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BOOK REVIEWS - GIS Applications in Agriculture. Edited by F. J. Pierce and D. Clay. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press/Taylor Francis Group (2007), pp. 203, £ 68.99. ISBN 0-8493-7526-6.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2008

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Abstract

Type
Book Review
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

GIS Applications in Agriculture comprises 10 chapters and a CD-ROM with a folder for each chapter containing data files, raster output from GIS software and bespoke GIS software.

Each chapter of this book provides an example of a real world problem in agriculture that may be addressed through the use of a GIS solution. The data used in the analyses are shown to be from a variety of sources including satellite imagery, remote sensing, historic and observational data and GPS. Worked examples include managing pesticides, improving fertilizer management, maximizing yield, mapping soil salinity and assessing soil compaction. There is also discussion of issues surrounding the quality of data.

The scope of the GIS solutions are discussed and clear methodologies are given, including statistical analyses and programming where appropriate. In several chapters step by step exercises of GIS analyses are given and these may be followed easily, providing the recommended GIS software suite is installed. However, exercises may be generic enough to be transferable to other GIS packages.

This book will be of great value not only in precision agriculture but also in other fields where environmental monitoring or analyses of spatial data is desirable. It shows how GIS solutions can be used to manage and utilize both temporal and spatial data from a wide variety of sources to provide practical tools that can be used to increase efficiency, quality and yield.