Remote Sensing

Remote Sensing Opportunities for Crop Management

Remote sensing - the process of acquiring information about an object without being in physical contact with the object from remote platforms such as ground-based booms, aircraft or satellites - is potentially an important source of information for making crop management decision. Remotely sensed images can show spatial variations resulting from soil and crop characteristics as well as how the crop is progressing through the growing season. The proposed uses of remotely sensed data include crop stress detection, pest management, fertility management, irrigation systems monitoring, damage assessment for insurance adjustment, and many more yet undiscovered innovations. The goals of this presentation are to provide a simple overview of remote sensing principles, how to obtain and use remote sensing data, and summarize current remote sensing research underway designed to solve crop management problems.

John  Shanahan Assistant Professor (Adjunct) and Research Agronomist
University of Nebraska
jshanahan1@unl.edu
http://agronomy.unl.edu/fac/shanahan.htm

Biography: My emphasis is on conducting research to increase our understanding of soil-plant-water relationships in the Great Plains with the goal of more efficient application of crop production inputs. Specific activities include developing remote sensing techniques to detect crop stresses (water, nitrogen, etc.), evaluating the effect of stresses on crop production, and integration of data acquired from site-specific management studies into decision support tools. These projects are in cooperation with agribusiness, industry, specialty foundations, and government agencies.