Yesterday, 18 June 2020, the Western Cape Section of Agriculture (WCDoA) joined the relaxation of the globe by acknowledging the progressive programs of geographic facts technique (GIS) technologies in assessment, visualisation, getting insights into geospatial info, and considered management in agriculture.
Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer states that the WCDoA has been active in GIS for more than a few a long time.
Meyer: “Throughout that time we have made a huge resource of spatial data connected to agriculture in the province. Analyses of the details consistently assist to deliver data to help determination-making amongst stakeholders, setting up partners and our officers and administration.”
In accordance to the WCDoA’s professional scientist, Dr Mike Wallace, GIS enables us to combine lots of different types of info from numerous sources.
Wallace: “Be it satellites, topographic maps, weather details and land use, we can analyse the facts in the direction of improved comprehending and choice making concerning our pure and agricultural methods and commodities. As these kinds of, it has become an indispensable instrument in the administration and administration of lots of spheres from municipal utilities to conservation, to rural development arranging and of system, agriculture.”
1 these case in point produced by WCDoA in excess of the very last ten years is the innovative and popular Website portal recognized as Cape Farm Mapper (CFM).
The portal lets free entry to substantially of our nearby details to our non-professional users – even facilitating their production of report-high quality maps.
Wallace: “As an instance of the reputation of this details portal, we acquire some 35 000 “hits” for each thirty day period from virtually 10 000 various end users. At a complex stage, we are also developing a portal to aid easy obtain to totally free multispectral satellite imagery. The portal will offer exclusive insights into different elements of crop creation and veld management, at various scales.”
Wallace proceeds: “In 2013 we founded and keep on to retain a comprehensive, mapped database of all the diverse agricultural commodities and infrastructure in our province, regarded as the “Flyover” – a handy and properly-employed info element of the WCDoA GIS which is lauded by lots of of our planning associates, economists and scientists.”
Meyer concludes: “GIS technology provides an impressive, successful administration instrument. Our Division is fully commited to the mainstreaming of GIS and recognizes the value of recording geographic spots to facilitate spatial investigation and management.”