Precision Agriculture, Its for the Drones!

One area that unmanned aircraft are emerging in is the area of precision agriculture. Manned aircraft whether they are fixed wings or helicopters have been used in agriculture for an extensive amount of time. These systems have worked great, but have not been entirely accurate. A system that is being used to replace those manned systems is the PrecisionHawk. Utilizing the PrecisionHawk, those choosing to use that system can get 3D Terrain mapping, plant height, weed detection, plant counting, canopy cover, crop health indexes, and seasonal monitoring.  Doing this through a conventional means is not always an easy task, or just simply too time consuming. When you look at big scale agriculture, such as soy fields, utilizing an unmanned aircraft is more practical. Because of the onboard sensors that are included with the PrecisionHawk, things like nitrogen deficiencies or chlorophyll deficiencies, undetectable by human sight, can be detected. The overall operating cost is much lower, and the need for a customized manned aircraft that could do the same, is taken out of the equation. A manned aircraft could do almost the same thing, but would need to incorporate all of these sensors, which are not nearly as convenient or practical as they are on a 3lb. unmanned aircraft.  Corn, soybean and wheat farmers could save an estimated $1.3 billion annually by using drones to increase crop yields and reduce input costs. The ability to increase crop yield, and save on producing a higher yield are just one of the many benefits that utilizing an unmanned aircraft can provide.

               Another system that was created that provides precision agriculture was created by Agriborix, which created the EnduroQuad. The six-pound quad-copter can fly a lawnmower pattern over 160 acres in 20-25 minutes. The near infrared camera that comes with this system can take 400-500 images at a resolution of 5 cm per pixel, which is small enough to isolate an individual plant. These systems are designed to help make recommendations for farmers. With these recommendations the farmers can decide what areas of their crop need to be adjusted, the overall idea is to cut down on environmental impact, reduce waste, and increase crop yield.  The overall cost benefit that many farmers are seeing are as much as $12.00 an acre as compared to using a manned aircraft. This overall monetary gain, along with a higher yield output make for a great argument in why utilizing an unmanned aircraft are beneficial.

References

BETTER DATA FORSMARTER BUSINESS DECISIONS. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.precisionhawk.com/

Doering, C. (2015, July 21). Growing use of drones poised to transform agriculture. Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2015/07/21/drones-farm-savings-agriculture-millions/30486487/

Wihbey, J. (n.d.). Agricultural drones change the way we farm - The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 30, 2015, from https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2015/08/22/agricultural-drones-change-way-farm/WTpOWMV9j4C7kchvbmPr4J/story.html#comments