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Viticulturists, managers and winemakers use digital aerial imagery to analyze grape canopy density prior to harvest, leading to more efficient operations and ultimately, better wine. In order to show real-time vineyard conditions, the entire process — from imaging to georeferencing, mapping and geodatabase updates — must be completed in just one month’s time. The spatial analysis involves using geo-referenced data and software tools to make inferences about geographic patterns or trends.

 

For vineyard managers there are an increasing number of additional tools available for  improving crop quality management.Today’s mapping technology can be used to provide cost-effective solutions for agricultural applications. Integrating GIS, GPS, and remote sensing technologies provides growers with the information they need at a scale they can use. As the accuracy and capabilities of these technologies improve, agriculture is poised to take full advantage of the benefits. As more farm managers adopt GIS as a means of managing spatially based information, the need to depend on anecdotal information will decrease. Farm managers will begin to make better decisions about inputs for crops and the management of variability within fields. GIS will help play a key role in integrating spatially based information from a variety of sources including yield monitoring, laboratory analysis, soils mapping, chemical tracking and many other data sources.

 

For California agriculture, GIS can be used to not only improve yields but increase the quality of the crops produced as well. Farm managers can now evaluate trade-offs of quantity over quality. Management strategies can be selected that optimize growers’ objectives and provide for a sustainable resource.

 

Successful GIS implementations can be attained using a phased project approach. A user needs assessment is pivotal to identifying the GIS applications needed and the data to support them. Using this approach, growers can spread this technology investment over several seasons, allowing applications and data to be developed on a priority basis.

 

Many farms benefit from basic mapping applications to better locate features on the farm and manage resources for optimal crop production. As GIS data sets continue to develop and mature, more sophisticated decision support systems can be implemented to provide growers with better information in a timely manner.