Using high-tech satellite monitors, Iowa State students navigated their way about campus Monday.

Students in Agricultural Systems Technology 333, a class about precision farming, went out in teams across campus Monday to work with hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

“It’ll be a must for the future. Some call it the next utility,” said John Downing, professor of animal ecology. “It will be as important as understanding computing and fertility patterns.”

GPS, which uses satellite land-tracking capabilities, is one of the fastest growing technologies out there.

The technology enables users to pinpoint their location based on the lay of the land.

Many people are pushing to make GPS technology more prevalent in agriculture, said Sunday Tim, associate professor of agricultural biosystems engineering and instructor for the class. It was developed primarily for the military, but following the Gulf War, it has become popular for civilian use.

The goal is to provide farmers with valuable information about what crops to plant and where to plant them for the highest yields. The technology can also be used to determine what chemicals will best work at particular points on a farmer’s land.

If the farmer knows exactly where he is in the field, he will only need to apply the amount and type of chemical that will be most productive on that particular plot. Spraying a whole field is costly and often harmful to the environment.

Downing said the students had success in navigating their way around campus. He said they were excited when they discovered how to use the equipment.

“It’s kind of amazing that you can track it to three to four meters,” said Todd Schieffer, junior in agriculture systems technology. “It’s intriguing and at the forefront of technology.”

Tim said the primary objective of the class is to provide students with the basic objectives and applied concepts of precision agriculture.

Chris Longlee, a senior in AST, said he took the class to help him prepare for a career. “In the near future it will be a big industry,” Longlee said. “This class will look good for my resum‚.”

Downing said precision agriculture is important to the environment because farmers will be adding chemicals only as needed with pinpoint accuracy, meaning there will be increased yields and less chemical costs to farmers.