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Crop Agriculture

Custom Crop Field Management Zones & Satellite-Based Yield Maps

GIS Ag Maps has a decade of experience developing management zones. Management Zones are purchased through PayPal (you do not need an accout with PayPal to pay with PayPal) - zones range in price from $80 to $150. The product includes an emailed shapefile of the zones (will properly load into your farm equipment/computer system), as well as a PDF map of the zones.

(More details about management zones are included in the Management Zones / Historic Assessment folder in the Crop Agriculture section on the left menu.)

 

No Obligation or Cost to Start Zones Process - See Steps Below

Crop Field Management Zones Example

 

Above Management Zones Classification: Dark Green areas represent zones that are relatively consistently high yielding. Lighter Green zones are the second highest yielding on average; the lighter green zones with blue lines have as high yield potential as any area (are located within low ground areas), but have flooded/ponded in the past (based on satellite and, if available, elevation data) which lowers the average yield over time. Orange zones are the second lowest yielding areas on average (they are less consistently low yielding as red zones). Red zones are consistently low yielding areas (include higher ground areas and steeper slope angles, as well as convex areas).

 

 High-Resolution Elevation Layer is Included (if available for your area) and Will Open in QGIS Project File


 

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GIS Ag Maps has developed management zones for a decade. Currently, we search for useful Landsat 8, 7, 5 as well as Sentinel-2 imagery (useful imagery being imagery that correlates high enough to yield); we also apply high-resolution aerial imagery and elevation data (if available). The data we use is free (which lowers the price) and can be applied at the field-scale to develop management zones for precision agriculture purposes, such as variable rate seeding and fertilizer inputs. Depending on a particular field, there may be anywhere from about 5 to 15 different layers applied to develop zones. 

THE PRICE FOR MANAGEMENT ZONES IS A FLAT RATE OF $170 FOR MOST FIELDS (the price can be less for small or simple fields). The product includes an emailed shapefile of the zones (that will load into your farm equipment/computer system), a project file for free QGIS software, as well as a PDF map of the zones.

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PRECISION AG MAPPING PRODUCTS & STEPS

It is easy to start ag mapping with GIS Ag Maps, and there is no obligation to start - all you do is email a field location (or attach shapefile of field) to gisagmaps@gmail.com and let us know you are looking into have zones developed. We will then determine if there is proper imagery to develop zones and let you know. If there is proper imagery, you then make a decision about whether you want to have a zones product completed. There is no obligation to buy in order to have a search completed.

If you decide to purchase a product, we will send you a link to buy with PayPal (do not need an account with PayPal to buy with PayPal; accepts different credit and debit cards) only after we have completed it and are satisfied with the quality of it. After purchasing, you will be emailed a shapefile (that will load into your farm equipment/computer system), as well as a PDF of the map.

SEE STEPS BELOW. GIS Ag Maps will search through and analyze imagery to find useful data for a particular field, as well as apply LiDAR high-resolution elevation data (if available). We apply proprietary methods to produce a custom map for your specific purpose. THERE IS NO COST OR OBLIGATION TO START PROCESS. YOU CAN STOP AT STEP 4 (SEE STEPS BELOW) WITHOUT COST OR HASSLE.

• Most common uses of maps are for variable rate application of inputs (such as seeds and fertilizer), as well as acquiring a better understanding of field yield patterns and history of field.

View the Landsat Correlation to Yield page to see how satellite imagery used to develop maps correlates to yield monitor data. Sentinel-2 imagery correlates at a similar level to the Landsat correlations shown through the previous link (as does imagery for crops different to those shown)

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MANAGEMENT ZONES

(Corresponds to images below it)

Landsat Imagery-Based Zones if Based on these Four Seasons (for example purposes, actual zones are based on more seasons). Lighter shades represents better crop condition and higher yield (imagery has been processed to remove effects of outliers). Pixels near center has been removed to eliminated influence of electrical installation and shadow; also takes into account about a half pixel horizontal error (common positional error amount). Pixels should typically not be used that are within a half pixel of boundary or any non-crop area, but the pixels used are ultimately based on judgement when viewing imagery. In this case, pixels were deemed valid near the northern and eastern boundary of field (N↑), even though some are within the half pixel distance.

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SATELLITE-BASED YIELD MAP

(Contact us for Satellite-Based Yield Map Pricing)

For corn and soybeans, a season's Landsat imagery can be converted to yield then calibrate it to an average yield quantity provided by the customer. This is essentially a 30 x 30 meter resolution yield map with correlation (to yield) levels similar to those shown in the Landsat Correlation to Crop Yield folder on the left menu. For crops other than corn or soybeans, relative values (higher or lower yielding areas) are used - the map is not converted to yield quantity.   

Landsat-Based Crop Yield Map for precision agriculture

Above, maps to the field extent can be produced for various types of crops with various attributes associated to the polygons. The map is developed with the steps as shown above which are: 1) downloading and applying proper Landsat imagery (left), 2) only including valid pixels within field extent (2nd from left), 3) interpolating based on pixel values and extending to the field boundary (2nd from right), and 4) producing a coherent map based on proper classification methods (far right; this includes grouping data at proper values and having proper amounts of groupings).

 

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Steps for Precision Ag Mapping Products Above

Step 1 - Contact us with questions or interest about mapping, or start at Step 2.

Step 2 - Start an imagery search without any cost or purchase obligation by emailing a location or shapefile of field to gisagmaps@gmail.com.

Step 3 - We search the Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery archive from the most recent season to, in the case of zones, about 10 to 15 seasons in the past for proper imagery. Proper imagery correlates to yield on a pixel-by-pixel basis at similar levels as shown in the Landsat Correlation to Crop Yield folder in the Crop Agriculture section and shows natural yield patterns (a map to the field extent is then produced based on pixels as shown above). This step also includes checking other imagery to determine if the field area has changed during this time frame (from factors such as tree removal).

Step 4 - We let you know if it is likely that there is proper imagery available (this is tentative information; the precise seasons with imagery can only be verified by further analysis [Step 6]). It is important that there is imagery for normal, wet, and dry seasons (you can request that a particular season be included).

Step 5 - You let us know if you want the mapping process to continue (product includes shapefile and PDF map).

Step 6 - We further analyze imagery and contact you with a final determination about whether there is proper imagery for zones development.

Step 7 - You give us the "go ahead" to develop zones. At this point, we have put significant time into the zone development process, and although there is no future payment necessary, it would be appreciated if you are willing to purchase the zones that are to be developed.

Step 8 - You pay for zones in the Store using PayPal. 

Step 9 - Shortly after receiving payment, you will receive the zones as a polygon shapefile in a compressed file format; the file will also include PDF map of the zones. Feel free to contact us at any time with questions or feedback at any time during the process.