Geographical Information Systems in Agriculture
(book excerpts)Geographic information systems, otherwise known as GIS, are systems designed to serve as a clearing house for data, to store, retrieve, manipulate, analyze, overlay, and display these data based on the requirements of the user, and to create both tabular and a layered set of maps which reflect these requirements. In a more generic sense, GIS is a software tool that allows users to create interactive queries, analyze spatial information, edit data and maps, and present the results of all these operations. One of the advantages of GIS is its capability of overlaying different information and data and relating them in the same spatial context. For example, yield data may be compared with other data layers, such as the soil properties, landscape position, remote sensing crop canopy, and yield data. This may reveal some information as to why yields are high in one location and low in other locations. Based on the relationship of these different layers, better decisions can be made on site-specific application of fertilizers, water, and other crop inputs. Thus, GIS software makes it possible to synthesize large amounts of data, combining different layers of information to manage and retrieve the data more effectively.
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Topics Within This Chapter:
- Components of a Geographical Information System
- Software
- Types of GIS Software
- Hardware
- Data
- Users
- GIS Methods
- GIS Service Providers
- GIS Range of Services
- Advantages and Disadvantages in Using GIS Service Providers
- Data Ownership
- Geospatial Data Acquisition
- Categories of Geographic Data Acquisition
- Primary
- Secondary
- Geospatial Data Acquisition Methods
- Remote Sensing
- Field Surveys / Ground-Based Collection
- Geospatial Databases and Portals
- Crowdsourcing / VGI (Volunteered Geographic Information)
- Types of GIS Data
- Spatial Data (Geospatial Data)
- Attribute Data
- Types of Geospatial Formats
- GIS Data Input and Integration
- Data Input
- GIS Data Input Methods
- Data Integration
- Data Conversion
- Data Fusion
- GIS Data Management
- Data Types
- Metadata
- Relational Versus Geospatial Databases
- Relational Database
- Geospatial Database
- Why Use Relational Databases?
- GIS Spatial Analysis
- GIS Data Layers
- GIS Spatial Data Analysis Techniques
- GIS Modeling and Simulation
- GIS Modeling
- Types of GIS Models in Agriculture
- Common GIS Modeling Techniques in Agriculture
- GIS Simulation
- GIS Simulation Techniques Used in Agriculture
- GIS Visualization and Mapping
- Key Components
- Types of GIS Maps
- Thematic Maps
- Time-Series Maps
- Topographic Maps
- Interactive Web Maps
- Applications of GIS in Precision Agriculture
- Soil Mapping and Analysis
- Applications of GIS in Soil Mapping and Analysis
- Variable Rate Application
- Applications of GIS in Variable Rate Application
- Irrigation Management
- Applications of GIS in Irrigation Management
- Pest and Disease Monitoring
- Applications of GIS in Pest and Disease Monitoring
- Yield Mapping and Analysis
- Applications of GIS in Yield Mapping and Analysis
- Crop Planning and Rotation
- Applications of GIS in Crop Planning and Rotation
