The Arizona Water Use Program relies heavily on recent aerial photography and satellite images to detect and delineate active farm parcels in Arizona. The boundaries of active farm parcels are traced using GIS software to estimate irrigated acreage. These parcels are then visited by USGS Arizona Water Science Center staff to collect field data, which are combined with remote sensing data to estimate acreage, crop type, and total irrigation withdrawals. The Arizona Water Science Center conducts this work for the national 5-year water-use compilation and for a cooperative annual assessment for the State of Arizona.
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