Feasibility Study of a National Web-Based GIS Application to Assess the Risk of Pesticide Drift in the U.S.

Faye Anderson^*, Najla N. J. Al-Thani

Independent Scholars, Houston, TX, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/gep.2015.37003                

Abstract

Agricultural pollution is a major issue in the United States (U.S.) and the world. Biotic and abiotic farming byproducts adversely affect the ecosystem and human health. While pesticides and fertilizers are the primary sources of agricultural pollution, organic agriculture can help remediate the negative effects on humans and the ecosystem. However, many factors like chemical drift can limit this advantage. This paper presents a feasibility study of a web-based (Geografic Information System) GIS application which can model and predict the areas affected by agricultural chemicals drift. Other applications exist with limited assumptions that make their outcomes far from reality. A root definition and a rich picture are developed as well as a Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Because of the huge geographical context, data requirements and analyses requirements are expected to be massive. Nonetheless, despite the expected challenges, the advantages of the proposed application outweigh the risks.

Keywords

Risk of Chemical Drift, Organic Farming, Conventional Farming, Agricultural Pollution, U.S., GIS, Web-Based Application, SWOT, Root Definition, Rich Picture

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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