In recent years, the introduction of innovative technology in agriculture has led to adjustments in the way farmers handle crops and cultivate fields. You don’t have to be an expert to see how technology has changed the way agriculture is viewed, making it more profitable, efficient, safe and easy. Five of the best modern information technology in agriculture recognized by farmers:
- GIS technology in agriculture and GPS agriculture
- Satellite imagery.
- Drone and other aerial imagery
- Agricultural information technology and online data
- Combining data sets
As a result, today’s farms are reaping significant benefits from digital technology in agriculture, which is constantly evolving. These benefits include reduced consumption of water, nutrients and fertilizers, reduced negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystem, reduced chemical runoff into local groundwater and rivers, increased efficiency, lower prices and more. In this way, businesses become profitable, smart and sustainable.
GIS Technology in Agriculture
Because fields are location-dependent, GIS technology is becoming an incredibly useful tool in terms of precision agriculture. Using geographic information technology in agriculture, farmers can display current and future changes in precipitation, temperature, crop yields, plant health, and more. It also allows GPS-based applications to be used along with smart technology to optimize fertilizer and pesticide application; given that farmers do not need to treat the entire field, but only certain areas, they can achieve savings in money, effort and time.
Satellite Data
Predicting crop yields as well as conducting near real-time satellite monitoring of fields to detect a variety of threats using satellite data has never been easier than with the introduction of innovative technology in agriculture.
Sensors can provide images in a variety of spectra, allowing the application of multiple spectral indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The NDVI allows you to determine vegetation composition, number of wilted plants, and overall plant condition. Next is the plant chlorophyll content index (CCCI), which helps with nutrient application. Then the Normalized Difference Red Edge Index (NDRE) determines nitrogen content. And finally, the Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) is designed to minimize the impact of soil background in the earliest stages of plant development; the list goes on.
Drones: Data from the Sky Technology
With the help of drone technology in agriculture (drones), farmers are able to determine crop biomass, plant height, weed presence, and water saturation in certain areas of the field with high accuracy. They provide better and more accurate data with higher resolution than satellites. When they are working in the field, they provide valuable information even faster than scouts. Drones are also considered unbeatable helpers in insect control; insect infestations are prevented by applying insecticide to dangerous areas using unmanned technology (drones), while reducing the chance of direct exposure leading to chemical poisoning.
Although drones are easy to use and can collect large amounts of data in a short amount of time, there are still problems with their continued use because the technology is not cheap. Drones are almost helpless where mapping or monitoring of large areas is required, and it is better to complement this technology with satellite monitoring of already mapped areas where specific areas need to be rechecked.
Online Data: The Key to Precision Agriculture.
To make it easier to monitor agricultural fields, EOS has developed EOSDA Crop Monitoring, a digital platform that uses satellite monitoring to speed up a farmer’s decision-making so he doesn’t miss an important moment of field treatment. Here are some of the features available on the platform:
Data Consolidation.
Sometimes in the EOSDA Crop Monitoring platform, you have to mix different data sets to get valuable information about your fields. For starters, the user can compare the performance of their field to the average performance of all the fields in the area. To overcome this problem, technology is used to compare multiple datasets from all the fields in your area. For now, such comparisons are only available using the NDVI vegetation index, but in the near future we will expand the analytical capabilities of the Platform by adding new indices.
The next important function, modern information technology in agriculture using multiple data sets, is the analysis of weather data. It consists of the following options:
“Plant Frost” informs you of low temperatures that threaten your winter crops.
“Frost Threat” highlights days when temperatures have dropped below -6 ℃ to assess damage to early crops from frost.
“Drought Threat” reflects days with temperatures above + 30 ℃ to assess damage from heat stress.
This feature of new technology in agriculture also provides the ability to monitor precipitation and temperature.