It has been predicted that by 2050 the world will need to grow about 70 percent more food to feed the increasing world population. This prognosis faces several challenges considering the likely water shortages and limited available arable land, and the solution is presented by smart farming technologies or precision agriculture.
Smart farming is a growing body of knowledge and new technology focused on harnessing geographical, environmental, and biological data to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural foods, within the boundaries of sustainable environmental policies. A vast and varied range of smart farming methods and tools are in development and already in operation across the globe, but drones and unmanned aerial vehicles are arguably among the most promising and most widely used.
With 3-D mapping technology strapped on board [1], [2], drones collect information on critical factors, including field geography and soil composition early in the planting process which helps farmers optimize field configuration and seed-planting patterns. Later when the crops are growing the same drones continue to help by collecting nitrogen-level and irrigation data.
When it comes to improving irrigation, drones equipped with multispectral, hyperspectral, and thermal sensing technology are proving to be just as revolutionary. These drones can span the width and breadth of enormous fields to collect crop moisture data, and then sound the alarm whenever critically dry areas are identified.
Aside from the experience in irrigations management and precision agriculture solutions, Beia plans to extend its services and as an agricultural intelligence company that provides user-friendly, drone-enabled technologies and services developed exclusively for agriculture.
Aerial Crop Analysis demonstration with Pix4Dag mapping software
Pix4Dag converts multispectral images into accurate reflectance and index maps, like NDVI, and uses RGB images to generate high-resolution orthomosaics, thus easily integrate drone-based technology into farming operations.
[1] PIX4DAG – Drone mapping software for precision agriculture.
[2] SEQUOIA – Multispectral camera designed for Ag.
