NASA scientists hope to combine remote sensing technology with precision farming to improve agricultural yields.

November 15, 1999
Web posted at: 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 GMT)

By Environmental News Network staff

Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration want to bring remote sensing technology — taking images from a distance and making detailed interpretations about what is there — to the aid of farmers.

"Just as your eyeball looks down and says, 'oh that is a lot of green in that field,' the sensor does the same thing," said Doug Rickman, a NASA remote sensing scientist at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The sensor just happens to do a much better job and when combined with state-of-the-art agriculture, known as precision farming, the potential for the technology is huge, said Rickman.

Unlike the eye, which has three color spectrums to work with, the remote sensor being used by NASA scientists has 15 colors to work with, ranging from visible light down to thermal infrared.

The ability to "see" the thermal infrared is important in determining the health of a field of crops. "The sun is dumping a heck of a lot of energy on the Earth," said Rickman. "If the plants could not get rid of it they would die."

The ATLAS scanner provides the researchers with 15 colors to work with, ranging from visible light to thermal infrared.

Plants get rid of that excess energy by evaporating water, which cools down the plants. Since the remote sensor can "see" heat, scientists can infer the health of a field. "Plants that are cooler are more productive plants," said Rickman.

The sensor can also detect variations of soil type. Understanding variations in a field enable farmers to do things such as apply pesticides only where they are needed instead applying the same amount to the entire field, which leads to excess runoff and water pollution.

Global Positioning System technology, when applied to "precision farming," tells farmers where they are in the field. If they know where they are and what that part of the field is like, then they know how much fertilizer or pesticide to apply.

The combination of remote sensing technology with precision farming is a new science. "We don't know the best applications of this stuff yet," said Rickman. "We do know the stuff is going to be useful, the question is what is the best way to use it?"

Rickman, other NASA personnel, university professors and commercial companies will convene Nov. 15-17 at the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center in Auburn, Alabama, to discuss these issues at the National Remote Sensing Applications Conference and Workshop.

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