Whether Raising Chickens or Harnessing the Wind, GIS gets the job done

Early efforts in man’s quest to harness the raw power of earth bore the resemblance of child-like bewilderment. Drill a hole here, put a wind mill up there. Evaluate. Adjust. Relocate. Repeat. Trial and error were the inefficient order of the day without any thought to the consequences. Today’s information-driven approach minimizes both the fiscal and physical impacts. Information Technology, partnered with science, changed the very nature of energy exploration and the resultant profitability of its exploitation. One particular offspring of this partnership is the advent of geographic information systems (GIS), simply described as “a computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information” (Stair & Reynolds, 2014).

Wind farming remains one particular explorative endeavor embracing technology. According to U.K.-based consultant Samuel Clark, GIS “methodologies which combines database information with mapping and modeling is at the heart of the process” (Clarke, 2013). Such capabilities enable leadership to visualize, analyze, and interpret human impacts on the natural environment. Additionally, it offers increased efficiency, better decision making, improved communications, and better record keeping (Environmental Systems Research Institute, n.d.). America currently leads the world in harnessing the power of the wind.

Wind farm design constraints primarily consider available wind resources, noise, aviation, air defense, electrical connectivity and electromagnetic interference (Clarke, 2013) with additional constraints evaluating terrain, public acceptance, proximity to protected areas, site accessibility, proximity to the (electrical) grid, availability of installation equipment (Ouma, 2012). As opposed to the agricultural constraints considered by the placement of a chicken farm, wind farms embrace a coexistence with for-profit agricultural endeavors. Consider that “a standard wind farm of 20 turbines will extend over an area of about 1 square kilometre (sic), but only 1% of the land is used...The rest of the land can be used for farming or natural habitat” (Wind Measurement International, n.d.). Additionally, landowners can repeat additional financial rewards by subletting their property.

The table provided below provides comparable constraints and preferences easily identified by the employment of GIS technology via the association of concerns across two different human endeavors. 

Chicken Farm Location Constraints:	Wind Farm Location Constraints
Primary	Primary
·         In an urban or residential area	·         In an urban or residential area
·         In an area of high ecological significance	·         In an area of high ecological significance
·         Within aviation flight paths	·         Within aviation flight paths
·         Too close to another poultry farm	·         Available wind resource
·         In a key mineral extraction area	·         In an area with complex terrain
·         In a low-lying, flood-prone area	·         Noise
·         In a designated water catchment area	·         Electromagnetic interference
Secondary	Secondary
·         On land deemed too steep	·         On land deemed too steep
·         In a national park or other protected areas	·         In a national park or other protected areas
·         On good quality agricultural land	·         Public opinion
·         On land suitable for strategic crops	·         Accessibility
·         On an oil or gas pipeline
·         On acid sulfate soil

Chicken Farm Location Preferences	Wind Farm Location Preferences
·         Near paved roads	·         Near paved roads
·         Near a supply of electricity	·         Near a supply of electricity
·         Near a reliable supply of clean water	·         A reliable wind
·         Near poultry processing plants	·         Near available installation equipment
·         Near poultry feed mills

Reference List

Clarke, S. (2013). Finding the Perfect Site for a Wind Farm. Retrieved from EngineerLive: http://www.engineerlive.com/content/22779

Environmental Systems Research Institute. (n.d.). What is GIS? Retrieved from ESRI.com: http://www.esri.com/what-is-gis

Ouma, C. (2012). Assessing Locations for Wind Power Generation. Retrieved from ExploringGreenTechnology.com: http://exploringgreentechnology.com/wind-energy/assessing-locations-for-wind-power-generation/

Stair, R. M., & Reynolds, G. W. (2014). Fundamentals of Information Systems (8th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.

Wind Measurement International. (n.d.). FAQ. Retrieved from windmeasurementinternational.com: http://www.windmeasurementinternational.com/wind-info/wind-energy_faq.php