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Agricultural Observation Drones
Drones, which can scan and map hectares of agricultural land in a short time, can inform producers with the photographs they take. It also increases productivity in agriculture with applications such as determination of moisture content in the soil, product monitoring, planting and spraying. Producers have the opportunity to prepare the most suitable road map for agricultural activities accordingly.
Hyperspectral Observation
Monitoring Agricultural Field Conditions
Drone field monitoring is also used to monitor the health of soil and field conditions. Drones can provide accurate field mapping, including elevation information, allowing growers to find any irregularities in the field. Knowledge of field elevation is useful in identifying drainage patterns and wet/dry spots that allow for more efficient irrigation techniques.
Monitoring Plant Health
One of the uses of drone imagery that has already been expanded with great success is monitoring plant health. Drones equipped with special imaging equipment called Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) use detailed color information to indicate plant health. This way, farmers can monitor crops as they grow, so any problems can be dealt with quickly enough to save the plants. This image simply shows how NDVI works.
Drones using 'normal' cameras are also used to monitor crop health. Many farmers already use satellite imagery to monitor crop growth, density and colouration, but accessing satellite data is costly and in many cases not as effective as closer drone imaging. Because drones fly close to fields, cloud cover and poor light conditions are less important than satellite imaging. Satellite imaging can offer accuracy down to the metre, but drone imaging can produce accurate image location down to the millimetre. This means that after planting, areas with stand gaps can be identified and replanted where necessary, and disease or pest problems can be identified and treated immediately.
Usage of Artificial Intelligence
Another drone technology under development involves machine learning. The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in drones is important so that they can be made more useful for small farmers in developing countries. Current drone technologies are more effective at monitoring well-established crops such as corn planted in large monocultural field patterns. Drone monitoring programs, in their current form, struggle to recognize areas of increased crop diversity, lesser-known crops, and grains that appear similar across growth stages, and are therefore less effective in monitoring crop growth and health. More work is needed to train AI systems to recognize less common crops and more diverse planting patterns.
Sprayer Drones
Drone sprayers can navigate very hard-to-reach areas, such as steep tea plantations at high altitudes. Drone sprayers save workers from having to navigate fields with backpack sprayers, which can be hazardous to their health. Drone sprayers provide very fine spray applications that can be targeted to specific areas to maximize efficiency and save on chemical costs.