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How best to geo-reference farms? A case study from Cornwall, England
1Department of Epidemiology, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, Surrey, UK. p.durr@vla.defra.gsi.gov.uk
Preventive Veterinary Medicine
|November 7, 2002
Summary
Determining the best single point to represent a farm's location is crucial for accurate farm mapping. The study found that while the centroid captures the most area, the main farm building is the most practical geo-referencing method.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural science
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Spatial data analysis
Background:
- Current farm geo-referencing often uses farmhouse location or postcode, which is inadequate for large or fragmented farms.
- Accurate spatial representation of farms is essential for various agricultural applications, including data management and policy implementation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate different single-point geo-referencing methods for representing farm polygons.
- To identify the most effective method for capturing the largest proportion of farm area and for practical application.
Main Methods:
- Digitization of nearly 500 farm boundaries in Cornwall, England.
- Calculation of farm area and centroid using ArcView 3.2.
- Testing various point geo-referencing systems against farm boundaries.
Main Results:
- The centroid captured the largest proportion of farm area.
- The main farm building was identified as the most practical geo-referencing method.
- Geo-coding using postal addresses performed poorly in representing the total farm area.
Conclusions:
- The main farm building offers the best balance between area representation and practical usability for farm geo-referencing.
- Consideration of land parcel management across parishes is important for accurate farm unit identification.
- Findings have implications for national animal health information systems like VETNET.