Understanding geolocation and navigation and their uses in Precision Agriculture

Abstract

It is said that GPS triggered Precision Agriculture (PA), allowing the first yield maps to be created. That may or may not be precise but what is true is that the use of global positioning systems has boosted PA, offering many current profitable applications at the fingertips of farmers, researchers and other agricultural stakeholders. From the first GPS receivers (around 1976) to the current global navigation satellite system devices only 40 years have passed. In this period, manufacturers have reduced the receivers' size several thousand-fold, they have lowered their cost and have exceeded their capabilities beyond imagination. In this 2nd Precision Ag Corner section we will discover how to take advantage of positioning and navigation systems in the framework of PA. The Research Group in AgroICT & Precision Agriculture (GRAP) of the University of Lleida-Agrotecnio Center in Catalonia, Spain has the story.