GIS for Agriculture & Natural Resource Management

This course involves teaching sessions that may be attended by both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students.
Geographic information systems have become an important tool far beyond the geographic disciplines. Applications in the agricultural sciences and natural resource management range from basic research on environmental sustainability to farm management and regional product marketing. This course gives an overview of the history and the rapid recent development of this technology and gives examples of commercially available state-of-the-art tools. Hands on computer exercises teach generic GIS skills of data capture, processing and presentation of results.
Special practical exercises emphasize precision agriculture and management of spatial variability in agricultural production systems. Students will learn what information can be derived from space and airborne remote sensing for land management and how remotely sensed imagery can be combined with other sources of information in order to efficiently manage land, increase production and reduce costs and consider environmental benefits.