Down to Earth Science from Outer

Space

Applying NASA Technologies and Interagency Collaborations to Advance

Agricultural Science and Natural Resource Management

David R. Shaw, Directordshaw@gri.msstate.edu

Early Remote Sensing Focus

Global Change

Global Weather

Atmospheric Models

Hazards

Bio-Geo-ChemicalCycling

GRI

Remote Sensing of Yesterday

Large area Inventories

Regional Crop Mapping

GRI

Remote Sensing Today

PestManagement

NutrientManagement

Irrigation StressDetection

Crop Growth RegulationGRI

Convergence of Technologies Enabling New Applications Development

• Computing power

• Global positioning systems

• Geographic information systems

• Sensor systems

• Internet

• Costs of components

GRI

Challenges Facing Remote Sensing Applications

• Conversion of DATA into INFORMATION in TIME for it to do some good!

GRI

Challenges Facing Remote Sensing Applications

• Delivery time

• Education

• Industry development

• Economics

• Data management

• Mixed pixel issues

GRI

Challenges Facing Remote Sensing Applications

• Atmospheric, image collection issues

• Interactions with management practices

• Spatial resolution

• Temporal resolution

GRI

Success Story - Site-Specific Insect Management

• Correlate crop growth characteristics to remote sensing, insect ecology

• Directed scouting• Site-specific insecticide maps based on geo-

located insect populations

Evidence suggests that plant bugs attack early-season vibrant, healthy vegetation first.

Using imagery as a guide, a GPS-equipped applicator can spray only where needed.

Heteroptera: Miridae (Plant Bug)

Spatially-Variable Insecticide Applications

Less Healthy More Healthy

Follow-On Applications

• Stress detection• Crop growth regulators• Nematode/disease management• Weed management• Fertilizer applications

Forest Monitoring and Inventory

Development of a regionally scalable forest inventory/monitoring system based on satellite and aerial remote sensing systems

Utilize LIDAR and GIS for standing timber estimation

• Early Detection and Monitoring– Remote sensing

• New sensor technologies• New feature extraction techniques

– Modeling• Predict vulnerability for habitats• Predict rate of spread

– Assessment• Baseline condition, validate techniques• Monitor spread

Invasive Species Management

Eurasian Water Eurasian Water MilfoilMilfoil

HydrillaHydrilla

Giant SalviniaGiant Salvinia

A Comprehensive Threat Management Framework for a

Crop Biosecurity National Architecture

MSU GeoResources InstituteMSU GeoResources Institute

MSU Social Sciences Research CenterMSU Social Sciences Research Center

Iowa State UniversityIowa State University

Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

USDA ARSUSDA ARS

US DOE National LaboratoriesUS DOE National Laboratories

Background• The Department of Homeland Security’s Science &

Technology Directorate (DHS/S&T) has directed Mississippi State University (MSU) to work in conjunction with the DOE National Laboratories in the conduct of an end-to-end systems study and technology readiness baselining for the problem of agricultural crop biosecurity (funding through NSF).

• The objectives of this eight-month study are to:– Recommend a framework through which the threat of a

particular agricultural pest can be assessed.– Develop a process through which DHS can assess the

readiness of our scientific understanding and technologies necessary for implementing the framework.

– Use Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) as a reference scenario to test the proposed framework.

Brazil SBR

US Planted Soybean Acreage per County

September 19, 2004

SBR Positive in Soybeans

Prior Success with Remote Sensing

• Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans detected in MSU fields two weeks prior to visual symptoms.

• This early detection of plant stress is possible due to the fact that a plant’s cellular structure is the dominant factor in controlling leaf reflectance in the near infrared range. Often these cells become distressed (i.e., change reflectance) prior to any changes in the leaf in the visible portion of the spectrum.

Monitoring Off-Target Deposition

• Remote sensing tool to assess and quantify• Often not visible by

ground assessment• Temporal assessments

can aid in determining the impact of off-target events• Demonstrates crop

injury and subsequent recovery

ASD in Paraguay

• Collection protocol developed with USDA.

• Measurements taken over 3 month period.

• Data analysis underway.

Retrospective with US Incident

• Acquired Landsat, MODIS, ASTER imagery for dates prior to and subsequent to Hurricane Ivan.

• Using known locations of infection to conduct retrospective.

Landsat 7 ETM+ image of Brazil and Paraguay with an

enlarged area showing probable soybean fields.

Landsat – September 19, 2004

Other Applications

Transportation – Corridor Mapping

Homeland SecurityCensus UpdatesState/Local Government Invasive species assessmentCoastal managementEconomic development –

visualization…….

NASA Observing Spacecraft

Integrating Knowledge, Capacity and Systems into Solutions

Application Focus Areas and Partners

Applying NASA Research Results for improving Crop Production Assessment

MODIS Rapid MODIS Rapid Response Response products products provide timely provide timely looks at crop looks at crop conditioncondition

TOPEX and JASON-1 products provide TOPEX and JASON-1 products provide lake level data in critical irrigated areaslake level data in critical irrigated areas

TRMM products provide TRMM products provide better data on available better data on available

waterwater

EOS products Productivity modeling (FAS) WAOB Estimates Policy/Resource Decisions

Jason

TRMM

March 2005

Observations to Knowledge Products“from photons to electrons to neurons”

Global System for Earth Observation Integrating Orbital, Suborbital and In Situ Components

Building Bridges – Partnerships as the Key

NASAUSDAUSGSEPANOAADHSUSFSDoDDoCDoE….

Remote Sensing Goes Mainstream

Chasm being crossed; slowlyOpportunities real; industry

developingAgency needs being met more

effectivelyChallenges still exist; research

needs overwhelmingSuccesses beginning to emerge;

are growing