Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Technology on Farms



Gobal Positioning System Technology

Introduction

The GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is based on the satellite navigation system which is a combination of 24 satellites, located in to orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense and it has made accessible for the broad use around the globe. It was initially planned for the military purposes; however the government made this GPS system available for civilian use in the 1980s.

The important thing regarding the GPS is that it works in any condition of weather, at any time and anyplace of the world. Moreover, this system does not have any type of subscription fees or setup charges.

GPS has become a broadly organized, valuable and constructive instrument for the purpose of trade, for the use of tracking, technical uses and surveillance. Furthermore, by the use of GPS systems, it is now made very easy for the drivers of a car to identify that exactly where on earth they are.

This technology has also revolutionized the farming process. accurate as well as automated Global Positioning System has provided an efficient ground to farmers and agricultural service providers to record all the data and information pertaining to farm actitivities. The precision farming has come into being through this GPS system. On-farming activities can be tracked through the statellites.

Discussion

GPS systems are gaining popularity. These systems are flexible, and it is now in use in more or less every industry. It is very helpful for farmers to harvest or produce their fields. Additionally, this is useful to map forests and navigate aircrafts on the earth or in the sky. Farm mechanization came into being that replaced the draft animals used in the farming with the mechanical sources in order to create the farming system efficient and productive. This shift in paradigm has opened a lot more ways to modernizing agriculture. Global Positioning System is found to be new technology for the application in agriculture and farming. According to Bethham (1994), detailed and accurate maps can be availed through the use of modernization in farming and can also be served as the most powerful farm management tool . this can make the farmer informed about the each activity of farm including the land use to optimize the production. On this basis farming practice can be more economical as well as sustainable. Global Positioning System is mainly used for the precision farming approach that is designed to check the crop variability, crop mapping, soil variation, salinity and topography etc.

The term Precision Farming is used to explain GPS and other technologies' usage in enhancing and improving the productivity and operating efficiency of farm. Precision farming is also known as site-specific farming. The use of GPS in cultivation is huge and difficult. Through GPS technology, tractors can be used for plowing, fertilizing, harvesting and so on and thus lead to save a lot of capital.

The software, which is GPS mapping is also used with the purpose of bringing together samples of soil and these ...