GIS Applications in Agriculture

While many "alien" plant and animal species are purposefully introduced into new areas as ornamentals, livestock, crops, and even pets, these species can escape into other areas and threaten agricultural and native ecosystems causing economic and environmental harm, or harm to human health. Increasingly, scientists are using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to track and manage the invaders, mitigate the potential rate of spread and level of impact, and protect the native economy and ecosystem.

Beginning with an introduction to the use of GIS technology to capture, store, analyze, manage, and present data, GIS Applications in Agriculture, Volume Three: Invasive Species examines five relevant categories of geographic information including dispersal and transport, prediction and forecasting, mapping of current infestations, maps for management and control tactics, and impact assessment and method of control. It address GIS for studying the population ecology of a new species, niche requirements for species success, and the monitoring and control of several different species including Australian examples of intentionally introduced invasive species, insects and other animals that may also vector a disease, and invasive weed management from prediction to management.

Chapters cover maps and imageries available on various Web sites and provide step-by-step tutorials or case studies that allow manipulation of datasets featured on the accompanyingdownloadable resources to make maps, perform statistical analyses, and predict future problems. It offers hands-on experience with a variety of software programs that create interactive queries (user-created searches), analyze spatial information, edit data and maps, and present the results of these operations in several different formats. Some of the programs are freeware, others are not, but each can be used to integrate, edit, share, and display geographic information. Color figures are