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| The District’s mapping program began in 1997 and has grown to include a vast amount of information that is used to provide maps and information to growers, identify critical project areas, and support most of the District’s projects either with maps, spatial analysis, or images. |
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| GIS combines spatial information with characteristic data. For example, a farm field is represented by a circle correctly geo-referenced with latitude and longitude and relative to things around it. The GIS then contains information about the field, such as what type of soils the field contains, perhaps crops grown over the past several years, and irrigation. Information about a well shows its location in the county, plus nitrate data collected in water quality sampling projects. |
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| The most interesting and, to many growers, useful data in the District’s GIS is the file containing all cultivated field boundaries in the county. This was created from images received by the District from the US Natural Resources Conservation Service. The images were taken in 1996 and the field boundaries digitized from what is visible at that time. Changes that have occurred on the ground since 1996 are incorporated as the District is able to gain new information, either through ground surveys (GPS), or newer images. |
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| Current GIS Projects: |
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| GIS Database/GPS - The District continues to update and add elements to their GIS program. Current data includes: |
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- Locational/Jurisdictional:
- roads, state and county boundaries, rivers, towns, township/range/section lines, parcels, irrigation canals, etc.
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- Resource/Agricultural:
- draft soil types (produced by the NRCS), elevation (Digital Elevation Model), cultivated field boundaries with irrigation and crops for 2000-2002, and well sampling points.
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- Images:
- 1996 DOQQ (Digital Ortho Quarter Quad), several Landsat satellite images for 2001-2002, and aerial color images from June 2002 (in process).
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Here you can see the different layers we use:
- Ortho-Photo
- Ortho-Photo with roads and field boundaries with acreage
- Ortho-Photo, roads, fields, and selected soils layer
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| Data is usually obtained in conjunction with specific projects. The District works cooperatively with several other agencies, including the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District and Franklin County GIS Department, to obtain existing information and share data. |
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| The District frequently receives requests to have field boundaries surveyed using a GPS (Global Positioning System), a very accurate tool that uses satellites to obtain geo-reference information. This information is useful in many farm management programs, and for agency projects or support. |
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| Cultivated Field Boundaries |
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| The District used the 1996 black and white DOQQ images of Franklin County to create an outline of each field visibly cultivated in June 1996 when the images were taken. The images are one-meter resolution (one image pixel is equal to one-meter-square) and the District digitized all field boundaries using ArcView software. The file contains approximately 10,274 irrigated and dryland field boundaries covering over 508,800 acres. The boundaries can be viewed at nearly any scale, showing the entire county, a group of fields, or even an individual field. |
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| Each field boundary has been associated with several pieces of information, unique to that field. This includes field acres, irrigation method used, a dryland or irrigated designation, and crop grown in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The irrigation method and 2000 crop were generated by visual observation of nearly 70% of the fields during May, June and July of 2000. Crops for 2001 and 2002 were identified by satellite classification (see next project description). The District does not use, any information regarding ownership. |
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| The field boundaries, images and associated data are updated as information becomes available. When the District uses the GPS to create a field boundary, this information replaces field boundaries that were digitized from the DOQQs. |
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| New color images of Franklin County, taken in June 2002, will soon be available for District personnel to use in their numerous projects. The images will be used to update the field boundary files, making changes in the file to the numerous fields that have been changed or added. |
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| Mapping Products |
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| The District produces numerous map products for individual growers, GWMA, agriculture managers and the general public. County maps can be purchased here. These include maps showing the soils within a field (or group of fields), burn-permit maps, maps showing field outlines and acreages, and large maps showing the crop classification, geography or elevation. There is a minimal charge for these products. |
