THE ROLE OF GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS IN AGRICULTURE

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THE ROLE OF GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS IN
AGRICULTURE

• Presentation by
• Patrick Denton
• Senior Student, FSU

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QUESTIONS

• What role does GPS play in the agriculture
  industry?
• What role do surveyors play in the agriculture
  industry?

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INTRODUCTION

• WHY USE GPS IN AGRICULTURE?
• IMPROVE AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION
• IMPROVE EFFICIENCY
• RISING DEMAND FOR MORE FOOD
• HIGHER FUEL COSTS
• PRODUCE SAFER FOODS

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PRECISION FARMING PROCESS

• MAPPING
• PLANNING
• FIELD PREPARATION
• FERTILIZATION
• PLANTING
• HARVESTING
• LAND LEVELING
• LIVESTOCK MONITORING
• DATA ANALYSIS

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CREATE A MAP

• GIS database can include field topography,
  soil types, soil testing results, surface
  drainage, subsurface drainage, rainfall,
  irrigation, chemical application rates, and crop
  yield.

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MAPPING

• MAP WET OR DRY AREAS
• MAP WEEDS
• MAP DRAINAGE BLOWOUTS
• CREATE SOIL SAMPLE GRIDS

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PLANNING

• DATA IS COLLECTED AND STORED
• SOFTWARE AVAILABLE FOR PLANNING
• AND SUPPORTING GPS DATA
• ARCEXPLORER
• ARCVIEW TRACKING FROM ESRI
• SSTOOLBOX BY SST DEVELOPMENT
• AGIS BY DELTA DATA SYSTEMS
• AGINFO BY AGRONOMY SERVICE BUREAU

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FIELD PREPARATION

• WORK THROUGH RAIN, DUST, FOG,
• DARKNESS
• SOIL SAMPLING TO DETERMINE
• FERTILIZATION RATES NEEDED
• PLANT SEEDS AT OPTIMAL RATE
• MONITOR AND MAINTAIN DETAILED
• RECORDS OF FIELD PREPARATION
• AUTOSTEER GUIDANCE

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AUTO STEER

• CENTIMETER ACCURACY
• MINIMIZES REDUNDANCIES IN SEED AND FERTILIZER
• MAXIMUM GROUND COVERAGE IN SHORTEST TIME

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FERTILIZATION

• MORE EFFICIENT USE OF FERTILIZERS,
  HERBICIDES,PESTICIDES, AND FUNGICIDES ON ORCHARDS

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PLANTING

• APPLY SEEDS AT AN OPTIMAL RATE

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HARVESTING

• YIELD MONITORING

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LAND LEVELING

• LEVEL LAND FOR DRAINAGE
• TERRACE FIELDS, GOOD
• ELEVATIONS NEEDED
• HEIGHT MODERNIZATION

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LIVESTOCK MONITORING

• LOCATE LIVESTOCK IN LARGE AREAS
• MONITOR GRAZING HABITS
• TRACKING AND LOCATING DISEASED LIVESTOCK

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VIRTUAL FENCE
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ANALYSIS

• CREATE FIELD MANAGEMENT ZONES
• ANALYZE AND IMPROVE FIELD DATA COLLECTION
• ANALYZE AND IMPROVE RECORD KEEPING
• STRATIGIES FOR IMPROVED STEWARDSHIP OF LAND
• STRATIGIES FOR CONSERVATION IMPLEMENTATION

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THE SURVEYORS ROLE

• ESTABLISH CONTROL
• COLLECT DATA
• CREATE GIS DATABASE
• MAP FARM
• IMPROVE GEOID (HEIGHT MOD.)
• PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT

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CONCLUSION

• COMBINING GPS AND GIS IS A POWERFUL TOOL FOR
  FARMERS
• REAL TIME DATA COLLECTION WITH ACCURATE
  POSITIONING
• MANY APPLICATIONS
• IMPROVES EFFICIENCY
• HIGHER YIELDS
• LOWER COSTS
• SAFER FOODS