Premise: While Natural Resources and Production Agriculture have significant differences in their respective motivations, goals, decision environments, technological approaches,

1
GIS in Natural Resources and Agriculture
2014 Manitoba GIS User Group Fall
Conference  October 1, 2014   Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada
Premise While Natural Resources and Production
Agriculture have significant differences in their
respective motivations, goals, decision
environments, technological approaches, advanced
Map Analysis and GIS Modeling applications are
bridging these differences.  
Premise While Natural Resources and Production
Agriculture have significant differences in their
respective motivations, goals, decision
environments, technological approaches, advanced
Map Analysis and GIS Modeling applications are
bridging these differences.  
This PowerPoint with notes and online links to
further reading is posted at www.innovativegis.c
om/basis/Present/Manitoba2014/
Presented byJoseph K. Berry Adjunct Faculty in
Geosciences, Department of Geography, University
of Denver Adjunct Faculty in Natural Resources,
Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado
State UniversityPrincipal, Berry Associates //
Spatial Information Systems Email
jberry_at_innovativegis.com Website
www.innovativegis.com/basis
2
Comparing Natural Resources and Agriculture (a
GIS perspective)
Technical Tool (Descriptive Where is What)
vs. Analytical Tool (Prescriptive Why, So What
and What if)
(Berry)
3
Calculating Slope and Flow (NR example terrain
analysis)
(Berry)
4
Deriving Erosion Potential (terrain modeling)
Erosion Potential
(Berry)
5
Calculating Effective Distance (variable-width
buffer)
(Berry)
6
Comparing Natural Resources and Agriculture (a
GIS perspective)
(Berry)
7
Spatial Interpolation (Ag example fertilization
prescription map)
(Berry)
8
The Precision Ag Process
2) records the yield monitor value at that
location to
3) create a continuous Yield Map surface
identifying the variation in crop yield every few
feet throughout the field (dependent map
variable).
6) that is used to adjust fertilization levels
applied every few feet in the field (If
ltconditiongt then ltactiongt).
more generally termed the Spatial Data Mining
Process (e.g., Geo-Business application)
(Berry)
9
Precision Conservation (compared to Precision Ag)
https//www.sensorsandsystems.com/article/features
/5662-precision-agricultures-success-yields-precis
ion-conservation.html
(Berry)
10
Upshot (NR compared to Ag from a GIS perspective)
Historical Setting NR was an early adopter of
geospatial technology as a direct outgrowth of
its long and extensive mapping/inventory legacy
for automated cartography and geoquery of an
extended resource base.



On the other hand, Ag had little use for
mapping and spatially detailed inventories.
Contemporary GIS Applications and
Approaches The bulk of GIS applications for
both NR and Ag applications involve Technological
Tools utilizing mapping, geo-query and display
for NR and GPS navigation, implement control and
data collection for Ag.

• Ags analytical applications tend to be tightly
  focused on stewardship and economics at the
  individual field level utilizing Spatial
  Statistics operations (numerical context spatial
  coincidence) for analysis of the spatial
  relationships among factors affecting crop
  production and management actions.

• NRs analytical applications tend to focus more
  on ecology and environmental impacts at the
  landscape level utilizing Spatial Analysis
  operations (geographical context relative
  position) for analysis of the spatial
  relationships among factors ecosystem conditions
  and management actions.

• NR will incorporate more quantitative analysis
  of mapped data (Spatial Statistics) in its
  science, and

• Ag will adopt a more ecological perspective
  focusing on the cycles and movements of soil and
  water (Spatial Analysis).

(Berry)
11
So Where to Head from Here?