2013 cornerstone mapping,...


What are the Available Sensor Platforms?

What do I need to know about Imagery?


Sensor Platforms


Approach to UAS

“Look‐and‐See”

Integrated Mapping


Point‐and‐Shoot Camera

“Look‐and‐See”


Point‐and‐Shoot Camera

“Warp‐and‐See”

• Lens distortion issues

• Oblique viewing issues

• Features can easily be 50‐100 feet off

• Should not be used for reliable mapping


What can we Mount on a UAS ?

Color

Near‐Infrared (CIR)

Hyperspectral

Multispectral

Thermal

Easy to do.

Conversion kits available.

Limited camera options, generally low resolution.

Some options available. Best suited for research applications.

Several options. Low resolution.


Utilize UAS for Field Mapping?

FAA regulations pending

Due sometime in 2015

Paid‐for‐ServiceLegally… NOT YET

Can fly Radio Control (RC) aircraft under “hobbyist” rules


Are UAS Practical for Precision Ag Mapping?FAA Regulations

Maintain Line‐of‐Sight 400‐feet

300

200

100

Ground

Current RC Hobbyist Rules

* Refer to FAA rules for complete details


High‐End UAS Systems Exist


Very Expensive

• Flying at 30 mph, ~19 min + turns• Swap battery packs (2‐3 times)• Flight time to/from landing site• Setup and teardown time

ONSITE TIME ~1‐hour per field

Drive time to each field??Post‐Processing Time??

Overhead Cost of Operation??

400‐Feet AGL6.6‐cm resolution19 Flight Lines

9.5 miles of Flying620 Images

160‐acre fieldFlight Plan

Are UAS always Practical?


Limitations

• Hundreds of images to stitch together

• What is the final mosaic quality?


Pros

• Very high image resolution

• Use imagery for near instant visualization


Data Overlay… Measurements… Analysis… Rx Maps…


Image mosaic used to document patterns and field scouting ?

X

Plan to make Rx Maps

Be Careful !!!

A seamless mosaic will require tweaking the imagery to look good.

The Rx Map will be based on tweaked data!


Images line up well, but . . .

Mosaic quality is poor !

Uneven lighting and camera effects

Brighter in the middle

Darker around the edges

Low QualityUAS Mosaic

Quality of Camera & Software

Affect usability of Imagery


Spatial Resolution

Pixel

Each pixel represents a defined size on the ground

6‐inch

1‐meter

5‐meter


5‐meter 100% Zoom

Image Resolution is Important

1‐meter 100% Zoom 25‐cm 100% Zoom

1‐meter 4x Zoom5‐meter 20x Zoom


Localized Operations . . . Good Potential to be Discovered

Regional Flexibility . . . Good Fit

Global Coverage . . . Some Viable Options

Manned Aircraft

UAS / UAV

Satellite

What are the Options?

Eye in the Sky


Imagery for Precision Ag ?

What is the Science behind . . .


Data Overlay… Measurements… Analysis… Rx Maps…

Precision Agriculture

Precision Agriculture is really about Problem Solving

Reduce inputs to increase savings

Increase yields to increase ROI

Profit


When Should you Acquire Imagery ?problem solving

Depends on Purpose. . .

Natural VariabilitySoil Fertility, landscape position

Man-Made IssuesFarming Practices

Seasonal-Variable IssuesWind & Hail Damage, Insect Pressure, Disease


Evaporative Cooling (heat transfer)

Remote Sensing in Agriculture

• Water Stress

• Nutrient Stress

• Tissue Damage (insects, disease, wind, hail)

Leaf Structure

Stomata OxygenWater

CO2


Vegetation Response

Stressed Vegetation

400 500 600 700 nm 1100

Healthy Vegetation

ChlorophyllAbsorption

ChlorophyllAbsorption

Leaf StructureBiomass Indicator

Refle

ctan

ce

Plant Temperature

Blue RedGreen Near Infrared

3,000 5,000 8,000 14,000 nm

Radian

ce

ThermalThermal


What is Infrared Aerial Photography?

400 500 600 700 nm 1100

Color Image

Color Infrared Image

Infrared Imagery is

RED in color

Blue RedGreen Near Infrared


What is Thermal‐Infrared Imaging ?

It is a way to look at the heat signature of an object

Detection of thermal infrared energy (heat)


Understand your needs

What Kind of Imagery Should I Use?

Be ready to use it

What is Your Application

Image Type / Quality Needs

Precision Ag Ready


What Kind of Imagery to Use ?

Nutrients

Plant Color

Color Imagery

Cell Structure

Biomass / Nutrients / Water Stress

CIRImagery

Plant Temperature (stresses)

ThermalImagery


0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

Emergence

Tasseling Silking

Early Dent

Black LayerKnee High

Days After Planting

Daily W

ater Use (inche

s)

Corn Water Use

V‐Stage VT R‐Stage


Temperatureand

Water StressCriticalGrowth

Corn Nitrogen Use

High

Low

N Uptake

Planting Silking Harvest

V‐Stage VT R‐Stage

Crop is too small to detectproblems from the air


VT

Bare Soil

Weeds

Nitrogen Stress

Water Stress

Summary of Stresses

May June July 4th Aug Sept Oct

HarvestPlanting Irrigation Starts

Thermal

MSI MSI

MSI

MSI

ThermalMSI

When to Acquire Imagery


Boost the Value of Imagery

Select the Right Image Type

Proper Timing of Acquisition

Enhance Imagery with Ratios


Band Ratios

NDVI – Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

RedNIR

‐

+NDVI =

‐1 ‐0.5 0 0.5 1Data Range

Indicates Non‐Vegetative Features

RedNIR


NDVI

Enhance crop vigor differences within a crop

Research Plots

Real‐World Field


Color

Near‐Infrared (CIR)

NDVI

NIR, Red, Green

Red, Green, Blue4‐Ba

nd Im

agery

Thermal‐Infrared

Early Detectionof

Water Stress


Thermal‐Infrared

100 300 bu/APivot nozzle issue fixed before permanent yield loss occurred

Yield Map

Yield Loss Prevented

Image taken mid‐July

7.6‐acres

1.5‐acres

Acres: 1.5 + 7.6 = 9.1Yield Loss per Acre: 25 bu/acTotal Yield Loss: 227 bushels

Potential Economic Loss @ $6 corn: $1,362


Yield Map

Field Average156.1 bu/ac

Acres: 8.7Ave Yield: 18.2 bu/acYield Loss: 137.6 bu/acre

1,197 total bushelsEconomic Loss:@ $6 corn

Acres: 9.3Ave Yield: 128.8 bu/acYield Loss: 27.2 bu/ac

253 total bushelsEconomic Loss:@ $6 corn

$7,182

$1,518

Yield LossWater Stress


Yield CorrelationWater Stress

Thermal image acquired 3 weeksafter irrigation season started

R2 = 0.91

Yield Map

high

low


The Power to Visualize Patterns

Summary

To Increase Profits

Remote Sensing

Cornerstone MappingAaron Schepers8118 S 23rd CT

Lincoln, NE 68512(402) 450‐3194

[email protected]

2013 cornerstone mapping,...

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