Cannabis Cultivation in California
A dive into how remote sensing and cartography can be used to give an estimated perimeter of where cannabis farms are likely to be found.
Introduction
After the legalization of marijuana in California many of the black-market sellers did not quit. In fact, many of them took the opportunity and moved to hot dry deserts, such as the Mojave desert, where massive farms built.
The oils from the weed is used to make popular products such as edibles and vaping cartridges, which are shipped in trucks and cars to legal dispensaries in California and across the country.
This was said in a Los Angeles Times article , which also stated that even though many believed legalizing weed would reduce crime, it ended up leading to a growth in the black market. Not only do these farms harm the economy, but also lead to the death of individuals who approach or go near these farms.
Knowing that cannabis is still growing in the black-market, it is safe to say more and more people would try to take advantage of it. This is why being able to use remote sensing and cartography to show likely locations of natural/illegal cannabis being grown in California would help prevent individuals from running into trouble and informing authorities where to keep an eye out for.
Potential Growth Perimeter Map
After looking at the problems and concerns raised by cannabis sites, research was done to help locate overlooked general areas where cannabis can be grown. After a good understanding of the environment needed for cannabis to naturally grow, using the ArcGIS Pro software a map utilizing different layers helped narrow down where cannabis sites would be best suited for.
Conclusion and Looking Forward
Pinpointing the exact location of cultivation sites is very difficult, however getting a general area of an optimal location isn't. This proved to be true after creating this map and looking at the corresponding imagery of the locations plotted. Looking forward, the map will be continuously updated through the use of Python. Layers will be regularly checked and maintained. The goal of this project is to raise awareness of the amazing capabilities of remote sensing and hopefully show a couple areas people should be aware of next time they go exploring!