An Online Mapping Tool to Inform Pesticide Applicators of Sensitive Areas

Increases in application of some types of pesticides and registration of new products leads to an increasing concern held by producers of sensitive crops that pesticide drift and overspray problems may increase. This project seeks to allow producers of sensitive crops an avenue of communication to pesticide applicators. This tool was built on the familiar GoogleTM Maps interface. The online map was created where pesticide applicators would easily view the location of sensitive crops such as grapes, melons, and tomatoes and other vegetables, endangered species, and pesticide sensitive watersheds including those used for drinking water. The website has two components; one component will inform pesticide applicators and the other will allow growers of sensitive crops to register their locations. The location of sensitive areas is identified and registered by producers or producer organizations on high resolution aerial photos and then verified. The spatial database generated includes crop types and coordinates of the sensitive areas. Functionality includes the ability to pan and zoom in and out enabling on screen digitization or information retrieval at any scale. The tool also allows users to toggle through the satellite view, map view and hybrid view. When queried by the pesticide applicator, the site provides details of all potentially sensitive areas near the location of interest in Indiana.