Week 4

Overview: Students were taught about Agisoft Metashape Pro and how this software is crucial in drone imagery.

Objective: Following the lessons on Agisoft Metashape Pro from Jose Landivar, the students had an understanding of how image processing works in regards to drones and how GCP's are used, as well as how image stitching is done in order to create an orthomosaic.

Overview: Students were taught about QGIS and used orthomosaics to extract canopy height from drone imagery.

Objective: During this session, students explored QGIS functionalities specifically tailored for processing multispectral imagery, with a focus on extracting relevant layers from drone-captured images. By the end of the day, participants gained practical insights into manipulating spectral data and employing QGIS tools to enhance agricultural assessments and environmental monitoring. 

Overview: The Bonnie View Crop Tour began with industry updates on the farm bill, offering valuable insights for producers. It addressed managing invasive feral hogs through trapping, aerial shooting, and a new bait feed. At Richard Niemann Farms, participants discussed sorghum cultivation and received weed management updates from Dr. McGinty, who urged farmers to provide feedback to the EPA.

Objective: By the end of the day, students had updates on farm bills and gained more insight into practical strategies for managing invasive feral hogs. The tour fostered knowledge exchange and community engagement among farmers and industry experts, addressing key agricultural challenges and innovations.

Overview: The Jim Wells County Crop Tour took place at the JWC Fairgrounds in Alice, beginning with Yuri's economic update for the agriculture industry. Participants boarded a tour bus following this presentation to view local cotton, sorghum, and corn fields. The tour included herbicide and industry updates and presentations from seed industry representatives who pitched their ideas. The event also garnered attention from the local news, providing an excellent opportunity for the public to gain insight into agricultural practices and farm operations. After the tour, students worked on their group projects.

Objective: By the end of the day, students could highlight agriculture's economic importance. The students also gained firsthand insight into cotton, sorghum, and corn cultivation practices. 

Overview: Students had Marques Munson, an ESRI guest speaker, present on the vision of ArcGIS as a comprehensive geospatial system supporting diverse communities. He discussed automating processes using Python scripts, the latest advancements in ESRI technology, and the functionality of GeoEvent Servers and ArcGIS Velocity. Munson also briefly explained geospatial infrastructure, emphasizing its role in enhancing the capabilities and integration of geospatial data within various applications.

Objective: Students will be able to effectively use GIS tools and practices to produce proper geospatial data by the end of the course. Learning how to integrate Python with geospatial data and real-time capabilities through ArcGIS will help further students' ability to achieve a better overarching project.