Applications of G.I.S. in Agriculture and Ecology

Applications of G.I.S. in Agriculture and Ecology

Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) is one of the fastest growing technologies today. This field covers anything and everything that can be mapped, anything from weeds to urban sprawl, if it can be mapped, G.I.S. can be used. G.I.S. uses computers to store, analyze, and show data collected about a given topic(Kennedy 1), (Zimmerman 5-9, 73-91). G.I.S. basically turns a computer into an atlas(Kennedy 1). With all this information available, how can it help the field of agriculture? G.I.S. has been used to track the spread of noxious weeds, grasshoppers, soil types, and various other factors, which help in agriculture.

First off, we can cover some G.I.S. basics. The information that is put into G.I.S. is collected from remote sensing, which can consist of aerial photography, satellite imagery, or raw G.P.S. data. G.I.S. has two main categories: raster and vector(Johnston 1-77). Raster G.I.S. uses cells and numbers to represent real objects in the world(Johnston 1-77), (Zimmerman 5-9, 73-91). These cells are assigned numerical values to represent objects in the real world. For example a certain cell could be numbered 353, and could represent a swamp, mountain, river bed, or any other physical feature found on the earth, or whatever the G.I.S. is being applied to. Vector G.I.S. represents the world by using a series of lines, shapes, and points. This G.I.S. presents physical features, or whatever the G.I.S. applies to in realistic shapes(Zimmerman 5-9, 73-91). Both of these types of G.I.S. would be applicable in agricultural systems, the vector type being more visual oriented and the raster looking more like a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet(Zimmerman 5-9, 73-91). It just depends on what you are studying, for example the terrain analysis for a new field would probably be best suited to a vector G.I.S., whereas a raster G.I.S. would be more applicable in following the movement of grasshoppers across the state of Wyoming(Zimmerman 5-9, 73-91).

G.I.S. applications are currently being used to track weed invasion in the Jack Morrow Hills area of northern Sweetwater County and southwestern Fremont County(Gillham 1-68). This is done through the remote sensing application of aerial photography. The mapping of weeds is very important to the agriculturist. They can use the information that has been collected to put forth preventative measures to keep out certain invasive species. This plays a huge role near the Jack Morrow Hills, the nearby communities of Farson and Eden both rely mainly on hay and alfalfa crops as a source of income, and with G.