Precision Agricultural and Inspections
Drones can cover vast areas of land and using the correct agricultural sensors such as NDVI, NDRE or Multi-spectral advanced analytical software can not only give accurate damage assessments but also analytics on crop health.
Iprosurv were approached by one of our clients to undertake an inspection of a rape seed crop after heavy hail damage. Initial estimations were that the crop had suffered 50% damage and would result in a considerable claim.
Traditional Methods
Traditional methods would involve the surveyor or loss adjuster armed with wellies and a flax of hot soup trudging through the entire crop to assess the damage. part of the problem with some top crops is that they can grow to a height of four or five feet which can be difficult to make meaningful progress, especially in wet or cold weather.
Technology Led Methods
Using drone technology with the correct sensors data can be gathered in a matter of minutes and processed through advanced analytical software to measure crop damage, crop health and immediate actions that can be taken. All from the comfort of the side of the field where the drone can be observed doing its task. It is very important to employ the correct sensor to achieve accurate results there is a workaround using RGB data and an algorithm that produces something called false NDVI which is not accurate and can not be relied upon for correct data analysis. If in doubt ask the drone pilot which type of sensor he has.
Iprosurv deployed a drone pilot with the Sentera Multi-spectral sensor capable of capturing NDVI, NDRE and RGB images, this was then analysed by advanced software systems to determine the amount of damage and also give visual images of where the damage had occurred and also the percentage of damage over the whole crop.
This enabled the loss adjuster to produce a report that confirmed the data analytics and was able to be used in the settlement of the claim giving a greater degree of accuracy over more traditional methods.
Summary
“Drones are revolutionizing precision agriculture by providing farmers with a new way to collect data and make decisions about their crops. Drones can be used to survey fields, monitor crop health, and apply pesticides and fertilizers more precisely.
This can lead to increased yields, reduced costs, and improved sustainability.
As drone technology continues to develop, we can expect to see even more ways to use drones in precision agriculture. Drones have the potential to revolutionize the way we grow food, and they are already making a big impact on the agricultural industry.”