Native American high school students introduced to Earth Observation & Landsat images

 As part of the 2026 Native American Science Institute (NASI), 35 Native American high school students from Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah were introduced to Earth Observation and Landsat images. These students and their teachers assembled the large floor puzzle of Wyoming’s Landsat image mosaic.

More details about this year’s NASI program and full list of participants can be found at: https://www.uwyo.edu/news/2026/06/uw-hosts-35-native-american-high-school-students-for-ninth-native-american-summer-institute.html

This activity was jointly hosted by WyomingView and UW ASPRS Student Chapter (2026-27 officers: Anais Canto Samudio (President), Tyler Gallager (Vice President), Willam Colin Maloy (Secretary), and Korrin Sutherburg (Treasurer) - (photo below).

Wyomining middle & high school students learned the value of aerial & satellite images for monitoring Earth surface changes

More than 20 Wyoming Middle & high school students learned how data collected by Earth Observation (EO) satellites are used for tracking/monitoring farms, rangelands, forests, wildfires, and floods.

Students from Carey Junior High, CY Middle, Laramie Middle, McCormick Junior High, Cheyenne Central High, Moutain View Middle, Cheyenne South High, Dean Morgan Middle, and Johnson Junior High schools learned about geostationary and polar orbiting satellites and how the data they collect are used for tracking hurricanes, floods, wildfires, crop growth, and forest health.

Students viewing an animation of geostationary satellite in orbit
(Photo: Jeremy Cain, UW Extension)

As a part of this event, students visited one of NASA's websites and wrote their name using Landsat images (samples names generated with Landsat images shown below).

Interested in making an image with your name? Visit NASA's Your Name in Landsat page.

More info on Landsat: Visit USGS' Landsat page.

Earth Observation Day Event Shows Monitoring Natural Disasters with Satellite Images

Seventh graders in Laramie Middle School (LMS) learned the value of satellite images for monitoring natural disasters. 

Students are learning about natural disasters and how they are impacting humans and their environment. Images acquired before- and after- the floods, wildfires, landslides, earthquakes, etc. from Landsat and other Earth observation satellites showed the extent of damages caused by disasters.

One of the teachers commented "students were able to really take in what damage can be done from the several disasters you shared with them and how, depending on the event, the satellite imaging can provide different forms of information needed."

One hundred and fifty eight students and 2 teachers participated in 6 sessions of this Earth Observation Day activity conducted on April 24, 2023.

WyomingView's First Virtual Earth Observation Day Outreach @ Spring Creek Elem. School

Landsat images acquired in2019 show
algal blooms in Keyhole Res. Wyo. These
blooms form under abundant sunlight,
temperature and nutrients. Landsat images
are available from US Geological Survey.

Third graders in the Spring Creek Elementary School (Laramie, WY) learned how satellite images are used for tracking algal blooms in waterbodies throughout the US.

Students in 3rd grade GATE science class are learning about water and sources of water pollution. Currently they are finding solutions to address environmental issues such as oil spills, acidic conditions, and harmful algal blooms. 

First, students learned the sources of chemicals that would eventually become the nutrients for the algae once they enter waterbodies. Algal blooms appear when there is an abundance of sunlight and higher temperatures. 

Next, they saw how algal blooms appear in images captured by Landsat and other satellites. Aerial and satellite images provided by USGS, NASA, and several state environmental agencies were used for this outreach event. These satellite images showed algal blooms in small and large waterbodies throughout the US. 

Describing the value of this outreach activity, Ms. Natalie Davis, their teacher commented “provided students with real life data and imaging that brought all the work we did in class.  Students were able to see real examples of the impact water pollution has, and tie that back to what they had been testing/studying in class the weeks prior”. 

This outreach event was conducted virtually on Sept 23, 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

AmericaView highlights WyomingView's Women in STEM workshops

WyomingView held, not one, but THREE workshops in Laramie, Wyoming as part of the #Women in STEM conference! Among other activities, participants had the opportunity to assess how green and blue paper absorbed and reflected electromagnetic energy - and how that energy was associated with human vision.

These workshops were funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Land Imaging competitive grant to AmericaView #WomenInSTEM #RemoteSensing

Researchers generate crop growth patterns for Wyoming farmlands from satellite images

Article originally published in Reflections a publication of the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Publication date: June 2013; pages 40-42)

Access the issue online at: http://www.uwyo.edu/uwexpstn/publications/reflections/reflections-2013-web.pdf (4.2MB)

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Researchers generate crop growth patterns for Wyoming farmlands from satellite images

Under precision-agriculture or site-specific management practices, farmers split fields into discrete zones based upon underlying soil properties and past crop growth patterns. By dividing the field into zones, a farmer can devote more resources to zones with medium to low growth to increase output.

Remotely sensed data (images) of crop growth acquired during the growing season in multiple years are essential to understand and map differences in crop growth through time. Data collected in the infrared region (invisible to human eyes) are particularly useful to distinguish differences in crop growth in a field. 

Advances in technology are enabling us to acquire remotely sensed images using sensors mounted in balloons, unmanned aerial systems, or farm vehicles (tractors and trucks, for example). 

Images collected by Landsat satellites date back to the early 1970s and comprise the longest and one of the most complete collections of remotely sensed images. Since these images are acquired once every 16 days, farmers can use them to monitor growth patterns during one or more growing seasons. 

In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) opened the entire Landsat image archive free to users. Now any user can download images directly from the USGS websites http://glovis.usgs.gov or http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov. 

Infrared images acquired by a Landsat satellite show changes in crop growth during the 2007 growing season. Crops with high growth (or vigor) appear bright red due to more reflection in the infrared region. Darker shades of red indicate medium- to low-growth areas. Harvested areas and bare ground appear in shades of green and blue.

University of Wyoming students enrolled in the remote sensing for agricultural management course are taking advantage of this to monitor fields in Wyoming or their home states. 

Monitoring crop growth in one growing season

Carson Hessenthaler, agricultural business major from Lovell, compared sugar beet growth in a field near Lovell that had uneven soil fertility. Using three Landsat images acquired at different times of the year, he tracked growth in areas that showed poor, medium, and high growth at the start of the growing season (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Landsat images revealed differences in the sugar beet growth for the
2011 growing season at a farm near Lovell.

His analysis revealed that areas with high-, medium-, and poor-growth patterns at the start of the season stayed more or less same until the end of the season. However, areas with poor growth at the start had relatively more growth, albeit small, throughout the season and ultimately narrowed the gap with the other two categories. 

Mapping crop growth between growing seasons

Matthew Thoman, rangeland ecology and watershed management major from Riverton, mapped winter wheat growth patterns in non-irrigated fields east of Cheyenne. Using Landsat images acquired in April, May, and June of 2007 and 2009, he mapped winter wheat growth for the two growing seasons (Figure 2). 

Figure 2: Variations in the winter wheat growth in non-irrigated
fields near  Cheyenne in 2007 (left column) and 2009 (right column).
Each square represents 0.22 acres (900 square meters) on the ground.
Dark green to light green correspond to high to medium growth.  
Yellow and brown colors correspond to low and no growth.

Combining data from three Landsat images acquired during each growing season, he was able to see that between 2007 and 2009, the area under high growth increased from 1.3 to 5.5 acres shown in dark green (Field 1). This increase occurred mostly in areas that had medium growth in 2007. Some of the medium growth areas of 2007 had lower growth in 2009 (yellow); however, this decline was noticed along the edges.

The second field showed increases in high and medium categories and decreases in low and bare ground categories. While no part of this field was classified as high growth in 2007, four acres witnessed high growth in 2009. On the other hand, areas of low growth decreased from approximately 11 acres in 2007 to 5 acres in 2009.

These examples demonstrate how information derived from Landsat images can be used to identify areas where crop growth varies between years. Farmers and crop consultants can use this information to devise suit-able management plans for increasing crop growth.

Tracking changes through multiple years

Availability of free Landsat images provides numerous other possibilities for monitoring growth in Wyoming croplands. For example, farmers can adapt Hessenthaler’s technique and obtain images from several years to analyze crop growth prior to its maturity.

Students saw value of satellite images for monitoring, mapping water bodies

Sixth grade students at Laramie Junior High School saw how remotely sensed images are used for monitoring changes in water bodies around the world. Students took virtual tours of how countries manage their water resources by building reservoirs, diverted water from Rivers, and how their impact on already existing water bodies.

Jerod Long, the Social Studies/Science teacher at the 6th Grade Academy, commented "As a teacher of social studies and science, I am constantly seeking instructional techniques that allow my students to understand the interdisciplinary nature of any given topic. 

Our sixth graders are currently in the middle of a unit on water, in which we have been looking at issues revolving around distribution, consumption, water quality, implications for wildlife, implications for human beings, etc. When Ramesh approached me about giving a talk on water-related issues, I jumped at the opportunity: Ramesh brings a unique combination of real-world experience and scientific knowledge that my students benefit tremendously from. 

Ramesh recently gave a talk on water to my 6th graders that seamlessly integrated the many facets of this topic that we have been studying in class. Not only did my students gain a wealth of knowledge from this presentation, they were highly entertained and engaged. The story (ies) that Ramesh was able to tell utilizing aerial photography, digital animations and a well-crafted presentation really piqued an interest with my students."

This event was conducted on April 25 as part of AmericaView’s Earth Observation Day activities aimed at introducing teachers and students to remote sensing science and applications. Sixty students from two sessions and three teachers of the sixth grade academy participated in this event.

WyomingView conducts workshop highlighting the utility of Landsat data for natural resources monitoring

WyomingView coordinator Ramesh Sivanpillai conducted a workshop at the Cable Center in Denver, CO as part of the 2012 GIS in the Rockies Conference, highlighting remote sensing concepts and the utility of Landsat data for natural resources monitoring.  This workshop introduced GIS professionals to the characteristics of remotely sensed data and how they are collected.  Participants learned how each task required data at appropriate spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions, and the consequences of working with inappropriate data.

In the second part of the workshop, participants learned about the Landsat archive and the value of earth observation data spanning over 40+ years.  Sivanpillai explained the data characteristics of the five Landsat satellites (1-5 and 7), and how these data sets can be used for monitoring changes in the surface of the earth.  Landsat images were used to demonstrate how seasonal, annual, and long-term changes can be monitored and quantified.  Participants learned to browse and download Landsat data from GloVis (glovis.usgs.gov) – a USGS web portal.

Participants were asked to describe how they plan to use Landsat data in their future work.  One of the participants said “After this workshop, I realize that I can use Landsat for my future work in vegetation surveys … Interestingly I also realized that Landsat can be used for business, real estate, development etc.”  Another participant, a University of Northern Colorado student said “…useful when writing geographic papers (in fact before and after map)”.  While others mentioned that they planned to use Landsat data for mapping invasive species, threats to archeological resources, and avalanche forecasting.

This WyomingView educational outreach activity was conducted on 19 September 2012 (http://www.gisintherockies.org/GISITR2012/Workshops/Workshops.aspx).

Students in Laramie Junior High’s Scientific Perspectives class learn about leaves interaction with light (or electromagnetic radiation)

Students in Ms. Julie Eakin’s eighth grade scientific perspectives class at Laramie Junior High learned how different leaves interact with light and how they appear to human eyes.

Fifteen students were introduced to the principles of electromagnetic radiation and then how a leaf’s interaction changes based on factors such as pigments (chlorophyll), water content, surface area, and stress (insect damage, for example).

Based on these concepts students developed a hypothesis for comparing the reflectance properties of each leaf.  With ALTA ™ Spectrometers, they measured the spectral reflectance in 10 different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Using standard reflectance values measured from white and black surfaces, they calculated percent reflectance for each leaf and plotted them against wavelength.

Analyses of these plots, termed the spectral signatures, revealed marked differences in the way each leaf interacted in different regions of the spectrum.  For example, a freshly cut aspen leaf and a blade of grass harvested several hours earlier had markedly different reflectance properties (figure).  Comparing results from each team, students could see how a leaf’s pigments, surface area, and vigor influenced its reflectance properties. 

This outreach activity was conducted on May 8 (2012) by Ramesh Sivanpillai, WyomingView coordinator, as part of AmericaView’s Earth Observation Day activities aimed at introducing teachers and students to remote sensing science and applications.

Satellite images monitor vegetation response in Wyoming rangelands

Article originally published in Reflections a publication of the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Publication date: June 2012; pages 26-29)

Access the issue online at: http://www.uwyo.edu/uwexpstn/publications/reflections/2012/reflections-2012-web.pdf (5.5 MB)


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Satellite images monitor vegetation response in Wyoming rangelands

Students capitalize on no-cost Landsat images to map rangeland vegetation

Rangeland vegetation responds to both environmental variations (e.g., drought, precipitation) and human interventions (e.g., grazing management). These responses can be rapid (e.g., wildfire), seasonal (e.g., grazing) or slow (e.g., invasion of non-native species).

Ranchers, land managers, and planners need periodic information about where and how changes are occurring. Collecting change information through field surveys is expensive and time-consuming and often does not provide a complete picture because only a portion of the area is sampled.

Monitor and Map Vegetation Responses

Remotely sensed images can be used for monitoring and mapping vegetation response to environmental and human influences. Since information derived from remotely sensed data is not always similar to data collected in the field, researchers have developed indices and metrics that can provide valuable insights for monitoring and mapping natural resources. With the availability of more types of remotely sensed data, new indices and metrics are also being developed for monitoring vegetation in rangelands and elsewhere.

University of Wyoming students enrolled in the Remote Sensing for Agricultural Management course are trained in the use of remotely sensed data for monitoring and mapping vegetation in rangelands and forests. In addition to learning remote sensing concepts, students are required to complete an inquiry-based research project of their choice involving use of remotely sensed data for answering questions pertaining to natural resource management.

Images Cover 100 x 100 miles

Most students use Landsat data provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS) through the GloVis website for monitoring or mapping vegetation response in rangelands, forests, and agricultural fields. Each image (referred to as a scene) covers roughly 100 miles x 100 miles on the ground and contains information in the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Landsat images can be used for mapping present and past (since 1972) conditions of rangelands, forests, crop fields, lakes, and other earth surface features (Figure 1).

		Figure 1: Landsat images acquired in 1999, 2002, 2005, and 2011 for an area adjacent to Keyhole Reservoir near Moorcroft demonstrate their utility for monitoring changes in natural resources such as vegetation rangeland and riparian zones and water. Intensity of green color can be associated with high (bright) and low (dark) vigor. Vegetation growth is low (few areas in green) during drought years (2002 and 2005) and relatively higher in normal and wet years (1999 and 2011). The surface area of the reservoir also fluctuates between these years as a result of natural and human influences.

Although Landsat satellites have collected data since 1972, their widespread use was somewhat limited because of the high cost associated with acquiring those images. However, since December 2008, USGS is providing all Landsat images at no-cost to users, which has generated an unprecedented opportunity for students enrolled in this class.

Students interested in rangeland management have obtained numerous Landsat images for monitoring vegetation growth and mapping changes in vegetation conditions over time. Almost all students selected ranches either their parents owned or where the students worked in the summer.

Monitors Rangeland Allotments

Selecting familiar study sites provides a unique opportunity for evaluating the utility of Landsat image information. Clint Beiermann, an agroecology major, analyzed vegetation responses in three rangeland allotments where he worked one summer. Analyses of Landsat images from May 17, June 2, June 18, and July 4, 2007, (Figure 2) showed different vegetation growth rates between allotments. Grasses and forbs grew early in the season in one type of allotment while growth was delayed in another. During the end of the growing season, differences between allotments were minimal. He concluded Landsat images can be used for routine monitoring of rangeland vegetation.

		Figure 2: Landsat images acquired from May through July 2007 were used for monitoring vegetation (green) growth in allotments under different management regimes. Water in the ponds appears black, and allotment boundaries (white) were superimposed on the image. Clouds and their shadows (bottom left of July 7 image below) could limit the use of Landsat data.

Studies Grazing Effects

Having image data for the entire study area enabled identification of patterns and anomalies (areas of high, medium, and low growth). Brandon Greet, also an agroecology major, monitored the grazing impact on a ranch in the Big Horn Mountains using Landsat images from June 29, August 25, and September 17, 2008. He categorized vegetation in this rangeland into high, medium, and low vigor  and found the area of the low-vigor vegetation class increased during the growing season. Further, he noticed vegetation re-growth in September in some of the areas classified as bare ground in the August image. He generated maps that showed where these changes have occurred, which could help ranchers improve grazing by focusing cattle on under-utilized areas.

Most students (and owners of the ranches where they worked) had a general sense of the changes in vegetation composition and patterns. Visualizing those changes in Landsat images acquired several years apart sheds new light on the types and magnitude.

Researches Forage Availability

Matthew Allshouse (a rangeland and ecology management major) monitored forage availability and riparian vegetation at a ranch near Laramie (Figure 3). Over the last several years, this ranch shifted from intensive grazing to multiple-objective management. Ranch owners have implemented a rest rotation grazing regime, fenced off riparian areas, and also built a reservoir to improve riparian habitat. Allshouse obtained a Landsat image from 2001 to establish baseline vegetation conditions and used the 2006 and 2011 images for monitoring and mapping how vegetation responded to the changes in management practices.

Students gained experience processing remotely sensed data and extracting information pertinent to their research questions by working independently on
their projects. They evaluated several vegetation indices derived from Landsat
data and determined the suitability for monitoring and mapping rangeland vegetation. Over the past few years, students enrolled in this course have used Landsat and other remotely sensed data for monitoring natural resources in Wyoming and other states. Several students have also presented their research work at the Wyoming Undergraduate Research Days.

As more and more students take advantage of the no-cost Landsat data, findings from their research projects may benefit the community by providing insights about the utility and limitations of Landsat data for natural resource monitoring in Wyoming and elsewhere.

Enhanced learning through student selected agricultural remote sensing projects

Article originally published in Reflections a publication of the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Publication date: June 2010; pages 56-58)

Access the issue online at: http://www.uwyo.edu/uwexpstn/publications/reflections/2010/reflections_2010.pdf (5.3 MB)

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Enhanced learning through student selected agricultural remote sensing projects

Students utilize high-tech opportunities to examine Wyoming crop, ranch, and forest areas 

Carla Grefroh of Douglas, WY compares vegetation on her family’s ranch during drought and wet years

Images from earth observation satellites provide valuable information for students and researchers interested in monitoring natural resources. These remotely sensed images provide a bird-eye’s view of the earth’s surface and enable monitoring of rangelands, shrublands, and forests.

Many remote sensing satellites collect images at regular intervals, giving researchers an opportunity to monitor changes on the earth’s surface.  They can also be used to characterize variability in vegetation conditions within an agricultural field, ranch, or forest.  Vegetation growth stage (emergent vs. full canopy) and condition (healthy vs. stressed) can be determined by examining reflected infrared light, which is measured by many remote sensing satellites.

In general, remotely sensed images contain a wealth of information about the earth’s surface and are valuable for a wide range of users.

Remotely sensed satellites divide the earth surface into a uniform grid comprised of pixels and record the amount of reflected visible and infrared light coming to the satellite from each pixel.  Analysts examine the pattern of reflected light across a range of wavelengths to extract information about places in an image.  For example, a farmer can monitor changes in crop growth during the growing season using a series of Landsat images (Box 1).  A rancher can map forage conditions on a ranch and also identify areas of poor or no vegetation growth.

Box 1: Landsat images

Landsat images have been collected by a series of remote sensing satellites operated by the U.S. government since early 1970s (http://landsat.usgs.gov) and represent an extensive civilian archive in terms of duration (more than 36 years) and geographic coverage. Landsat collects a new image every 16 days for every place on earth.  Each image covers a relatively large geographic area (approximately 90 miles x 90 miles). Landsat records information from the visible region and the infrared regions of the spectrum, which is useful for monitoring vegetation condition and for a wide variety of other applications. Countless studies have demonstrated the value of Landsat data for monitoring changes in croplands, rangelands and forests. Landsat images are useful when monitoring rangelands and croplands through conventional field surveys is not feasible due to cost or access issues.

Increasing student employment potential

Changes introduced by natural disturbances, such as wildfires and droughts, and anthropogenic activities, such as land conversion, are creating new applications of remotely sensed imagery.  Because the imagery is so valuable, several countries have launched remotely sensed satellites to collect earth observation data.  In the U.S., federal and state government agencies, as well as private companies, are launching and operating remote sensing satellites. Students who learn image processing and interpretation skills as part of their academic training often increase their employment potential.

Ag remote sensing projects

UW students are learning to implement many of the applications described above in the Applied Remote Sensing for Agricultural Management (BOT/RNEW 4130/5130 and AECL4130) course.  One requirement of this course is that students complete a class project using imagery to answer questions about a real-world agricultural issue. For example, some students use images of their parent’s farm or ranch to obtain a better understanding of crop growth patterns by comparing the images to conditions observed on the ground.

Students associate areas of poor growth (often characterized by low infrared reflectance) identified in the image to problems such as soil alkalinity or poor water drainage.  Similarly, several students obtained images acquired in normal and drought years for rangelands and mapped changes in vegetation condition.  Students enhanced their learning experience by selecting images for areas of interest to them rather than working on pre-defined laboratory exercises.

Mapping crop growth in the Big Horn River Basin

Garret Klein and Laramie Wiginton (rangeland ecology majors), Chris Heil (agroecology major) and Travis Yeik (geography major) used Landsat images for monitoring crop growth in agricultural fields in Freemont and Washakie counties.

Klein and Wiginton mapped crop growth by computing a vegetation index derived from the amount of reflected red and infrared light.  Based on their research, they concluded Landsat images could be used to accurately identify areas of poor and medium growth for different crops; however, they noticed some weed infested areas also had high infrared reflectance due to dense canopy, thereby reducing the utility of Landsat data under these circumstances.

Yeik analyzed growth patterns in sugar beets and alfalfa crops in Worland using Landsat images acquired from 2006, 2007, and 2008.  This multi-year analysis of crop growth patterns was necessary for identifying areas of poor and high growth and for devising appropriate management plans to help improve crop yields.

Assessing wildfire damage to forest vegetation

Using Landsat images, Cody Tully estimated wildfire burn severity of a fire in Medicine Bow National Forest, Brice Stanton and Adam Stephens for a fire in the Black Hills National Forest, and Anne Morabito for a fire in Southern California. Stanton and Tully worked on firefighting teams and had firsthand knowledge of the impacts of fire on forest vegetation.  This knowledge was valuable for interpreting the information derived from Landsat images about burn severity patterns.

Cody Tully of Sinclair, WY helped fight the 2006 Isabelle Fire that burned near
Lake Owen in Southeast Wyoming. He is examining satellite images of the burn

Tully fought the 2006 Isabelle Fire that burned 1 mile south of Lake Owen in southeast Wyoming.  Burn Ratio Indices derived from the Landsat images acquired before and after the wildfire enabled him to distinctly classify the burned areas and also group them by severity classes.

Using the same method, Morabito (a California native) generated burn severity maps depicting various levels of damage caused by the Station Fire near Los Angeles in Southern California during August 2009.   Methodology used by these students is identical to the methods used by federal and state land management agencies tasked with fighting wildfires and monitoring vegetation establishment in burned areas.

Monitoring Wyoming Rangelands

Most students used Landsat images for monitoring rangelands throughout Wyoming.  Students compared vegetation condition during drought years to normal years and estimated the differences in spectral reflectance in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.  For example, Carla Gefroh (rangeland ecology major) compared the vegetation condition for her family ranch using images acquired in June 2002 and 2009, representing drought and wet years, respectively.  Landsat images highlighted changes in vegetation condition during the drought and wet years.

Monitoring vegetation response to drought was one topic in the class.  Other projects included monitoring vegetation condition in a growing season for estimating forage availability and areas of overgrazing.  The synoptic view provided by Landsat images was invaluable for gaining insights about vegetation condition in rangelands, and repeat coverage helped students to map those changes.

USGS Offers Landsat Satellite Images for Free

In December 2008, the entire Landsat satellite image archive was made available for free through the U.S. Geological Survey.  Previously, images had to be purchased (terrain corrected images could cost as much as $800) unless they were archived by programs like AmericaView (http://www.americaview.org) or on dedicated public Web sites like that of the Global Land Cover Facility (http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu).

The recent availability of no-cost Landsat images has created opportunities and enhanced learning experiences for students. When fewer no-cost Landsat images were available, students had to modify the scope of their projects to match data availability.  Now, students can download any number of images for anywhere on earth.

UW students enrolled in the Applied Remote Sensing for Agricultural Management course are taking advantage of this valuable opportunity and are using these images for monitoring and mapping Wyoming croplands, rangelands, and forests.

UW Ag students use satellite images to evaluate crop- & range-land

Source: UW Extension Service's press release
By: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Date: 28 Dec 2008

Agriculture students in a University of Wyoming class used remote sensing information to analyze crop and rangeland they are either familiar with or farm and ranch upon. 

The class, taught by Ramesh Sivanpillai, remote sensing scientist with the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center (WyGISC) in the College of Agriculture building, examined crop and pasture lands using satellite images obtained through WyomingView. 

WyomingView is a consortium, headed byWyGISC and the University of Wyoming, aimed at increasing opportunities for remote sensing through outreach, data distribution, education, training and research activities in Wyoming. WyomingView is part of AmericaView, which is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 

Student Vince Holton wanted to eye his crop land in northern Colorado and pasture he leases between Laramie and Cheyenne. He could not obtain free satellite images for his Colorado cropland for the years he was interested in, but images collected by Landsat satellites of his Wyoming pasture were available through WyomingView. 

He had a “prove it” attitude. “I wanted to see how it worked; if it actually showed what I had observed on the ground,” he said.  The images provide variations in light reflectance of vegetation, which can show levels of plant vigor. 

“That tells you if it’s real productive, dormant or dead,” said Holton, of Greely, Colo. “But you have to know what you are looking at. You can’t take somebody else’s place; not having been there, you only can guess. You still have to do the groundwork to know what you are looking at. It works slick on farm ground, but it works good on rangeland, too. But you need help on which satellite image to use and how to configure it so you get the right values. It’s not something you can jump on and pop it out.” 

Holton said he’d like to use remote sensing in future operations. “I’d like to get more advanced so I know what I’m doing,” he said. “I got enough out of it I sure could see a heckuva value, especially in farming.” 

Garrett Klein and his lab partner, Laramie Wigington, both of Pavillion, northwest of Riverton, used the class to look at center pivots on Klein’s family land near Fort Washakie. 

“We changed from flood irrigation to pivot irrigation in 1998,” said Klein. “I wanted to see if the crop yields were increasing or if helping improve the ground (fertility).” 

The project was of particular interest to both. “I grew up a half-mile away from the ground,” said Wiginton. “We worked on the same ground together since elementary school.” 

They examined Landsat images from July and August from 1998 to 2006. The software program illustrates crop vigor through the years. “It allows us to see if an area of the field is consistently good or consistently bad,” said Klein. 

Klein, familiar with the farm ground, said he remained a skeptic of the process while using the program. “So far, it’s been correct,” he said. 

In the satellite images, they were able to match the growth patterns observed in the barley and alfalfa fields and distinguish areas where barley grew well and poorly due to alkaline soil, said Sivanpillai. “However, Landsat images were less useful when portions of the field were covered with weeds. For smaller farms, they concluded that high-resolution imagery taken at right time of growing season could be more helpful.” 

Landsat images are useful for monitoring crop growth, although the information content are less than the images seen in programs such as Google Earth, Sivanpillai noted. Landsat images are updated every 16 days, and the USGS is planning to make the entire Landsat image archive (going back to early 1970s) free in a year or two, enabling everyone to use these applications for monitoring their agricultural lands.

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3rd graders in Laramie's Beitel Elementary School learn about remote sensing

Students in the 3rd grade of Beitel Elementary School, Laramie were introduced to remote sensing through a combination of ground photographs and aerial images of their school and its surroundings. Students interpreted features on the true color and infrared photos.

Students compared Laramie's prominent landmarks (UW War Memorial Stadium, Arena etc) in aerial and conventional ground-based photos.

Following this, they looked aerial photographs and described how different areas of their school from a vertical or birds-eye view.

This educational evening activity was conducted on 16 November 2006 by WyomingView Coordinator Ramesh Sivanpillai, and WyGISC Research Scientists Ken Driese and Wendy Berelson as part of the Earth Observation Day.

UW College of Ag personnel and students learn to analyze crop growth with Landsat images

Eleven UW College of Agriculture personnel and students learned how remote sensing technology can help distinguish patterns of good and poor growth in crops.  In a workshop conducted by WyomingView they learned to display and analyze remotely sensed images in ERDAS ViewFinder (EVF), a freeware image viewer.

Participants saw the value of Landsat's infrared bands for highlighting crop growth differences and how reflectance values in those bands can be related to growth patterns (or vigor).  They collected reflectance values of features such as crops, rangelands, water and built surfaces (asphalt roads) to gain insights about how each feature interacted with electromagnetic radiation.

Analysis of crops showed that variability in the near-infrared reflectance (band 4) values of Landsat can be associated with the patterns of crop growth within a field.

Finally, using a measurement tool in EVF, they learned to calculate areas of poor, medium and low growth within a field.  Other sources of satellite and aerial images (SPOT, IRS, IKONOS and Quickbird) for agricultural applications were discussed.


Participants provided the following (anonymous) feedback about this workshop:

• Excellent.  Has peaked [sic] my interest in research applications of this technology
• Amazing freeware.  Almost as powerful as the old ERDAS software I have used
• Great workshop.  I appreciate the background information and all the examples
• Good workshop, very interesting!

This WyomingView education and outreach activity was conducted by Ramesh Sivanpillai on 24 Feb 2006 as part of the annual Wyoming Agriculture Experiment Station's Research & Extension Center Planning Conference.

WCES personnel learn to display and manipulate Landsat images in ERDAS ViewFinder

Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service (WCES) personnel learned to work with remotely sensed images in ERDAS ViewFinder (EVF), a freeware image viewing and analyzing software.  WCES personnel can install EVF in their computers and do not have to periodically renew its license.  WCES personnel learned to change Landsat band combinations, obtain pixel reflectance values at specific locations, and compute areas of features such as rangelands, crop fields, and water bodies.

By displaying Landsat images in different combinations (true color, false color infrared etc.), participants learned to highlight vegetation growth in rangelands, crop growth in fields, and differences in water quality.

Some participants suggested that this 1/2 day workshop should be expanded (1- or 2-day workshop) to accommodate more examples, while others wanted to take Landsat data in a portable devices to their offices to work on problems specific to their county/region.

This WyomingView education and outreach activity was conducted by Ramesh Sivanpillai on 23 September 2005.