Geographic information system (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and remote sensing (RS) are important tools in the emerging agricultural revolution called precision agricultural or site-specific management. GIS and GPS are inherently linked technologies. Together, they form a powerful tool to measure, map, monitor, and model resources and environmental data for both scientific and commercial applications. Many students and faculty of agricultural colleges from minority institutions have little experience with these new technologies. This paper summarizes how GIS, GPS, and Remote Sensing instruction was incorporated into the existing agriculture/natural science curriculums at the Land-Grant Institutions, Virginia State University (VSU), Delaware State University (DSU), Southern University (SU), and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) and Bethune-Cookman University (BCU). The curricular materials were developed through a series of faculty development workshops at VSU, ECSU, and DSU. These workshops were coordinated by the Principal Investigator (Shobha Sriharan, senior author of this presentation) of the USDA Capacity Building Teaching Grant. The USDA collaborators, James Everitt and Reginald Fletcher provided training in the use of ArcGIS, GPS and remote sensing techniques. In addition, a summer faculty workshop was hosted at the Remote Sensing Laboratory of the Integrated Farming and Natural Resources Research, Weslaco, Texas, for exposing the faculty members to the applications of GIS and RS in agricultural fields.
['Shobha Sriharan', 'J. H. Everitt', 'Reginald S. Fletcher']
Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS): Undergraduate Academic Curriculum and Precollege Training Program