CRSS/GEOG 4375/6375 -- GIS Applications in Agriculture
Course Syllabus - Fall, 2003

Instructors:

Lecture:
11:15-12:05 MWF, Room 2102 Plant Science

Credits:
Four

Lab:  
3:35-5:30 M, Room 321 GG Building  

Course Content:

This is an introductory course covering site specific (precision) agriculture and watershed management in agricultural and environmental sciences including geographic referencing, global positioning systems(GPS), remote sensing(RS), and geographic information systems(GIS).  Emphasis will be placed on crop and soil science applications for these technologies. Topics will include georeferencing, image digitizing, terrain processing, map overlay and calculation, interpolation from grid sampling, developing soil management zones, nutrient management, soil property mapping, crop yield mapping and interpretation, and applications that address problems in agricultural and environmental sciences. Concepts from lecture topics will be demonstrated through laboratory exercises emphasizing the use of agricultural datasets.

Texts:

Burrough, P. A. and R.A. McDonnell, 1998. Principles of Geographical Information Systems, Oxford University Press, New York, 333 p. Site Specific Management Guidelines, Potash and Phosphate Institute.

Laboratory:

The laboratory portion of the class is designed to implement specific spatial analysis techniques through computer processes. A series of exercises using simple datasets will be conducted on a weekly basis. A typed report of two or three double-spaced pages is required for each exercise. The report should contain a summary of your experiences and problems encountered in following the laboratory exercises. Include in the report any results of the exercises. A summary of the exercises follows:

Class Project:

All students are required to design and implement a project involving geographic analysis of agricultural data. Projects may be theoretical, methodological or applications-oriented but must include a spatial analytical result and a map or specific crop recommendation, nutrient or pesticide application. A one-page outline for the project must be submitted by October 10, 2003, and a final project report of 10-15 pages with appropriate literature review is required on December 8, 2003.

Research Paper:

All students enrolled in CRSS/GEOG 6375 are required to write a paper on a topic of their interest related to the material covered in the course. This research paper is in addition to the project report above and not a replacement for it. The topic of the paper must be approved by the instructors prior to research and writing and an outline must be submitted by October 10, 2003. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, and 12 or more pages in length with appropriate references. Please note that this is a formal research paper designed to give you experience in scholarly writing suitable for publication. It will be evaluated under these requirements, so prepare the paper as if you were going to submit it for publication. The paper is due on December 8, 2003.

Evaluation

Course Outline