GIS based agriculture

Rajeew Kumar
G.B.Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar-Uttrakhand

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The increased efficiency and profitability that the proper application of technology can provide has made precision agriculture the hottest developing area within traditional agriculture. Modern farming is about optimizing agricultural production. In this aspect, nothing has changed for thousands of years. Farmers have always been aware of striking a balance when applying inputs that increase crop yields but incur costs and reduce the eventual value of their harvests. So what has changed?. Ever increasing acceptance of information technology in everyday life has had an impact on farming, and this will only grow with increased accessibility. Perhaps the most influential development to expedite technology transfer to agriculture has been the development of GPS. By incorporating GPS into standard farming practices, farmers, researchers, and consultants have been able to improve the precision of existing agronomic management activities by implementing them at a subfield scale. Precision farming and associated variable rate technologies have been the result. Potentially, factors that influence crop productivity can be identified, mapped, and used to provide an implemented solution. Preserving the environment, managing assets, constant overpro­duction with low prices, changing government subsidies, biotech­nology, and intense global competition are reasons agricultural professionals are using geographic information system (GIS) tech­nology. With increased awareness of geospatial technologies and its role in society, agriculture has and must continue to embrace GIS to adapt to these changing circumstances.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A geographic information system (GIS) is a system for capturing, storing, analyzing and managing data and associated attributes which are spatially referenced to the earth. GIS refers to computer software that provides data storage, retrieval, and transformation of spatial (field) data. GIS software for digital agriculture will store data, such as soil type, nutrient levels, etc, in layers and assign that information to the particular field location. A fully functional GIS can be used to analyze characteristics between layers to develop application maps or other management options.

The Role of GIS in Agriculture

Spatial analysis, the study of geographic features, and the relationships that exist between them can be applied to many areas of the agriculture industry. By better understanding how features within the landscape interact, decision makers can optimize operational efficiency and improve economic returns. Regardless of scale-whether at the farm field level analyzing crop yield information or across an entire coun­try-GIS is becoming fully integrated and widely accepted for assisting government agencies to manage programs that support farmers and protect the environment. These are the agriculture GIS application in the field

• Combining agronomic and economic data sets
• Field data interpolation
• Decision support for farm management
• Farm asset allocation
• Field input reporting
• Regulatory compliance
• Subsidy claims

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