PRECISION AGRICULTURE MAPPING & GIS:

Healthy Lands:

There are plenty of factors that keep farmers and ranchers cautious about what lies in the future; weather, markets, and government policy to name a few.  While there is no 'sure thing' from one season to the next, modern geospatial information analysis can give the agricultural sector a fighting chance to improve the odds in their favor.  Geographic information systems (GIS) provide short and long-term assessment of active conditions and changes taking place in the landscape providing farmers, ranchers and land managers with a better means to observe, understand and address situations impacting their yields.  Ultimately, this translates into healthier lands, more effecient use of resources, better productivity, and profitable land-use.

This Season:

Land managers, whether farmers, ranchers, or government agencies, are always observing. In part, to identify when a specific problem arises or for possible ways to improve an existing system.  Geographic Information System (GIS) methodology allows an opportunity to improve observation practices and  make changes that can have an immediate outcome on an current growing cycle. Aerial mapping and LiDAR scanning methods can offer a detailed assessment of terrain and drainage surfaces, offering a solid visual baseline for reference for planning and decision-making. For crop monitoring, Color-Infrared (CIR) aerial mapping and thermal mapping can offer a comprehensive picture of negative factors at play such as irrigation leaks, excessive moisture, uneven fertilization, and pest damage. Equally, in the case of rangeland management, Color-Infrared (CIR) and Thermal aerial mapping can document invasive species, overgrazing, and erosional patterns.  Once identified, land managers are better able to respond to the problem and take corrective measures.

Next Season:

Monitoring change is equally important - did adjustments improve the situation, make it worse, or do nothing?  Continuing geographic assessment and mapping updates provides clarity of just how effective actions were and comparitively, which solutions worked best.  Good decision-making for the next season and future cycles relies on a clear understanding of where patterns are headed and how actions influenced these patterns.

The Next Generation:

Sometimes issues are bigger than a single season and basic responses are not enough.  Extended seasonal cycles of drought, flooding, salinity, or over use have deeper impacts requiring long-term assessment, resolution, and recovery. Aggressive and detailed assessment to identify critical systems that major decisions such closing areas to farming and grazing, crop rotations, aggressive soil management, or even extensive engineering solutions.  Continued geographic monitoring, anaylsis and modeling through a well-designed and accessible GIS solution can identify the critical trends so that these critical decisions can be made based on comprehensive understanding 

Moreover, the issue may be larger than a particular parcel or tract - systems of erosion, soil conservation, wetland management, and localized watershed dynamics are often better recognized a regional scale.  Large-scale imaging and terrain modeling through photogrammetric and LiDAR applications can go a long way towards recognizing broader trends in the landscape that explain localized issues.

The Last Generation:

Sometimes it is easier to get a solid handle on the present and future by looking at the past.  Historical aerial photography and land records can offer an explanation of current patterns in the landscape.  Modern aerial, satellite, and UAV based color-infrared and thermal imaging in particular, can equally provide clues to the past including historical tile drainage installations, irrigation, landfill pollutants, and other previous land-use practices that may still be impacting the landscape.

Access to Precision Geospatial Resources:

Over the past few decades, and in fact over the past century, significant steps have been taken to intregrate geographic information with agronomic-agricultural problem solving.  Needless to say, new and innovative approaches for collecting and utilizing geographic resources are always arising, from satellites to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and everything in between.  Feel free to Contact Access Geographic, and Let Us Know where we can connect your challenges to the best available geospatial solutions.