AUTHOR=Cooley Daniel , Maxwell Reed M. , Smith Steven M. TITLE=Center Pivot Irrigation Systems and Where to Find Them: A Deep Learning Approach to Provide Inputs to Hydrologic and Economic Models JOURNAL=Frontiers in Water VOLUME=3 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/water/articles/10.3389/frwa.2021.786016 DOI=10.3389/frwa.2021.786016 ISSN=2624-9375 ABSTRACT=

Availability and quality of administrative data on irrigation technology varies greatly across jurisdictions. Technology choice, however, will influence the parameters of coupled human-hydrological systems. Equally, changing parameters in the coupled system may drive technology adoption. Here we develop and demonstrate a deep learning approach to locate a particularly important irrigation technology—center pivot irrigation systems—throughout the Ogallala Aquifer. The model does not rely on super computers and thus provides a model for an accessible baseline to train and deploy on other geographies. We further demonstrate that accounting for the technology can improve the insights in both economic and hydrological models.