Precision farming and archaeology

Abstract

With a significant growth in the agricultural technology industry, a vast amount of agricultural data is now being collected on farms throughout the world. Farmers aim to utilise these technologies to regularly record and manage the variation of crops and soils within their fields, to reduce inputs, increase yields and enhance environmental sustainability. In this paper, we aim to highlight the variety of different data types and methodological processes involved in modern precision farming systems and explore how potentially interconnected these systems are with the archaeological community. At present, no research has studied the effects of archaeological sites on soils in the context of precision farming practices. Yet from modern geophysical, geochemical and remote sensing techniques, a much greater volume of soil-and croprelated mapping is being undertaken, with huge potential for all kinds of archaeological study. From heritage management to archaeological prospection, how will the future of archaeological studies fit into this changing agricultural landscape?

Remote Sensing Data to Support Integrated Decision Making in Cultural and Natural Heritage Management. Impasses and opportunities for collaboration in agricultural areas

“…The instrumentation used and proxies measured for precision agricultural, environmental, and archaeological applications overlap substantially and many of the same basic data types are used. While this creates the potential for coordination, differences in how instruments are deployed, how information is licensed and distributed, as well as gaps in research on modelling of processes and properties related to agricultural land systems remain (Pricope et al 2019;Webber et al 2019). In addition to these practical barriers, significant differences in the basic aims which currently motivate the work of individuals and organisations engaged in agricultural, environmental and heritage aspects of land management present a real challenge.…”

NDVI Identification and Survey of a Roman Road in the Northern Spanish Province of Álava

“…Precision agriculture techniques are creating software and workflows that use remote sensing principles to asses crops health. All these elements are drastically changing the panorama of aerial archaeology, whereby aerial images obtained from UAVs are now widely used for survey, recording and publication [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

Determination of Plant Nitrogen Content in Wheat Plants via Spectral Reflectance Measurements: Impact of Leaf Number and Leaf Position

“…Over the last 30 years, concepts of precision farming (PF) [8] have been developed that help farmers to understand yield variability within their fields in order to adjust N application. Generally, PF uses different technologies like global positions systems, yield mapping, soil conductivity measurements [9] or non-contact spectral sensors for monitoring and determination of e.g., N status of different field crops [8]. These spectral sensors are based on the principle of reflectance and changes of electromagnetic radiation between 300 and 2500 nm [10] and can be ground-borne, airborne, or space-borne [11].…”