Map India 2003 Agriculture

Geospatial applications in precision farming

A case study in West Bengal
Dilip Kumar Paul
mailto:infoppcil@stormloader.com
Physical Planning Consultants India Limited,
57/D, Beltola Road, Calcutta 700 025

Introduction
Precision farming revolves around the idea that any agricultural land
can contain wide spatial variations in soil types, nutrient availability,
and other important factors and not taking these variations into
account can result in a loss of productivity. Precision farming, as
such, is a method of farming that allows the farmer to produce
more efficiently, thereby realizing gains through economical use of
resources. In practical terms, precision farming involves studying
and managing variations within fields that can affect crop yield.
Study Area
What follows is a description of steps involved in
the application of geospatial technology in
precision farming. The study does not deal with
everything about precision farming. It only deals
with some of the tasks on the digital side of
precision farming for crop production using
TNTmips.

Selection of Arapanch village, in West Bengal in eastern India, is

based on the premises that

recent advances in space and information technologies are
capable of enabling small farm families achieve sustainable
advances in productivity and profitability per unit of land, time,
labour, and capital, and

if the case study is developed for the fields of resource poor
farmers, all farmers benefit.

The Study
Inputs for the study include two digital maps, the databases on
fertility classification, productivity, soil samples and yield samples
and a vector (ARC-E00) of plots and multispectral imagery.
Grid Cells and Points
Two digital maps are imported into TNTmips. The
map, which shows geographic coordinates, are
georeferenced manually. The other map is
georeferenced via object to Productivity Raster
object registration process.

Map India Conference 2003

© GISdevelopment.net, All rights reserved.
 Map India 2003 Agriculture

Study area boundary is digitized using the Spatial Data Editor.

Polygon Grid Sampling process is used for generating polygon grids

and points within the field boundary. Polygon grids are smaller sub
fields of
agricultural fields
and represent
precision farming
management
zones. Hexagons
best represent the
average values for
attributes
Surface
raster Surface Raster
associated with an
area. Grid points represent locations for
soil sampling. Database for soil samples
are imported and attached to the grid points.

Surfaces are generated for soil samples of pH, potassium, and

phosphate. Database for yields are also imported and used for
generating a surface for yields.
ty Class Raster

Vector (ARC-E00) of plots along with its geocoordinates is imported.

Database for fertility classes of plots and productivity are imported
and attached to the
vector of plots.
Productivity potential
field of the database
is used for processing
the vector to Input for extracting raster
properties
generate productivity
potential raster for
Raster Properties Extraction paddy and
vegetables. Field containing fertility details
of plots is used for generating fertility
class raster – training set - for the study
area. A RGB image was classified via automatic classification to
create a training set. The training set created using the attributes of
vector of plots was used as a
reference for ground truths.

Polygon grid cell properties

are extracted from
productivity potential raster,
training set raster and yield
surface raster created earlier.

Map India Conference 2003

© GISdevelopment.net,
Theme All rights reserved.
Map on Fertilizer Application
Map India 2003 Agriculture

A table with computed fields (with implied one-to-one attachment

with polygon ID) is created with a view to facilitate modeling the
precision farming actions such as application of fertilizers, etcetera.

Theme maps for each of the computed fields were created in order
to facilitate visualization of the effect of changes made in the
intended action via management formulas
for planting, fertilizer and pesticide
application rates. Raster Expression region

Surface rasters
of soil samples
of pH and
potassium are
Script for Raster Expression Region used to create a
management
layer via raster
expression regions.

Conclusions
Theme map on application of fertilizer
vindicates the environmental
stewardship of precision farming in
resource poor Indian villages. Theme
map also vindicates the potential of
productivity gains of precision farming.
NormalizeFactor of grid cells is a potential indicator for monitoring
sustainability of a precision farming in a given location at a given
point of time.

Comments
Geospatial applications in precision farming via TNTmips include the
following steps: importing, georeferencing, spatial data editing,
polygon grid sampling, vector extraction, vector to raster
conversion, raster
mosaicking, surface
modeling, raster
extraction via
regions, extracting
raster cell
properties, and
creating raster
expression regions.

The inputs for study Polygon Grid

Sampling
came from Dr Process
Deepak Sarkar of

Map India Conference 2003

© GISdevelopment.net, All rights reserved.
Map India 2003 Agriculture

National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Calcutta and
Mr. Bidhan Chandra Roy of Bharat Nursery Private Limited,
Calcuuta.
The study - for reasons of paucity of funds - is not exhaustive. Yet it
vindicates that precision farming if practiced in Indian villages,
could make a lot of difference to India’s efforts in achieving
sustainable food security - food for every household for a healthy
and productive life - via environmental stewardship and productivity
gains of precision farming.

Dilip Kumar Paul.

infoppcil@stormloader.com

Physical Planning Consultants India Limited,

57/D, Beltola Road, Calcutta 700 025.

December 20, 2002.

Note:
Contents of this feature are protected by the Indian Copyright Law. No part of this feature may be
reproduced for use in any other form, by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission
from Physical Planning Consultants (india) Limited, 57/D, Beltola Road, Calcutta 700025, India.

Map India Conference 2003

© GISdevelopment.net, All rights reserved.