Today, many farms have adopted GPS receivers to implement precision agriculture practices and carry out different tasks. The number of these farms is increasing rapidly due to the immense amount of benefits of using GPS regardless of the size of the farm. This article will go deeper into how GPS gives such accurate information and why it is essential for your farm.
What is GPS?
Global Positioning System, GPS, is a satellite-based radio navigation system and a type of GNSS that provides its users with exact positioning, navigation, and timing services. It is a utility owned by the U.S. government, and there are other satellite systems owned and used by other countries, such as Galileo or GLONASS. On the other hand, although GNSS is a term representing the combination of all satellite systems used worldwide, the terms GPS and GNSS are frequently used interchangeably.
How does GPS work?
Satellites of GPS network circle around the world twice a day. Each of them constantly transmits signals and orbital parameters to receivers located at or near the surface of the Earth. Then, receivers use the information they receive and measure the distance to satellites with the time it takes to receive the signal to determine the user’s location accurately. After determining the position, GPS can also give other information like speed, track, trip distance, and even sunrise and sunset time. Additionally, due to the parallel multi-channel design among GPS receivers, the results are highly accurate today.
How does precise GPS positioning help farms?
GPS helps farmers to optimize agriculture procedures and maximize profits. The benefits you can get from accurate location information are listed below:
- You can evaluate your plant’s health and provide treatment only to ones that need treatment.
- You can determine the percentage and location of wilting plants and act to increase your yield.
- You can calculate the amount of vegetation on the fields.
- You can remotely determine soil nitrogen content and reduce the background impact of soil quality on early plant development by using Normalized Difference RedEdge (NDRE) and Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI).
- You can minimize overlaps and missed spots during the operations like seeding, applying chemicals, and tilling.
- You can prevent overuse of resources which eventually result in efficient use of sources and effective use of the land.
- If you are using drones, you can work under uncertain conditions regardless of weather, time, or soil condition.
- You can make ease your decision-making and planning procedures.
At Geodo, we develop the world’s most current GPS module for agricultural drones. By using Geodo products, you can get 15% more accuracy and faster fertilization, 40% less overlap in spraying, and effective yield mapping. To see more about Geodo products, click here.
Conclusion
GPS accuracy is one of the most important and beneficial properties that a smart farming vehicle can have, and more and more farms care about it to get higher yields, higher profits, and eliminate unnecessary usage of resources. It is a great time for you to start investing in the future of your farm today by using Geodo’s most current products to make your farming operations more effective and efficient.