Important Of Geographic Information System(GIS) in Agriculture

Role of GIS and RS in Agriculture

The power to readily collect and analyze farmland data is one of many reasons why geographic information systems (GIS) are so valuable in agriculture. GIS agriculture data is collected by field machinery on the ground and drones and satellites in the sky. Then, this information can be used for a wide variety of purposes, from precision farming and crop prediction to livestock tracking. Major agri-food stakeholders routinely utilize GIS solutions for agriculture to boost short-term profits and realize long-term goals of sustainable development. GIS also plays an important role in planning of environmental management.

Table of Contents:

• How GIS helps in Agriculture
• Collecting and processing of Agricultural GIS data
• Implementation of Remote Sensing(RS) in farming
• Crop Monitoring by the help of GIS software
• Drought management and pest control using GIS
• Land and soil analysis
• Planning of future food demand
• Various ways of using GIS in agriculture.
• Contribution of GIS in sustainable agriculture
• Online platforms to learn GIS courses and the career opportunities 

 How GIS helps in Agriculture?

GIS help users create multi-layered interactive maps that can be used for the visualization of complex data and for spatial analysis. Using of GIS tools in agriculture, it enables farmers to map field data, organize and analyze it, and monitor their crops remotely.

         And now-a-days GPS, robotics, drone and satellite monitoring have all contributed to farm automation. By visualizing data, GIS helps farmers to make their strategies for better productivity, like by spotting trends and patterns, implement change detection, and quickly address issues. Precision agriculture relies heavily on GIS to collect and interpret massive field data for informed decision-making.

Collecting and processing of Agricultural GIS data

Including hardware, software, and information all come together in GIS technology. Electronic devices like, from a simple laptop or desktop computer to something more complex like a satellite or a drone, can serve as the hardware. GIS software utilizes maps to display spatial data. And images are created using a variety of GIS technologies and then linked to relevant maps and data that is hidden. And after that you end up with is a map not only showing the location and overall also showing the health of your crops but also taking into account that, other relevant factors such as terrain, soil type, and fertilization.

Implementation of Remote Sensing(RS) in farming

Remote sensing involves aerial or satellite scans of the Earth’s surface which help farmers in various ways to give them data. When it comes to medium spatial resolution land remote sensing data gathered from space, Landsat is unrivaled. and as you know the Landsat 8 is an observation satellite that orbits Earth in every 16 days. And it records nine visible light bands helping assess crop health, nutrient content, insect infestation, or moisture. Not only does Landsat 8 record visible light, but also it is invisible to the human eye thermal infrared radiation (TIR).

Crop Monitoring by the help of GIS software

It should be noted that GIS software in agriculture is very helpful to farmers on their purpose. Some tools of GIS indicate crop types, yields, and distributions and some visualize soil moisture levels to help users decide what to plant. Some other software tools helps to compare the economic costs and benefits of forestry vs. logging. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each farmer or agriculture manager to find a GIS solution that will provide data for them to make informed farmland decisions.

When it comes to field data, EOSDA Crop Monitoring digital agriculture platform has you covered in so many ways. Historical vegetation and weather data, a brief summary of the dynamics of the vegetation indices and the soil moisture index, and accurate 14-day weather forecasts are available here. In addition to providing access to GIS-based agriculture data, the platform includes various capabilities such as:

• scouting, which improves task management and allows scouts to create and send reports to farmers and owners in real time;
• And field activity log for planning, coordinating, and monitoring all the field operations.

Drought management and pest control using GIS

Drought management can be categorized into two fundamental categories, such as- proactive risk reduction and reactive drought responses and GIS helps manage droughts by identifying areas or lands that are experiencing a lack of water. It helps prevent damage to plant seeds, human efforts, and expensive fertilizers.

And GIS is also used for pest control by predicting attacks from pests like locusts and rodents by analyzing spatial data of specific agricultural farmlands. It allows the government and farmers to plan how to deal with these pests strategically.

Land and Soil Analysis

By studying all the previous data sets, satellite images, or even analyzing the field directly, field workers and farmers can gather information about the land and soil conditions to plan their farming foe better productivity.

Planning Of Future Food Demand

Local food systems are often overlooked by urban planners and city heads, as the prevailing belief is that the private market is responsible for delivery of this kind of system. Some argue that if planners can help guide local food systems with models of food accessibility in mind by using GIS and remote sensing tools, they can help fill the gap and provide the opportunity for more urban residents to make proper food choices. 

By considering the today's population’s needs, the government and farmers can plan and produce enough crops to meet the ongoing and future coming demand.

Various ways of using GIS in agriculture

• Precision Agriculture: Precision agriculture GIS software provides details of vegetation and productivity maps, including crop information, for making reasonable decisions. In agriculture, GIS tools can identify vegetation levels in your field or any of its areas. Agriculture machinery can then use this information to adjust seed, nutrients, herbicides, and fertilizer amounts for each land. 

• 
  Agriculture Mapping: In GIS, soil and crop analysis can be facilitated by satellite sensors, allowing the creation of soil index mapping and maps of vegetation indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Agriculture GIS mapping helps in field monitoring and management for successful crop production. 
  

• Livestock Monitoring: Agriculture GIS software plays an important role in tracking animals’ movements in animal husbandry. GIS agriculture tools help farmers to locate livestock on a farm and monitor their health, growth, fertility, and nutrition. Animal trackers with a portable device, can receive and display tracker data which enables this application.

Contribution of GIS in sustainable agriculture

Today's problem is, with the growing population, ensuring that there will always be enough food for everybody is critical. With the help of GIS technology and tools, governments, activists, scientists, and agriculture producers may study and develop methods to ensure food supply and, by extension, the survival of the mankind. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been using GIS tools and other geospatial technologies to establish sustainable food systems worldwide for more than 30 years.

Organizations are working on sustainable development to use GIS for:

• monitor water supplies and forecast droughts
• estimate and predict yields at the same time
• evaluate the economic and environmental effects of human activities and natural phenomena
• combine and analyze agriculture data from several sources;
• share data and maps between departments and organizations;
• serve as an online information and guidance resource for local communities.

Online platforms to learn GIS courses and the career opportunities

There are various online platforms, where you can learn about GIS and Remote Sensing from beginner to advance level. And there are various career opportunities lies in it like

• GIS Executive
• GIS Analyst
• City Planner
• GIS Developer 
• Geospatial Engineer, and many more career options.

So if you want to build your career in GIS and GIS tools like, ArcGIS and QGIS, then go for it and choose the best platform for you.