cooperative
Extension
Center for Remote Sensing
and Spatial Analysis
14 College Farm Road
New Brunswick, NJ
08901-8551
Over the past four years, the Rutgers Cooperative
Extension (RCE), the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) and the
Grant F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis (CRSSA) have
developed a precision agriculture program that brings Global Positioning
Systems (GPS) and its related technology-based tools (Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS)) to the small acreage farms and fields
found in New Jersey. Since the beginning
of this program, GPS/GIS technology has grown in both popularity and
sophistication. Many new
hardware/software tools are now available for cost-effective on-farm data
collection and processing. This talk
will provide an overview of some of the new (and not so new) GPS/GIS products
now available for small farm use.
Currently these technologies are being used in a variety of projects
ranging from restoration of riparian areas, field mapping, data visualization,
nutrient management, pesticide management, and on-farm record keeping. The integration of these technologies into
farming operations is due to improvements in computer hardware and software,
the integration of GPS with traditional mapping software, and newer less
expensive GPS compatible palm-held devices.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) & Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)
The
Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed by the Department of Defense as a
worldwide military and civilian navigation system. The network consists of a constellation
of 24+ satellites (SVs) in six orbital planes at an altitude of 11,000
miles. GPS receivers determine accurate
earth positions (latitude and longitude) by triangulation from satellites whose
positions are exactly known. The
information collected with GPS can be either point locations (i.e. soil
sampling points in a field, insect trap locations), lines (i.e. roads,
irrigation pipelines), or areas (i.e. field boundaries, areas of crop stress or
disease within fields). This
information is transferred back to mapping software called Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) for visualization and further analysis. The ability
to integrate these two technologies enables farmers to 1) accurately locate
sampling sites in the field 2) map and analyze variables such as soil
properties, nutrient, insect, weed, and
disease distribution within fields, across farms, and throughout watersheds 3)
integrate generated field maps with GPS controlled equipment such as seeders,
sprayers, irrigation systems, and yield monitors to fully adapt site-specific
management practices.
New GPS/GIS Tools
Recent
advances in small handheld computer technology have led to the most exciting
developments in GPS/GIS. A number of
new hardware/software products (most) using Windows CE based computers are now
available. These small computers can be
connected to GPS receivers (some developed specifically for the small
computers) and used to do everything from field mapping and scouting to data
entry and maintenance. These units are much
less expensive than the traditional data loggers typically sold with the higher
end GPS units (though less durable). Almost all GPS/GIS vendors recognize the
impact of these small computers and are currently writing scaled down versions
of their powerful GPS and GIS mapping software. All products “sync” with the desktop versions of their software
so that information collected in the field is easily maintained and integrated
in the office.
Conclusions
Significant advances in GPS/GIS
hardware and software technology over the past few years is helping New Jersey
farmers better manage nutrients and pesticides on their farms and within their
watersheds. It is expected that these
technologies will continue to improve and decrease in price. Currently, RCE, in cooperation with NJAES
and the CRSSA are using these technologies to help farmers 1) reduce
fertilizer and pesticide input and costs 2) practice site-specific crop
management 3) improve spray recommendations
for pest control 4) assess and record the impact of wildlife damage 5)
monitor nutrient pollution to watersheds and 6) automate record keeping and
crop scouting.
For additional information
regarding nutrient management projects and GIS/GPS vendors that we use at
Rutgers, please visit the following sites for more information:
http://www.crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/gps/web_page/web_page.html
http://www.esri.com
http://www.trimble.com
http://www.farmworks.com
http://www.mapinfo.com