Showcasing the CC Student Farm
Using GIS to further our efforts at creating a space where all students have access to growing food, regardless of previous experience.
Introduction
The CC Farm, created by CC students, has experienced cycles of discontinuous use where the space was left unused and under enjoyed. Located just north of campus along the Tiger Trail, the farm is easy to miss but the CC Student farm Club is committed to establishing the farm so that it can be enjoyed year-round by the CC community. The farm has been rebuilt under new leadership multiple times throughout its short history making it difficult to maintain and run. The goal of this project is to provide a detailed map of the current conditions at the farm which can then be updated and overlayed. This map lays a foundation on which future leadership can build and hopefully achieve the continuity the CC student farm desperately needs to become a productive community resource.
The farm's annuals section from winter 2022 to spring 2023.
In the spring of 2023, the farm had its first major planting season since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The farm produced carrots, onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, beets, Swiss chard, oyster mushrooms, tomatillos, kale, celery, corn, beans, loads of zucchini and several others. As the produce was harvested throughout the summer, it was donated to a local food bank that accepted fresh food and during the 2023 fall semester the produce went to the CC Student Pantry.
The CC Farm Club envisions using the space we have more fully and holistically by planting native and climate appropriate trees, perennials, and ground covers that support pollinators and allow students to learn about flora in the Rocky Mountain Region. The hope is that the farm becomes a location that the entire CC community is welcome to enjoy. A comprehensive map will help us plan and propose new ideas to the Office of Sustainability.
Photos from the CC student farm in chronological order from left to right from the spring and summer of 2023. From left to right, image of freshly planted zucchini and pumpkin bed, the wildflower patch and herb spiral behind, and three separate summer harvests.
Mapping the Farm
Post-Processing
To gather a useful high-definition image of the farm looks like we used a Phantom 4 drone that captured over 100 images that overlap by approximately 80%. The drone's flight path is delineated by the white line shown in Figure 1. below.
Figure 1. Example of the drone's flight path over the farm. The farm is delineated by the yellow area and the white lines are the proposed flight plan to completely capture the farm area.
Figure 2. Camera position with thumbnails.
The next step is post processing where the GIS software transforms the many individual photographs into a single image. The image to the right shows some of the individual photographs from the drone. The black vertical line represents the height at which the drone snapped the image. The software then looks for points in each image that match up with its surrounding images to start layering the images together. Figure 3. below is a dense point cloud that the software compiles by filling in between tie points. For the purposes of this project, we only needed an overhead view but is is amazing to see how much data can be modelled by a 5 minute drone flight.
Figure 3: Dense point cloud model. With view of the lower section of the farm.
Figure 4. below is the overhead orthomosaic photo processed by the software. This photo is incredibly high-definition, and you can see the features of the farm in great detail. Since the farm such a small area that public domain satellite images do not capture enough detail to be useful when mapping the farm.
Figure 4. Processed Orthomosaic. Photo taken January 10, 2024, by Darren Ceckanowicz
GIS Analysis
After the successful 2023 growing season, the farm is focused on planning for future projects and growing seasons and a comprehensive GIS map of the farm allows the farm to envision and organize where to plant perennials and how rotate our annual crops to optimize the nutrients in each bed. Below is a map that shows the current farm features including the current beds, structures and paths. Each structure and bed feature has a name visible when selected. Through this system the farm can better inventory and record what is in each bed and where each perennial is located. Using ArcGIS, additional layers can be added easily and the map will grow along with the farm.
CC Student Farm Inventory Map
The map below is an elevation map that shows the gentle slop of the farm area from east to west down toward monument creek. This map can be used when attempting to find optimal locations for new trees and perennials.
Farm Elevation Map
What's Next?
This project is the first step in using GIS to further the plans of the CC Farm. But there is so much more that can be done. With the current data I want to create an ArcGIS web app that is interactive and allows club members to add features of their choosing to show us their vision for the space. Additionally, next time we fly a drone over the farm we can gather more specific data which will allow us to map the hydrology of the property and potentially the shadows cast by the trees. This will significantly aid the farm in planning the future layout of our growing garden.
Golden Hour at the Farm (Noah Furuseth)
