Combining computer vision and satellite imagery to map center pivot irrigation
About the Project
Irrigated agriculture is expanding rapidly across southern Africa. Because this expansion is occurring without much regulation or monitoring, it’s not exactly clear where and when expansion is happening, or the fate of expanded agriculture. In most expansionary cycles, there is a boom-and-bust dynamic, where many investments fail quickly and only a few persist. The Earth Research Institute (ERI) at UCSB spans areas covering natural hazards, human impacts, earth system science, and earth evolution by collaborating across interdisciplinary departments on campus. Under the guidance of Kelly Caylor (Director of ERI and WAVES lab), we are undertaking a project to explore how center pivot-irrigated agriculture is expanding globally. We’re interested in mapping these dynamics over the recent years and monitoring them going forward.
Student Team
- Ashley Grinstead
- Evan Bui
- Tiffany Hsu
- Tristan Chen
Mentors
- Kelly Caylor, Sponsor
- Leron Reznikov, TA
- Anna Boser, Sponsor
- Ryan Avery, Sponsor
Presentation
About the Earth Research Institute
The Earth Research Institute (ERI) at UCSB spans areas covering natural hazards, human impacts, earth system science, and earth evolution by collaborating across interdisciplinary departments on campus. Under the guidance of Kelly Caylor (Director of ERI and WAVES lab), we are undertaking a project to explore how central pivot-irrigated agriculture is expanding in southern Africa.
