Crop Monitoring & Mapping
- Basics of Aerial Photography
Aerial photography using drones helps capture high-resolution images of fields from above. These images reveal crop patterns, plant density, soil conditions, and problem areas. Understanding camera angles, lighting, altitude, and image overlap is essential for producing clear and usable farm visuals.
- Creating Farm Maps
Using drone-captured images, operators can generate detailed 2D orthomosaic maps and 3D field models through mapping software. These maps help farmers understand field boundaries, crop performance, irrigation needs, and pest/disease-affected zones. Accurate geo-tagging ensures that every part of the field is represented correctly.
- NDVI & Crop Health Analysis
NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) uses drone sensors to measure plant health:
- Healthy plants reflect more near-infrared light and less visible light.
- Stressed plants reflect less NIR and more visible light.
NDVI maps show crop health with color zones, helping detect nutrient deficiencies, disease outbreaks, water stress, and growth variations before they are visible to the eye.
- Identifying Plant Stress / Water Needs
By analyzing drone images and NDVI maps, operators can identify:
- Dry areas requiring irrigation
- Waterlogged patches
- Pest- or disease-affected spots
- Nutrient-deficient zones
- Poor germination areas
This allows farmers to take timely action, reducing crop loss and improving yields.
- Generating Farmer Advisory Reports
After data analysis, drone operators prepare simple advisory reports for farmers, including:
- Field condition summary
- Crop health zones (healthy, moderate, stressed)
- Recommended actions
- Water and nutrient suggestions
- Pest/disease hotspot alerts
- Before-and-after images for comparison
These reports help farmers make informed decisions and plan farm operations efficiently.
