GIS and Remote Sensing for Crop Monitoring Training Course

Module 1: Foundations of GIS and Remote Sensing in Agriculture

ü  Overview of precision agriculture and spatial technology applications

ü  Coordinate reference systems, map projections, and spatial data formats (vector vs. raster)

ü  Introduction to GNSS, GPS, and field data collection methodologies

ü  Overview of public and commercial Earth observation satellite constellations

ü  Practical Session: Setting up QGIS workspace, importing spatial boundaries, and exploring agricultural vector layers

Module 2: Satellite Imagery Acquisition, Preprocessing, and Management

ü  Understanding electromagnetic radiation and spectral signatures of crops, soil, and water

ü  Sources of free and commercial satellite data (Landsat, Sentinel, MODIS)

ü  Radiometric, geometric, and atmospheric correction principles

ü  Cloud masking, image mosaicking, and subsetting techniques

ü  Practical Session: Downloading Sentinel-2 imagery and performing radiometric calibration and cloud masking in QGIS

Module 3: Vegetation Indices and Crop Health Monitoring

ü  Principles of spectral vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, NDRE, SAVI)

ü  Monitoring phenological stages and crop development cycles using time-series data

ü  Detecting biotic and abiotic stress, nutrient deficiencies, and water stress

ü  Spatio-temporal analysis of crop vigor anomalies

ü  Practical Session: Calculating NDVI and NDRE time-series rasters to evaluate crop health across an agricultural season

Module 4: Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) Classification for Agriculture

ü  Principles of supervised and unsupervised image classification algorithms

ü  Training sample collection and feature extraction techniques

ü  Accuracy assessment methods (confusion matrix, producer and user accuracy, Kappa coefficient)

ü  Post-classification refinement and change detection analysis

ü  Practical Session: Performing supervised classification to map crop types using random forest algorithms

Module 5: Crop Acreage Estimation and Spatial Sampling Techniques

ü  Designing spatial sampling strategies for crop surveys

ü  Area frame sampling versus point-based sampling methodologies

ü  Integrating ground truth GPS data with classified satellite maps for acreage calculation

ü  Error estimation and statistical validation in crop area mapping

ü  Practical Session: Extracting statistical summaries of classified crop areas and generating spatial acreage reports

Module 6: Soil Moisture, Drought Monitoring, and Agrometeorology

ü  Remote sensing of surface and root-zone soil moisture using radar and optical data

ü  Thermal infrared remote sensing for crop water stress index (CWSI) and evapotranspiration

ü  Drought indices calculation (Standardized Precipitation Index, Vegetation Health Index)

ü  Integrating meteorological station data with satellite observations

ü  Practical Session: Processing thermal and moisture index rasters to identify drought-impacted agricultural zones

Module 7: Crop Yield Modeling and Forecasting Methodologies

ü  Empirical and mechanistic crop yield modeling frameworks

ü  Regression-based yield estimation using seasonal vegetation index integrals

ü  Integrating crop simulation models with spatial remote sensing inputs

ü  Validation of yield forecasts against historical agricultural statistics

ü  Practical Session: Building a regression model linking peak season NDVI values with historical crop yield data

Module 8: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) / Drones in Precision Agriculture

ü  Overview of drone platforms, sensors (RGB, multispectral, thermal), and flight planning

ü  Photogrammetry and structure-from-motion (SfM) processing workflows

ü  Generating ultra-high-resolution orthomosaics and digital surface models (DSMs)

ü  Actionable drone analytics for variable-rate fertilizer and pesticide application

ü  Practical Session: Processing UAV multispectral imagery to generate high-resolution field health maps

Module 9: Cloud-Based Remote Sensing with Google Earth Engine (GEE)

ü  Introduction to cloud computing paradigms for big geospatial data analysis

ü  The Google Earth Engine JavaScript/Python API and catalog structure

ü  Filtering, masking, and reducing image collections at scale

ü  Time-series charting and export of agricultural indicators

ü  Practical Session: Writing a Google Earth Engine script to extract multi-year NDVI profiles for specific farm parcels

Module 10: Web GIS and Spatial Data Visualization for Agricultural Reporting

ü  Principles of web mapping and spatial data sharing architectures

ü  Publishing agricultural maps and geodatabases to web portals

ü  Designing interactive dashboards for stakeholders and decision-makers

ü  Case studies of operational national and regional crop monitoring systems

ü  Practical Session: Publishing a web-accessible crop health dashboard using QGIS web mapping plugins

About Our Trainers

Our training facilitators are seasoned spatial scientists, remote sensing experts, and agricultural GIS engineers with over 15 years of international experience designing and implementing monitoring systems for food security, climate resilience, and precision farming. They bring extensive practical expertise in applying satellite and drone technologies across diverse agricultural landscapes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Quality Statement

Phoenix Training Center is committed to delivering world-class professional training that adheres to international educational and industry quality standards. Our curriculum is continually updated by leading subject matter experts to reflect cutting-edge industry technologies, evolving regulatory mandates, and global market requirements.

Tailor-Made Courses

We understand that every organization has unique challenges and opportunities as well as unique training needs. Phoenix Training Center offers tailor-made courses designed to address specific requirements and challenges faced by your team or organization. Whether you need a customized curriculum, a specific duration, or on-site delivery, we can adapt our expertise to provide a training solution that perfectly aligns with your objectives. We can customize this Course to focus on your industry, specific risk profile, or internal stakeholder dynamics. Contact us to discuss how we can create a bespoke training program that maximizes value and impact for your team. For further inquiries, please contact us on Tel: +254720272325 / +254737296202 or Email: training@phoenixtrainingcenter.com.

Admission Criteria

ü  Participants should be reasonably proficient in English.

ü  Applicants must live up to Phoenix Center for Policy, Research and Training admission criteria.

Terms and Conditions

ü  What is catered for by the Course Fees: Fees cater for all requirements for the training – Learning materials, Lunches, Teas, Snacks and Certification. All participants will additionally cater for their travel and accommodation expenses, visa application, insurance, and other personal expenses.

ü  Certificate Awarded: Participants are awarded Certificate of Completion at the end of the training.

ü  Course Improvement: The program content shown here is for guidance purposes only. Our continuous course improvement process may lead to changes in topics and course structure.

ü  Approval of Course: Our Programs are NITA Approved. Participating organizations can therefore claim reimbursement on fees paid in accordance with NITA Rules.

Booking for Training

Kindly send an email to the Training Officer on training@phoenixtrainingcenter.com and we will send you a registration form. We advise you to book early to avoid missing a seat to this training. Or call us on +254720272325 / +254737296202

Payment Options

We provide 3 payment options, choose one for your convenience, and kindly make payments at least 10 days before the Training start date to reserve your seat:

ü  Groups of 5 People and Above – Cheque Payments to: Phoenix Center for Policy, Research and Training Limited should be paid in advance, 10 days to the training.

ü  Invoice: We can send a bill directly to you or your company.

ü  Deposit directly into Bank Account (Account details provided upon request)

Cancellation Policy

ü  Payment for all courses includes a registration fee, which is non-refundable, and equals 15% of the total sum of the course fee.

ü  Participants may cancel attendance 14 days or more prior to the training commencement date.

ü  No refunds will be made 14 days or less before the training commencement date. However, participants who are unable to attend may opt to attend a similar training course at a later date or send a substitute participant provided the participation criteria have been met.

Accommodation and Airport Pick-up

For physical training attendees, we can assist with recommendations for accommodation near the training venue. Airport pick-up services can also be arranged upon request to ensure a smooth arrival. Please inform us of your travel details in advance if you require these services. For reservations contact the Training Officer on Email: training@phoenixtrainingcenter.com or on Tel: +254720272325 / +254737296202.