PowerPoint Presentation

TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND MANAGEMENTIN RURAL COMMUNITIESMarc R. Horney, Ph.D.Rangeland Resources SpecialistDept. Animal SciencesCal Poly, San Luis ObispoLooking Forward by Looking BackRural Community Development Opportunities

Range SpaceRangeland management tools for the next generation

Goal:Provide land owners & managers with timely and useful plant growth and distribution information specific to their property that can be used for management.RangeSpace Consortium Members:Cooperative Extension: University of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah

USDA Agricultural Research ServiceUSDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceSociety for Range Management

Private LandownersResource Conservation DistrictsWatershed ConservanciesTribal GovernmentsState Cattlemens & Wool Growers AssociationsDeveloping Site-Specific Tools:UC Berkeley Oak Mapper websiteCreate a mechanism for individual people to share information publicly and point land managers to specific problems in a timely wayRemote sensing tools for plant monitoringSome usefulness in automatically mapping changes in the distribution of weeds and brush on large landscapesPotential for evaluating both plant disappearance due to grazing, fire, or drought and plant recovery afterwardsRanch mappingAdded detail and depth (and complexity) to private land management effortsThats both good and bad (same for all these tools)Monitoring SOD at the Local Scale: OakMapper Website

OakMapper can be used for:Logging occurrence of trees with SOD;Data Information:Point data; Representing individual trees as reported by public;Accuracy, privacy issues. http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/Satellite/Aerial Imagery and Derived Landscape Analysis Products

Colusa Wildlife Refuge Wetland Area, June 2001Classified Image: target species only (pepperweed, bullrush, rice)RicePepperweedBullrush

GIS Map Layers for Ranch Inventory

Ranch Mapping ProjectDecision Support Systems for Landowners & Managers

Smart Places > DSS< Facilitator DSS

Huge potential for enabling local, independent monitoring and management

Capture - Processing - Application

Low-cost Mapping Products to Connect On-site Observations with Supporting Information

Internet-based Delivery of Information to Landowners & Managers

Objectives:Develop procedures for extracting landscape information from moderate and high-resolution digital satellite and aircraft imagery.Create tools for sharing information over the Internet.Establish State Stakeholder Advisory Committee to evaluate products, identify new applications and design education/outreach programs.Develop procedures for integrating landscape-scale information products with field observations.