| Abstract: | Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide a means of visualizing and modeling the distribution of plants and pests as well as other important attributes of crop production. GIS uses multiple data bases, with each value referenced to a common coordinate system; data can be combined in the form of thematic maps. With the addition of weather and elevation data at the same resolution and coordinate system, pest development can be monitored and predicted over large areas but with local detail. GIS has been used for predicting phonological development of gypsy moth and other important insect pests. Similar approaches have been used for plant diseases such as potato late blight and apple scab. An important feature of GIS for pest prediction is the ability to assess risk of pest development. Most GIS programs also have a set of tools for spatial analysis of data. Examples of all the features of GIS are illustrated using a GIS that runs on a DOS personal computer. |
