In modern agriculture, understanding every inch of the land is critical for making informed decisions. STEM Minds and Boreal Farms are exploring ESRI’s Drone2map software to teach high school students a data driven approach to farming. They are showcasing how the tools can transition from manual, time-consuming crop inspections to a data-driven, precision-focused approach. By leveraging geo-mapping and drone technology, they are showcasing how to improve crop health and efficiency and lay the groundwork for a more sustainable future.
The Challenge: Limitations of Manual Inspection
Traditionally, crop inspection has limitations.
- Time-Intensive Inspections: Assessing crop health was a timely task that required manually inspecting each plant for signs of pests, diseases, or nutrient deficiencies.
- Potential for Missed Problems: For general maintenance to cover many crops, not every plant could be looked at closely. This meant that early signs of problems could be missed, leading to delayed and less effective interventions.
- Lack of Historical Data: There was no systematic way to track changes in land conditions or crop health over time, hindering strategic planning and long-term land management.
These traditional methods were inefficient and reactive, posing a risk to both crop productivity and sustainability.
The Solution: Harnessing Drone2map for Precision Data
To overcome these challenges, tools like Drone2map can be used for geo-mapping and data analysis. The software serves as a crucial second stage in any farm’s drone operations, providing a quick and effective way to assess crop health without manual inspection.
Implementation Process: The transition to using Drone2map had its initial hurdles. Laptops lacked the necessary processing power, requiring an upgrade to more powerful machines. The team also had to learn a specific workflow to optimize processing times, as running the software from synced cloud folders (like OneDrive) drastically slowed down the process. The key lesson learned was that technology adoption requires a period of familiarization and overcoming starting hurdles before the full benefits become clear.
Daily Workflow and Data Collection: The process begins after drones have collected high-resolution images. These images are imported into Drone2map, which then creates three key products:
- Digital Terrain Model (DTM): Shows the surface of the earth without vegetation or buildings.
- Digital Surface Model (DSM): Includes all features on the surface, such as plants and structures.
- Digital Orthomosaic: A high-resolution map created by stitching all the images together, providing a comprehensive, top-down view of the farm.
For multispectral maps, the team applies indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). By comparing the near-infrared and red bands of the data, the software can determine the general health of the crops, as healthy vegetation reflects more near-infrared light.
The Impact & Results: Smarter Decision-Making and Sustainability
While the first year was primarily focused on figuring out the use of the software, the use case of Drone2map is now ready to demonstrate how farms can use this tool with clear benefits:
Qualitative Results to showcase as teaching resources:
- Improved Crop Inspection: The high-resolution orthomosaic maps make it possible to inspect all crops on a screen, eliminating the need to physically walk through the entire field. This has an unexpected benefit of easier and faster inspection, even without multispectral data.
- Enhanced Environmental Planning: By using the DTM and DSM, the farm can see changes in land conditions over the year due to factors like water or wind erosion, enabling better land management.
- Future Environmental Benefits: Farms can use this precision data to apply measures only to underperforming areas. Instead of spraying pesticides or fertilizers over the entire field, they can apply them precisely where needed, leading to huge environmental benefits and less waste.
- Foundational Technology: The implementation has proven that technology can indeed improve agricultural performance, even with initial learning curves.
Future Outlook: Unlocking Greater Potential
These tools have a clear use case of geo-mapping for farming:
- Advanced Data Analytics: Future plans include researching other indices to analyze specific issues, such as water stress, and exploring what other information can be derived from multispectral data.
- 3D Modelling: The team is exploring the relevance of Drone2map’s 3D modelling capabilities to agriculture.
- Precision Agriculture: The ultimate vision is a future where farmers with large properties can get detailed maps of their fields, allowing for targeted, effective measures that improve crop production and have a positive environmental impact.
ESRI’s Drone2map software is a great example of a tool for technology-driven agriculture. By embracing geo-mapping and spatial analytics, farms can move from a reactive to a proactive model of crop management. While the journey of technology adoption has its challenges, the clear benefits in efficiency, strategic planning, and environmental sustainability demonstrate that precision geo-mapping is a key to cultivating a more productive and responsible future for agriculture.