TechKnowmad
When2Fly is a revolutionary new web application that was developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis.
According to a report that was made available to us by Phys.org, this app is going to revolutionize the way that farmers and industry workers utilize drones and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to collect vital data for the purpose of developing farming practices that are more climate-resilient and efficient.
When2Fly was developed by Associate Professor Alireza Pourreza, who is also the director of the Digital Agriculture Lab at UC Davis, and postdoctoral researcher Hamid Jafarbiglu in order to solve a significant problem that has plagued drone-based data collection for a considerable amount of time: hotspots.
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The Power of Precision Timing
When2Fly gives users of drones the ability to maximize the precision and efficiency of the data collection process they use their drones for.
The user enters the date they intend to fly, specifies the type of camera they are using, and then either locates themselves on a map or enters precise coordinates for their location.
The remainder of the work is handled by the application, which determines the best times of the selected day for drone flights in order to collect crop data with a minimum of interference from hotspots.
The significance of this new development lies in the fact that it has the potential to improve farming efficiency while also reducing the carbon footprint left by agriculture.
When2Fly enables producers to more precisely and sustainably allocate resources by providing farmers with the most accurate data possible. This data includes insights into the spatial variability of crops, such as variations in nutrient requirements or disease detection, and When2Fly also provides producers with insights into the spatial variability of animals.
Farming practices have traditionally been based on the principle of uniformity across entire fields, with the expectation that all plants have the same requirements for their inputs and will produce the same amount of harvest.
Pourreza is correct in pointing out that this overly simplistic approach does not accurately reflect the variable nature of crops in the real world. The unique capabilities of drones make them a potential solution to this problem; however, they must be operated efficiently.
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Hotspot Finding For Web Apps
When Hamid Jafarbiglu noticed inconsistencies in the data collected from aerial images of walnut and almond orchards, this was the moment that marked the beginning of the breakthrough.
The data continued to be unsatisfactory in spite of the careful calibration efforts. The investigation that Jafarbiglu carried out led him to the discovery of hotspots, which are bright white spots that appear in the calibrated images. Even though the sun was behind the drone when the data was being collected, these hotspots still appeared.
Because of the alignment of the sun and the UAV, a focal point is created in the field of view of the camera when a hotspot occurs. This focal point causes a gradual increase in brightness in the area that it is located in.
Because precise data collection in agriculture relies on multiple images taken from a variety of angles, these hotspots present a problem because the differences that have been observed should be attributed to variations in the plant itself, not to glare. However, data reliability is impacted negatively by hotspots.
Remarkably, the study found that hotspots occurred predictably when drones were flown over the area during solar noon in the middle of summer. This time of year, contrary to the common belief, was found to be a hotspot, which increased the likelihood of hotspots appearing in images due to the sun’s varying geometrical relationship with the Earth depending on location and the time of year.
Global Implications for Agriculture
The significance of this finding extends well beyond the state of California. Researchers like Troy Magney, an assistant professor of plant sciences at UC Davis, who primarily uses towers to scan fields, also benefit from this breakthrough. Magney is one of many researchers who use towers to scan fields.
After reading Jafarbiglu’s research, Magney reached out to him because he pointed out that end users in the field of remote sensing plants frequently ignore the problem of hotspots.
When2Fly is an app that makes significant strides in applying technology to find solutions to problems that arise in the agricultural industry. Agricultural productivity is becoming more important than ever before as the world’s population continues to rise.
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