Chapters authored
Geospatial Analysis for Irrigated Land Assessment, Modeling and Mapping
Assessment of irrigated lands by conventional means of survey requires a great deal of time, but the application of geospatial analysis using remote sensing data and GIS techniques minimize time consuming and offer the possibility rapid production of maps and models. This paper gave an overview of the techniques and methods in use at different scales. The presence of salt in the soils and its variation may be because of rise in water table and the difference in elevation in irrigated lands. The combined application of conventional methods with remote sensing and geographical information system techniques in detecting these problems in irrigated lands were examined. Different salinity indexes coupled with ground truthing with the proven results in assessing such problems were also examined thereby depicting indexes as good indicator of soil salinity and water logging, which may influence decision on reclamation of degraded land for proper agricultural land management. Irrigation and drainage managers, planners, farmers, and government agencies for smart agriculture can use models and maps generated through geospatial analysis.
Part of the book: Multi-purposeful Application of Geospatial Data
Use of Geoinformatics Techniques for the Assessment and Mapping of Soil Salinity: Concepts and Applications
Irrigated agriculture has a major impact on the environment, especially soil degradation. Soil salinity is a critical environmental problem, which has great impact on soil fertility and overall agricultural productivity. Since, soil salinity processes are highly dynamic, the methods of detecting soil salinity hazards should also be dynamic. Remote sensing data are modern tools that provide information on variation over time essential for environmental monitoring and change detection, as they also help in the reduction of conventional time-consuming and expensive field sampling methods, which is the traditional method of monitoring and assessment. This chapter thus reviewed the concepts and applications of remote sensing, GIS-assisted spatial analysis and modelling of the salinity issue in irrigation fields. Generally, compared to the labour, time and money invested in field work devoted to collecting soil salinity data and analysis, the availability and ease of acquiring satellite imagery data and analysis made this concept very attractive and efficient.
Part of the book: Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences