[permaculture] GIS Revisited with permaculture, homesteading etc

Rich Blaha rich at mossbackfarm.com
Sun Nov 16 23:58:52 EST 2008


Roughed out answers below.....



>  I'd like to start a thread on GIS and try to uncover technology that can be applied
>  to farms and land on which permaculture systems have been built.
  
>  Is it affordable for the non-corporate world?


I have heard good things about QGIS.org, which is a free, open source Geographic Information System package.  I use ESRI products for my employer, which are top of the line, very powerful, and very expensive.  



>  Is there equipment and software available that a properly informed farmer or permaculturist can
>  use to log, with GIS coordinates plus calculated space within identified areas (with GIS device, walk off
>  the perimeter of an area such as a garden or a bed within a garden, calcuate the area within and give it an ID
>  corresponding to its GIS coordinates)? This data could be entered into a database as a record with an array of
>  appropriate fields.


Most GPS's that you can download/upload data into will do this.  GPS Trackmaker gpstm.com is a free (or upgradable) program that can help transfer the GPS point / track files into GIS

 
>  It seems this technology could have unlimited uses. It would be a complex system or reduced to a fairly simple one.

Yes.  You can use it as a simple sketching tool, or model every raindrop trickling down through your keylines.
 

>  
>  What equipment is available?  

Garmin60Csx is common in our workplace...you could go lower-end if you don't have any trees to deal with.  Just make sure there's a cable/usb option for computer connectivity

>  What software is available?

Listed above.

>  What can be done in house without hiring an outside specialist?

I'm self taught, with people who are very skilled to fall back on / ask questions of.  YMMV.

>  Can GIS data be exported to a laptop?

Yes.  You can also send data generated in the GIS to your GPS unit, so you know exactly where you want to put that trellis / pond / other element.

Cheers
Rich
http://www.mossbackfarm.com/journal
or GIS categories
http://www.mossbackfarm.com/archive/cat_gis.html



More information about the permaculture mailing list