Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Say "Hello, world!" with Google Earth Engine

See what I did there? For those of you who may not have taken a programming course before, you might not be familiar with “hello, world” – it’s the first program that essentially all coders learn how to write. It’s also how I felt while attending the Google Earth Engine User Summit at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA, after discovering that the world (in the form of satellite imagery) is at my fingertips!
Engineers, scientists, researchers, and practitioners from all over the globe congregated in Mountain View, CA, for the 2016 Google Earth Engine User Summit.

Access to satellite data has historically been limited due to the tremendous computational power needed for data download and processing. But the tide is turning. For the past few years, the Google Earth team has been uploading massive amounts of satellite data to the cloud. Google engineers created an online platform, called Google Earth Engine, to give researchers, engineers, geographers, and earth scientists a way to work with these cloud-based data.


Check out this video on "A Planetary Perspective: With Landsat and Google Earth Engine" for a visual overview of Google Earth Engine.

 

Making sense of satellite data
In addition to providing quick and easy access to decades of satellite data, the Google Earth Engine platform includes a suite of tools for data processing. In this case, “processing” means “writing simple code” for the purpose of extracting useful information from the historical record of satellite images. In true Google fashion, the tools are openly available to non-commercial users.
Just a few lines of code in the Earth Engine platform allows users to calculate the "Normalized Difference Vegetation Index" (NDVI), which serves as a measure of vegetation "greenness." Above, NDVI across Florida for January-March, 2016. 

 Case studies: from Antarctic sea ice to cropland
Researchers and practitioners are using Google Earth Engine to address a wide variety of important issues. For example, researchers at the European Commission Joint Research Centre are using Google Earth Engine for large-scale crop monitoring to identify fallow land and farms with failed crops. These observations can be coupled with on-the-ground measurements to evaluate the efficacy of management practices, such as those related to irrigation. Imagine the possibilities! 


 Beyond big data
The User Summit not only afforded me the opportunity to learn about the utility and potential of Google Earth Engine, but also gave me a glimpse into the future of satellite image collection. Luc Vincent, Director of Google Geo Imagery, discussed Google's “Terra Bella” division, which designs and manufactures low-cost satellites. Google will be sending enough of these cost-efficient satellites to capture global snapshots 2-3 times per day! At the moment, attaining global coverage with satellite imagery takes approximately 16 days, making Google's vision for satellite data collection particularly impressive (a 3200% improvement in temporal resolution!).

So you want to learn more about Earth Engine? Here are some resources:
  • Google Earth Engine documentation, tutorials, and videos
  • Alice Alonso, PhD Candidate in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at UF, recently had an article accepted for publication in Transactions of ASABE that highlights the potential of Google Earth Engine as a tool for Agricultural and Biological Engineers. It's currently in press, but will be published soon! 
    • Alonso, A., R. Muñoz-Carpena, K. Robert and C. Murcia. 2016. Wetland landscape spatio-temporal degradation dynamics using the new Google Earth Engine cloud-based platform: opportunities for non-specialists in remote sensing. Trans. ASABE
  • In partnership with Science, an educational lab assignment based in Google Earth Engine was created, which also makes for a fun and easy introduction to the platform.
  • There are also a lot of web apps that use Google Earth Engine to highlight specific issues, such as deforestation, climate, wildlife conservation, and more!
If you're interested in learning more about Google Earth Engine or the User Summit, reach out to me by email or on Twitter. Until next time!



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Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Whether using reclaimed or potable, overwatering in the landscape is easily preventable

By Bernard Cardenas

Some homeowners with automatic irrigation systems are over-watering their lawns in Florida without even knowing it. To cope with this issue, researchers at UF have been testing different soil moisture sensors, a promising technology that can potentially reduce waste of irrigation water.

Examples of widely available soil moisture sensor devices
Purple Pipes Among Us
In Florida, an important number of homes use reclaimed water to irrigate their landscape. Using soil moisture sensors in this context could present a problem because reclaimed water may contain more salts than potable water, and these salts could alter sensor readings when measuring the soil water content.


Therefore, irrigation specialists evaluated the functionality of four soil moisture sensor brands under both reclaimed and potable water, and quantified their potential irrigation savings. They also analyzed the consistency of each brand to control irrigation and, finally, they compared the brands to see if all of them were effective, or not.

Research Mode
The study was carried out in Gainesville in turfgrass plots irrigated with potable water and reclaimed water (2009 and 2010 respectively). Four soil moisture sensor brands were tested and were compared to a treatment that had no sensor feedback, which is the most common situation in Florida.


All the soil moisture sensors tested applied significantly less water than the comparison treatment (which had no sensor feedback). This was a consequence of the soil moisture sensors not allowing irrigation when soil was wet enough.  


The water savings ranged from 46% to 78% under potable water, and from 45% to 68% under reclaimed water. This means that the tested soil moisture sensors could be used under reclaimed or potable water conditions. Even more promising: these important water savings were obtained during a mostly dry period.

Also important to mention is that these water savings were attained without compromising the turf quality, which always rated good or higher, during the 2 year study.

The Bottom Line

From these results, which are comparable to those achieved in other similar experiments, it is clear that soil moisture sensors can be a useful tool for conserving water on turfgrass irrigated with either potable or reclaimed water.

(Adapted from a recently published research article available here.)


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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

The Case of the Water-Saving Plants

Last week marked the 3rd annual Florida-FriendlyLandscaping (FFL) in the Planned Community information session organized by Claire Lewis, UF/IFAS FFL Statewide Coordinator. 


The Issue
UF/IFAS research has well established that homeowner association (HOA)-controlled communities often face internal obstacles when it comes to implementing resource-efficient practices. HOAs encouraging excessive watering for perfect lawns is one thing, but bringing landscaping disputes to court is quite another. Believe it or not this happens rather often around Florida and this FFL event was aimed at bringing together stakeholders to review case studies and consider alternatives to costly court proceedings when choosing to make your yard Florida-friendly.

Experts Afoot
“Make sure that you’ve gone through the covenants and restrictions of your community so you know what they expect,” said real estate broker Jeannette Moore. 

Jeannette Moore presents on homeowner vs. HOA case studies 
Ms. Moore reviewed several case studies during the event to offer insight into what exactly happens when homeowners take on HOAs. Ms. Moore also maintains a popular FFL-oriented Facebook page.

"Most associations are smart enough to realize this isn't a good case to litigate."
- Barbara Stage, ESQ.
Orlando-based attorney Barbara Stage also attended. Ms. Stage underscored how litigation should be the last resort in FFL disputes, as cases can drag on for years and costs can be exorbitant.

The 9 Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles

The Takeaway 
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Statute prohibits HOAs and local governments from outlawing FFL. But apparently, statute language on what is FFL and who designates plant life as FFL is not as clear as it could be. In short, be informed before making FFL-oriented landscaping alterations in your HOA-controlled community. 

                                                              
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Friday, February 26, 2016

On irrigation’s cutting edge with Tampa Bay Water

In the works since last fall, February ushered in a highly anticipated soil moisture sensor (SMS) training in collaboration with Tampa Bay Water and the Florida Irrigation Society (FIS).

The Tampa Bay Water building by sunrise
A Day of Moisture Sensing
As detailed in a previous blog entry, SMS-use in irrigation can result in significant water savings. Buoyed by these facts and long-terms plans to incentivize the installation of irrigation control devices like SMS, Tampa Bay Water hosted Dr. Michael Dukes and his research team for a day of learning about what SMS are, what is their water saving potential and how should different models be used and installed for maximum benefits.

The well-attended event included area contractors, regional UF/IFAS Extension personnel and some water district staff. FIS provided CEUs and six vendors set up booths in the vendor room to display all the available options in soil moisture sensing technology.

Baseline Systems is the model soil sensor currently under research in Orange County, FL.
“Some of those contractors came up after and told me ‘I learned a few things that I didn’t know before.’” Dr. Dukes said later, reflecting on the training. “This is a big win given these guys make their living working in irrigation.”

Tampa Bay Water's David Bracciano launches the day's events
The Digital Plane
From a communicator’s stand-point the training with Tampa Bay Water (TBW) was insightful in several respects. First, TBW maintains a digital presence on Twitter and we were able to effectively collaborate in our event promotion with them via this platform.
And second, we broadcast several parts of the training on the live-streaming app Persicope – peaking at 65 viewers during the outdoor hands-on sessions. Viewer feedback was excellent and we will definitely be integrating this app into our real-time coverage strategy for events like this in the future.

Looking Forward
While there are no set plans for additional trainings thus far this year, Dr. Dukes underscored that “we are available to schedule these trainings to anyone interested in hosting.”

Partners in water saving (from left): Michael Dukes, David Bracciano and Bernard Cardenas

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Another One: A Look Back At 2015

By Michael Gutierrez

The end of the year affords a great opportunity to reflect on and assess the work of the past twelve months. For me and the Dukes research group, 2015 was all about initiating new projects and watching others come to fruition. Follow along as I review our year in water research.

#Landscapechat
When you receive an invitation to discuss your work and agenda for the year before a national audience, you take it. That's what Miami-Dade's Urban Conservation Unit (UCU) and I did in January, collaborating on national twitter discussion #landscapechat - explaining the water challenges we face in Florida and highlighting the work we do to promote sustainability. Relive the discussion here.

A January 2015 promotional short 

 Water Quality to the Fore
The SVAEC project (named after the Suwannee Valley County research center where it is based) started early in 2015 and continued throughout the year. SVAEC is a three year nutrient management study in corn and peanut cultivation that encompasses water sampling from drainage lysimeters, soil core sampling and plant tissue sampling to determine how nutrients from fertilizer move in the growing area. 
Installing a drainage lysimeter in Live Oak: like this, but 72 times!
We tested lysimeter designs on campus in early spring and by May were installing 72 drainage lysimeters in the ground in Live Oak. Planning for the second year of SVAEC begins in January, you can learn more about the project through the short video below.


Celebrating Rain
As a content creator, I never miss an opportunity to showcase people in the world of water that I admire. Cynthia Barnett is one of those people. In January, Ms. Barnett returned to UF as a Hearst Visiting Professional to teach Environmental Journalism and was kind enough to let me sit in on the lecture portion of the course. 

Cynthia Barnett at the Gainesville release event for Rain: A Natural and Cultural History
Ms. Barnett was also game to sit down with graduate student Mackenzie Boyer and discuss teaching as well as a new book set to release in April. For me, listening to and learning from an author like Cynthia Barnett, who is doing some of the finest water writing around, was a highlight of 2015. You can listen to the IrriGator interview here, as well as an extended public radio interview on Rain: A Natural and Cultural History here.

From Homestead to Gainesville
The renowned team of UF water researchers based in Gainesville grew in 2015 with the addition of Dr. Kati Migliccio. Previously based at UF’s Tropical REC, this summer Dr. Migliaccio relocated to Gainesville and soon began work on North Florida trials for the successful smart irrigation turf app. Located at research plots on campus, the tests are comparing smart turf app water savings with that of many widely available weather-based timers and soil moisture sensors. 
Dr. Migliaccio has helped develop a number of irrigation apps for smart devices. Learn more about current testing in the short video above and check back with IrriGator in 2016 as these app products continue to improve and the focus of Dr. Migliaccio’s North Florida water research expands.

#UFSIM15
July is smart irrigation month. This year I helped push the message of wise outdoor water use on two fronts: showcasing experts locally and nationally. For IrriGator I produced videos with UF experts about four aspects of water-efficient irrigation. For the UCU I collaborated on a longer production collecting insights from industry professionals across the country defining the smart irrigation concept. See the four micro-videos here and the longer piece below.



July also marked an important milestone in the Orange County Smart Irrigation Study that the Dukes group helps manage. Following three years of research and data collection, the county began the process of developing policy around the water saving potential of smart irrigation devices. Learn more about how UF research helps promote water saving through technology here.

Faculty Fellow Award
This fall Dr. Michael Dukes was awarded the UF Water Institute’s Faculty Fellow Award for achievements in interdisciplinary water research and education. 

Congratulations Dr. Dukes!
Listen to a portion of Dr. Dukes’ acceptance speech here, and if you’re in Gainesville in January, be sure to attend his Water Institute Distinguished Scholar Presentation: Using Research to Inform Extension for Real World Water Conservation.
The Oklahoma/Miami-Dade Connection
Much of the irrigation technology and maintenance fundamentals that I know I learned while working in South Florida, and the group I’ve worked the closest with while there has been Miami-Dade’s UCU team. So few were more pleased than I this fall when they finally filled their long vacant team leader position with Extension Agent Morgan Hopkins.
At the time of this writing, Ms. Hopkins is four months on the job and doing very well. In fact, look for her to showcase some of the tangible water savings the UCU generates in Miami-Dade this spring at UF’s Water Institute Symposium.

Closing Big
Late fall is conference season for us and this year we were able to attend and present at both WaterSmart Innovations and the Irrigation Show and Education Conference.
I was especially honored to have been invited to collaborate with IA/ASABE during the conference in November on content highlighting the good work of extraordinary researcher Dr. Terry Howell and the E3 Irrigation Program, which annually sponsors students and instructors to attend the event.

Looking Ahead
We’re starting 2016 at full speed. For the Dukes team, SVAEC planning begins in early January, followed by a contractor training on soil moisture sensor use and installation with Tampa Bay Water in February, and the Water Institute Symposium soon after. Check this space for on-going developments! 
In Miami-Dade, the UCU and I already have a slate of three videos in the can awaiting release, and as the work of promoting and educating about conservation and sustainability continues, there will certainly be plans for more. Follow them on Twitter, FaceBook or Instagram and stay tuned!

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