GPS allows pinpointing of positions on the globe, Sanderson explained. Remote sensing, which can be done with satellite imagery or aerial photography, gives a bird's eye perspective of farm fields. Sanderson gets the satellite data daily from the Army Research Laboratory's receiving station at White Sands Missile Range. We may have a map of the field overlaid with a map of the soil types overlaid with a map of the fertilizer applications that are put on. When all the maps are put together, farmers can figure out important information like where the soil is poor and needs additional fertilizer.
Precision agriculture allows more automation of equipment.
Navigational systems can be used to record pesticide and fertilizer applications and yield during harvesting. And then, it switches on the appropriate amount. Then the next bit further down the road might not need as much. In one precision agriculture project, Sanderson is working with the La Union Soil and Water Conservation District and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Vegetation strongly reflects infrared radiation, which falls just outside the visible range of the light spectrum.