Virginia Tech GIS and Remote Sensing Research Symposium

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https://hdl.handle.net/10919/88978

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Browsing Virginia Tech GIS and Remote Sensing Research Symposium by Subject "Agricultural mapping"

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    Analysis of Crop Phenology Using Time-Series MODIS Data and Climate Data
    Ren, Jie; Campbell, James B. Jr.; Shao, Yang; Thomas, R. Quinn (2014)
    Understanding crop phenology is fundamental to agricultural production, management, planning and decision-making. In the continental United States, key phenological stages are strongly influenced by meteorological and climatological conditions. This study used remote sensing satellite data and climate data to determine key phenological states of corn and soybean and evaluated estimates of these phenological parameters. A time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) 16-day composites from 2001 to 2013 was analyzed with the TIMESAT program to automatically retrieve key phenological stages such as the start of season (emergence), peak (heading) and end of season (maturity). These stages were simulated with 6 hourly temperature data from 1980 to 2013 on the basis of crop model under the Community Land Model (CLM) (version 4.5). With these two methods, planting date, heading date, harvesting date, and length of growing season from 2001 to 2013 were determined and compared. There should be a good correlation between estimates derived from satellites and estimates produced with the climate data based on the crop model.
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    Mapping High Tunnels in the Local Food Systems
    Foust-Meyer, Nathaniel; O'Rourke, Megan E. (2014)
    High tunnels (HTs) represent a quietly growing, local level response to globalization of the food system. As semi-permanent greenhouses, HTs bring practical on-farm solutions to biophysical growing constraints; they extend the growing season and buffer delicate crops from extreme weather events. In 2009, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) began subsidizing the construction of HTs with the documented goals of increasing environmental stewardship and the added benefit of promoting local foods. However, many questions remain about the impacts of HTs. Where are they located? Who is benefiting from the NRCS HT program? Do HTs benefit rural or urban communities more? Are the benefits and access to HT produce equitably distributed between rural and urban consumers? This poster will illustrate the impacts of the NRCS HT program and high tunnels in general on farmers, consumers, and the local food movement. The poster will present information about where these high tunnels are in relation to metropolitan areas, food deserts, and the food insecure. Insights provided by GIS analysis about where HTs are located will lead to better projections into where they should be, in order to bring healthy food to more people, while conserving the environment.