Agriculture and GPS

Thanks to technological advances, today's farms work differently than a few decades ago. In addition, agriculture faces many challenges that cannot be dealt with by traditional methods. Agricultural production has to be increased as the population will be growing constantly. Furthermore, farmers need to consider global climate change, to which they need to adapt, but at the same time, it is necessary to reduce the impact on the environment.

Technology contributes to increasing production, and precision agriculture contributes to the more efficient and rational use of resources. Valuable innovations include various sensors, satellite data, artificial intelligence, robotics, and GPS technology. Precision farming systems and innovative devices make farming greener, more efficient, profitable, and safer. GPS application is an integral part of precision agriculture and in this article, you will learn how this technology contributes to it.

Examples of GPS applications

Apps for farming give farmers a range of valuable possibilities, including the increase of field operations accuracy. They help to manage and control every change in the field and define the effectiveness of different field activities. Each type of farming application offers different functions, but they all play a significant role in increasing field productivity and conserving resources.

Field Mapping

Accurate farmland mapping enables the timely collection of geospatial data on soil and crop properties and needs. This information is then processed and applied to increase yields and protect the environment. GPS provides an accurate estimate of the field preparing to grow crops. Field mapping applications help experts identify farm areas suitable for planting and those that will be used for non-agricultural activities.

By installing a GPS device on a tractor, agrarians can get a complete picture of agricultural areas with coordinates of various obstacles, including rows of trees, stones, potholes, and power lines. Then farmers can add received GPS data to the field map to adjust the tractors to avoid specific locations.

Precision Plowing

Customizable field maps improve the navigation of agricultural machinery. The tractors process the selected areas more precisely, following a specific route, having received the GPS data. The data is also used for precise seeds placement in furrows after plowing a field.

As the applicator moves across the area, the VRA tools change the input material concentration using the coordinates provided by the tractor and maps. One of the main advantages of GPS navigators is that a vehicle equipped with it works in the dark and in unfavorable weather conditions. Thus, agricultural operations become less dependent on weather conditions.

Planting & Fertilization 

GPS agriculture apps are also helpful when planning the planting of a particular crop. Applications of this type are in demand because different seeds require precise spacing and seeding depth depending on the soil type. GPS applications make it possible to determine the correct conditions accurately and maximize yields.

Fertilization also plays a critical role in increasing field productivity and increasing profits. Agricultural experts estimate that variable-rate fertilization plays a vital role in increasing yields. In addition, variable rate fertilization saves resources, as farmers do not apply fertilizer evenly over the entire field, but only where the plants need nutrients. A dataset is used to ensure high accuracy, including real-time weather and conductivity of the soil and other spatial information that aids in determining the application rate.

Crop Monitoring

Another application of GPS in farming is for monitoring and yields assessment. With the help of GPS, farmers can track problem areas in the field, including areas of potential weeds and diseases. The data obtained with this technology allows you to do it before damage is done.

GPS technology improves orientation and field management at all stages of production. For example, during harvesting season, the information from the GPS tracker can be matched with the mass flow sensors data to create a yield map. The sensor attached to the grain elevator measures the weight of the harvested crop. The agricultural Global Positioning System tracks most of the farm's operations, providing valuable information for seasonal analysis or net profit calculation for each site and optimizing future farming operations.

The future of GPS in agriculture

GPS technology continues to evolve and update. GPS technology will play a vital role as the agricultural community continues to make an effort to meet the growing demand for food, fuel, and fiber. The Global Positioning System will help farmers produce more food more efficiently, more sustainably, and greater consistency of results.

Combining GPS with other innovative technologies will bring even more benefits to agriculture. For example, autonomous machines will make it possible to stop using heavy manual human labor when picking vegetables and fruits. Machine vision, which determines the size of leaves and stems and location, will be used to guide mechanical processes.

Various sensor combinations will continue to make crucial contributions to the work of geneticists and breeders. They can quickly measure phenotypic traits on thousands of plants regularly. Using these data, experts determine the most resistant crop varieties.