One of the great things about Land is that it is at the forefront of innovation. In this issue there are several articles that illustrate the impact technology is having on both rural and urban life. Farming is not necessarily the first sector you would expect to find up-to-date GPS and satellite technology being applied. But our report on a study of precision agriculture shows the ways that sensors, GPS, drones and software systems are helping farmers to improve efficiency and yields. Meanwhile, in the urban landscape, the view on smart cities is that we may never be able to say innovation has finished and the city is now ‘smart’. Importantly, technology is not an end in itself but should always be aimed at improving the lives of citizens.
Technology is also helping to map the best roofs and places to put solar panels, while in two local authorities, modern datasets are improving the accuracy of their electoral rolls for the forthcoming general election.
