Digital maps show farmers a new level of accuracy
25 May 2005
Digital farm mapping technology that gives farmers unprecedented accuracy in their farm management decision-making will be showcased in this year’s Premier Feature at Fielddays.
New Zealand’s leading mapping company Terralink International is teaming-up with Ravensdown to show first-hand how the digital farm mapping process works and to give farmers a free sample printout of an aerial photograph of their own farms.
On the joint stand, a Terralink International farm-mapping specialist will be creating digital farm maps from aerial photographs. During the process, inaccuracies and distortions of the aerial photograph are minimised using a process called photo orthography. The result is a true-to-scale image that can be exactly matched-up with the New Zealand map grid. Features such as farm boundaries, fence lines, tracks, and farm buildings are then electronically recorded on the map for use in farm management calculations.
The resulting digital farm maps give farmers extremely accurate understanding of their farm – including precise paddock area measurements as well as accurate measures and location records of assets such as pipelines, fencelines and on-farm roads.
Using this information, farmers can make more accurate decisions about stocking levels, and inputs such as fertilizer application.
The value of the digital maps are further enhanced by using a farm management application such as the Resolution package, which will also be showcased on the Terralink International and Ravensdown stand. By inputting data such as soil type and ph readings, Resolution can make precise calculations about fertilizer requirements, saving farmers from costly over or under estimations.
Terralink International Managing Director Mike Donald says that in the future, GPS technology and traceability requirements are going to give digital farm mapping an even bigger part to play in farming.
“With GPS technology we will be able to record things like the exact track of a fertilizer spreader. This is the kind of information that farmers may well be required to provide for environmental monitoring and produce traceability in the future,” he says.
To learn more about digital farm mapping products, and get a sample aerial map of your farm visit the Terralink International stand in the premier Feature.
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