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AGR3305 Precision and Smart Technologies in Agriculture

Semester 2, 2023 Toowoomba On-campus
Units : 1
School or Department : School of Agriculture and Environmental Science
Grading basis : Graded
Course fee schedule : /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules

Staffing

Course Coordinator:

Overview

Farmers have long recognized that variability exists within individual production units. Traditional practices dictate that producers treat the entire area the same. With the advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) it is now possible to vary inputs in accordance with localised conditions. Coupled with the capacity to monitor a variety of parameters, producers are now able to manage variability and optimise production. This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the essential procedures and tools for collecting, organising, interpreting and presenting geographically referenced production data.

This course will investigate the causes of variability in agriculture production and modern techniques for improving yields. Precision agriculture enables the farmer to accurately use resources at the correct location and time to optimise the management of crops. Precision agriculture relies on technology to monitor the crops and GPS tracking to guide equipment to the required location to complete the task. This course will explore how these technologies can be utilised in the pursuit of improving crop production.

Course learning outcomes

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. On completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. characterise the magnitude and causes of production variability discuss current objectives and emerging applications of precision agriculture;
  2. apply global positioning systems and geographic information systems, to precision agriculture;
  3. understand the importance of additional datalayers/technologies (e.g. remote sensing, image processing, variability measuring devices, variable rate equipment, field guidance and controlled traffic;
  4. characterise the economic and environmental benefits of precision agriculture, including the economic impact of precision-controlled traffic farming.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Introduction to Precision Agriculture 5.00
2. Underpinning technology related to precision agriculture 30.00
3. Appropriate data layers and recent developments in precision agriculture 15.00
4. Applications for precision agriculture 30.00
5. Agricultural case studies 15.00
6. Economic/Environment aspects of precision agriculture 5.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

There are no texts or materials required for this course.

Student workload expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.

Assessment details

Approach Type Description Group
Assessment
Weighting (%) Course learning outcomes
Assignments Written Report 1 No 20 1,4
Assignments Written Report 2 No 40 1,2,3,4
Assignments Written Report 3 No 40 1,2,3,4
Date printed 9 February 2024