Effectively Managing Weeds for Denver International Airport
Smarter Weed Control at DIA with AgTerra’s MapItFast and SprayLogger
Colorado State University uses MapItFast and SprayLogger to improve weed management for Denver International Airport.
The Challenge: Weed Control Across 52 Square Miles
Denver International Airport (DIA) manages a massive 52-square-mile property—one of the largest in the U.S. But with that size comes a big problem: weeds. The airport needed a better way to monitor invasive species and evaluate treatment efforts across 40 test plots of treated and untreated land.
Traditional mapping and recordkeeping methods made it difficult to revisit past treatment sites and evaluate herbicide effectiveness. They needed a fast, reliable, and accurate solution.
THE SOLUTION
That’s where Colorado State University (CSU) stepped in. Led by Scott Nissen and graduate student Rachel, the team deployed AgTerra’s MapItFast and SprayLogger tools using a UTV-mounted setup. Their goals:
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Map problem areas on the fly
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Track herbicide applications precisely
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Compare treatment efficacy between plots
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Navigate directly to past sites with GPS accuracy
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TOOLS USED
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MapItFast – Fast, mobile-friendly mapping of weed infestations and site navigation
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SprayLogger – Automatic pesticide application tracking with GPS precision
I appreciated how easy it was to rapidly map points and polygons. A year later, we could still find and evaluate every site quickly.
RESULTS- Field-Proven and Research-Backed
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Avoided over-application of herbicides
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Captured detailed spray data with GPS-linked maps
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Generated professional maps and reports for airport officials
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Identified weed corridors, especially along roadsides
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Supported Rachel’s master’s thesis with field-proven data
Future Ready Weed Management
The project didn’t just improve weed control—it laid the foundation for long-term success. With Scott retiring, CSU now has a working system in place for future researchers, and DIA has a data-driven roadmap for managing vegetation efficiently across its vast property.