Drone deploy11/11/2022 ![]() ![]() What’s Next?Īlthough initially skeptical, Brent is now very excited about the future of drone mapping in agriculture. ![]() “But this map gives us an idea what to expect come harvest time so that we won’t be caught off guard”, said Brent. In this case, given that the wheat was planted as a cover crop and for generating seed and hay, Brent and his dad decided it wouldn’t be cost effective to treat the rust. If the price of the crop is high enough, and the cost to treat the infected area is low enough, then the farmer has the opportunity to treat the red areas of the map to increase the yield.” Knowing that X number of acres are infected with this fungus, he can expect a 20% decrease in his yield goal for X number of acres which will result in Y dollar loss. These results allow the farmer to adjust his decisions to either maintain or adjust his yield goal. He can then adjust his input cost accordingly. “At the beginning of a growing season, the farmer will set a yield goal. So what can a grower do with the knowledge of the rust infection? “This type of data from DroneDeploy can help a grower estimate his potential yield,” said Brent. However, the default index used in the “Plant Health” section of DroneDeploy, VARI (visible atmospheric resistant index), is intended specifically for visible spectrum or RGB imagery, and classifies areas of the map based upon the amount of “greenness” detected. Since Brent’s Phantom 4 camera captures visible spectrum, or RGB (red, green, blue) imagery, the NDVI index isn’t appropriate. NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) is perhaps the most commonly-used vegetation index, but it is intended to help interpret imagery from near-infrared cameras. ![]() In the “Plant Health” menu, one can select which algorithm to use based upon the type of imagery captured. #Drone deploy trial#Brent decided to sign up for the free trial and put DroneDeploy to the test by flying a field on the farm. He follows a number of drone advocates online, and one of them recommended DroneDeploy. Since then, he’s upgraded to a Phantom 4 and gotten into drone cinematography. Later that summer, after doing a bit of research, Brent purchased a Phantom 2 vision and fell in love. They took me up, and I instantly got hooked on seeing fields from the sky,” said Brent. “One day I was at the airport helping the crop dusters and I jokingly asked them for a ride. Towards the end of the summer when the crops matured, they would spray the crops with an airplane crop duster. Several years ago, Brent had an internship with a local commercial spraying company. Brent told us the story of his very first flight with DroneDeploy and how he used the map he made to make a decision on his farm and to make a surprising discovery.īrent grew up in rural Missouri on the family farm and continues to be actively involved in its operations. ![]()
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