Geographic Information Systems Flashcards
7 cards from real GAP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Geographic Information Systems flashcards as text
Which remote sensing platform has become increasingly popular among small farm operations for collecting high-resolution field imagery?
Answer: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones)
UAVs/drones can capture centimeter-level resolution imagery of farm fields on demand, making them practical and cost-effective for small-scale precision agriculture.
What is the purpose of a land-use/land-cover (LULC) map in a GAP food safety risk assessment?
Answer: To identify adjacent land uses (feedlots, waste sites) that may pose contamination risks to the farm
LULC maps reveal what surrounds a farm field, helping identify nearby contamination sources such as animal operations, roads, or flood-prone areas that could compromise food safety.
In GIS attribute tables, what is the role of a unique field identifier (field ID)?
Answer: It links spatial polygon features to records in other databases such as input applications and harvest logs
A unique field ID serves as a key to join the GIS polygon with related records in other databases, enabling traceability and comprehensive farm record integration.
Which GIS-based tool is used by agricultural extension services to help growers identify pesticide application setback requirements near water bodies?
Answer: Buffer analysis with regulatory distance parameters
Buffer analysis applied with label-specified distances (e.g., 100-foot setback from streams) quickly maps the no-spray zones required by pesticide label and regulatory rules.
What does 'spatial resolution' refer to in the context of satellite imagery used for crop monitoring?
Answer: The smallest ground area represented by a single pixel in the image
Spatial resolution defines the ground area covered by one pixel; finer resolution (smaller pixel size) reveals more field detail, while coarser resolution covers broader areas.
A grower's GIS system flags a proposed spray application block because it overlaps with a mapped 100-year floodplain. What is the most appropriate next step?
Answer: Review label requirements and regulations to determine if application is permitted in that zone
A floodplain overlap flag indicates potential regulatory and food safety restrictions; the grower must review pesticide label language and local regulations before proceeding.
Which term describes the process of creating a digital map by tracing features from an aerial photograph or satellite image on a computer screen?
Answer: On-screen digitizing
On-screen digitizing involves manually tracing features visible in a georeferenced image to create vector polygons, lines, or points representing real-world features.