By studying the Grand Canyon's multiple layers of rock, the researchers hope to learn how and when Rodinia was assembled and broken apart, and discover a correlation of the break-up to the first life forms. By learning to master sophisticated gadgetry and apply it to the business of farm management, students and their instructors plan to take traditional farming from the days of tractors to the days of satellites. They expect that this transformation will have an impact equal to tractors replacing horses in the early 1900s they say. The GPS receiver calculates location using GPS satellites, while the farmer collects and records data on the field. The GIS software manages, analyzes and manipulates these data.
Farmers can also get additional data from imaging satellites.
Applying this system to farm management allows farmers to better assess situations before making decisions that affect their crops. It also allows farmers to tailor their methods to specific field segments, rather than using the same techniques for their entire acreage.