FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF GEOMATICS

YEAR: 2023
SEMESTER: 1
SEMESTER PROJECT: 2
DATE OF ASSESSMENT: 19/05/2023

SUBJECT NAME: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

SUBJECT CODE: RGM117V
QUALIFICATION(S): ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN GEOMATICS
EXAMINER(S): P RAMBALLY
MODERATOR(S): C MOSIMA
TOTAL MARKS: TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER PAGE:
FULL MARKS: 100 TOTAL NUMBER OF ANNEXURES:
PAPER RESEARCH DURATION:
DESCRIPTION:

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS NONE

NON-PROGRAMMABLE POCKET CALCULATOR SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR
OPEN BOOK

Question Type % Question Mark

RECALL
APPLICATION 50
INSIGHT 50

TOTAL % 100

TOTAL:
FULL MARKS: 100 Signature of Examiner Signature of Moderator Signature of HOD

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:
 Maximum allowable plagiarism is 20%.

SURNAME & INTIALS

STUDENT 2 1 6 0 3 1 7 6 8
Lm Simelane NUMBER:

Student Mark (%) to be

captured by lecturer on ITS
Signature:

1
2
Contents
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
BODY............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................................................................................8
RESULTS.................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
ANALYSIS & DIACUSSIONS.........................................................................................................................................................12
CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................................................. 16

3
4
 Geospatial Applications In Agriculture.

ABSTRACT.

The current research evaluates the potential for agriculture using geospatial applications. Modern geospatial technology and
tools, such as Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and
information technology (IT), have made it possible to survey, classify, map, monitor, and characterize the makeup, extent, and
distribution of different natural resources. Geospatial approaches cover the collection, archiving, production, processing,
distribution, and presentation of geo-information. The major applications of geospatial technologies in agriculture are Crop
inventory and monitoring, crop production estimates and forecasting, crop growth simulation modeling, crop yield estimation,
precision agriculture, soil mapping, land degradation assessment, soil erosion assessment, soil quality assessment, digital soil
mapping, digital terrain modeling, soil-landscape modeling, land use/land cover mapping and agricultural land use planning, this
have a far-reaching influence on crop and land resource mapping, monitoring, and management on a long-term basis.

Geospatial technologies for crops and soils are a revolutionary tool for future generation’s food, nutritional, environmental, and
economic security in the face of scarce natural resources. Humanity faces the major task of increasing agricultural productivity to
attain food security in the twenty-first century and feed a population that is predicted to expand. This must be done while
preserving sustainable agricultural systems and addressing concerns such as climate change, water resource depletion, and the
possibility for increased erosion and productivity due to the incidence of extreme weather events. Precision agriculture arose as
a result of technological breakthrough including the introduction of Geospatial technologies like as GPS and satellite
photography.

It is now possible to build detailed representations of our fields and make wise agricultural technology decisions thanks to
geospatial applications developed by people with computing backgrounds. The findings also contribute to the assessment of the
financial viability of farming initiatives. In this study we shall therefore examine the different geospatial applications and their
significance in order to inform and encourage the development of sustainable agriculture.

5
INTRODUCTION
The practice of using technology and scientific ideas to control the temporal and spatial variation involved in every aspect of
agricultural output is known as precision agriculture. Precision agriculture has undergone several improvements as a result of
technical advancements during the past ten years. The use of modern technology, such as new, advanced geospatial
technologies with the single system site-specific technologies, and their integration are essential for precision farming's flexibility.
The goal of precision agriculture is to increase overall farm production efficiency while minimizing the negative environmental
consequences of chemical loading. It is an integrated information and agricultural management system with the use spatial
technology to acquire data on the state of the soil and crops and to record the sequence of these circumstances.
(Pierce and Nowak, 1999)

The widespread use of geospatial technologies, which include methods and apparatuses related to remote sensing (RS),
geographic information systems (GIS), the global positioning system (GPS), advanced data processing, IT-driven outreach, and
web-services, may serve as the crucial role of the center to boost future agricultural productivity. Geospatial technology can lead
to considerable increases in the effectiveness of input utilization, which will reduce the cost of inputs and save valuable
resources. For soil profiling, satellite imaging, and geospatial technologies can be employed. to determine nutritional deficiency
in a site-specific region and improve goods.
(Abhishek, Ram and Tarik, 2020)

The emergence and convergence of several geospatial technologies, like the Global Positioning System (GPS), geographic
information system (GIS), miniaturized computer components, automatic control, in-field and remote sensing, mobile computing
and advanced information processing, has largely influenced this new approach. The agricultural business may now collect
more detailed data on production variability in both space and time.

Remote sensing and GIS have evolved as powerful tools for mapping natural resources at small and big levels. Topography with
significantly variable terrain ranging from low hills to high mountain ranges has presented a difficulty in agriculture from further
upgrading and utilizing the newest technology as compared to the rest of the world. Many technical advances in the 20th century
led to the creation of the concept of precision farming. .

The use of GIS and Remote sensing in agriculture is growing, with applications ranging from spatial decision support system,
yield estimation, food and security analysis, crop simulation models, pest management, livestock mapping, potential site
identification, and so on. As a result of today's demand to transmit information over the internet, several online web-based real-
time apps have supplanted classic stand-alone programs.

6
BODY
Geospatial Technologies are extremely important in adopting and monitoring agriculture operations at big  scale. The use of GPS
trackers, whether built into smart phones or handheld devices, results in actual mapping of the fields, allowing farmers to acquire
site-specific and more exact answers to their issues. Not only is field mapping performed with the help of GIS and remote
sensing, but if spatial content is linked to other web-based applications, it provides a very powerful tool that can be used to
monitor crop stages, disease management, yield estimation, soil mapping, weeds mapping, and hotspots for disease incidences.

The use of technology In addition to improving the simplicity and adaptability of spatial data collecting, the introduction of the
Global Positioning System has also broadened the methods of integration with remote sensing and geographic information
systems. The Global Positioning System, a novel invention from the late 1980s, quickly rose to prominence as a useful
instrument for collecting geographical data. The precision of GPS systems has increased from the early hand-held models,
which had a ground accuracy of around 10 meters, to the differential GPS models, which today have accuracy in centimeters

The capacity to capture in-field variability as regionally encoded data is made possible by the global positioning system. The
proper location may be determined and recorded continually. This technology takes agricultural regions and fields into account
in greater detail than in the past, making a larger database available to the user. Only in the locations where GPS position
tracking has taken place can correct yield statistics be supplied. The geographical coordinates for the results of monitoring data
are provided by GPS receivers working with them. This may be used to create maps of each field's yield. Field management
strategies for chemical application, growing, and harvest may be created by integrating data gathered from various satellites and
referencing it with GPS.
(Liaghat and Balasundram 2010)

Combining the Global Positioning System and geographic information systems has allowed for the development and use of
precision agriculture were large volumes of geographic data is effectively handled and analyzed thanks to these technologies'
ability to connect real-time data collecting with precise location data. Farm planning, field mapping, soil sampling, tractor guiding,
crop scouting, variable rate applications, and yield mapping are all done using GPS-based technologies in precision farming.

GIS is a powerful collection of tools for collecting, saving, and retrieving data as needed, as well as for manipulating and
displaying geographical data for specific purposes. Agriculture has found great use in GIS's capacity to evaluate and visualize
working situations and agricultural ecosystems. A farm's productivity and profitability depend on maintaining a balance between
its inputs and outputs. Layers of spatial data are frequently used to represent topography or other environmental factors. GIS
technology is increasingly being used to create models that replicate the interactions of complex natural systems by fusing
diverse map and satellite information sources.
(Burrogh and McDonnell, 1998)

7
GIS may be used to create visuals, including drawings, animations, and other cartographic outputs in addition to maps. GIS is
becoming more and more important in agriculture production throughout the world by assisting farmers to enhance productivity,
decrease expenses, and manage their land more effectively. This is true of mobile GIS in the field as well as the scientific
analysis of production data at the farm manager's office. Farming's natural inputs cannot be controlled, but they may be better
understood and managed with the use of GIS applications including crop yield estimation, assessments of soil amendments,
and erosion detection and correction.
(Wu Bingfng and Liu Chenglin .2000)

Remote sensing offers enormous promise for Precision Agriculture since it allows for the monitoring of spectral and spatial
changes over time at high resolution. The spatiotemporal changes serve as a baseline for understanding the variability that has
happened across time. Over time, the diverse terrains go through numerous changes ranging from infrastructure development,
stress on forest area for additional agricultural regions and fodder grounds, rivalry over limited agricultural resources, and so on.
(Moran, et.al.,1997)

The latest modern agricultural technology must be included into the continuous system of farm activities, which must be
monitored on a regular basis. Remote sensing is a superior alternative for precision agriculture since it has a faster turnaround
time (24-48 hours), a higher spectral resolution, lower data costs, a higher spatial resolution, and a higher temporal resolution.
(10-15 days)

Due to its robust analytical capabilities, GIS sets itself apart from the other two technologies in that it makes it possible to
combine, analyze, and even model data from many sources. However, if the GIS database is unreliable, incorrect or out of date,
these functions cannot be completely fulfilled. The data in a GIS database are by definition either spatial (such as administrative
boundaries and boundaries of land-cover parcels) or thematic (such as different categories of land cover). It is customary to
digitize existing topographic or land-use maps in order to offer spatial data and some related thematic data. It is customary to
digitize existing topographic or land-use maps in order to offer spatial data and some related thematic data.

These maps are secondary in nature, despite that. Because of map generalization, they might not display all needed
characteristics. Second, due to the quick changes occurring on the ground, topographic or land-use maps could be outdated.
Remote sensing and/or GPS can be used to get around these constraints. In comparison to topographic and thematic maps,
aerial pictures and satellite images are more up-to-date and original sources of area-based data, and GPS is an effective tool for
fast data collection.

In terms of their core purposes, GIS and GPS naturally support one another. There are limitations to any technology. Their
advantages can only be fully realized through integration. Integration will expand the range of applications for these
technologies, like in real-time emergency illness response and early warning systems, in addition to simplifying their uses in
resource management and environmental monitoring (such as pest incidents and hot spots). In reality, combining GPS, remote
sensing, and GIS with ground monitoring devices has shown to be a successful way to organize, process, and present spatial
8
data for regional water resource management. (Kunal, Sharda , Ranbir,Adatyia,2015)

METHODOLOGY

9
RESULTS

10
11
ANALYSIS & DIACUSSIONS

12
13
CONCLUSIONS

14
15
REFERENCES

16
17