Information Technology, Plant & Machinery

Drones in Agriculture

An overview and look into the potential of drones The concept of drone use as a data gathering system Introduce aerial imagery, the history, pros and cons of all the different data collection methods (satellite/plane/drones/tractor sensors) Benefits of imagery Types of drone and relative advantages and disadvantages Bring in 3 rotor and one fixed wing platform to discuss different specs and pros/cons Discuss different cameras/sensors and why we would use them Drones for advanced research and field use Show them some of our trial work and how we are using the data in R&D What type of raw data does the drone produce Difference between all in one geotagged images and separate image/flight log data (fixed wing) Talk about ‘fish eye’ cameras such as ‘gopro’ Types of data from drones Integration into decision making on crop management How we take images from drone and process them How does the data then look How can we interpret Where in the season should we fly for what purpose Case studies illustrating the advantages of drone use to farm profitability Look at VR applications such as nitrogen and seed Look at crop variation for crop scouting and target soil/leaf sampling Look at how it can cut down on labour in things like veg production Practicalities of drone operation; limitations of legislation and environment Discuss UK legislation What does ‘commercial use’ mean What you need to qualify for PfCO Qualification for drone piloting What do you need to do Where can you get training Data capture, processing and analysis. A demonstration of drone use on farm (weather permitting), with data capture and review

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