Drone Crop Surveys For Ease Farmer's LivesHome

According to a report by Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, ‘agricultural drones’ are expected to capture 80 per cent of the commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market and has the potential to generate more than 100,000 jobs in the US.

The drone collects the farm’s image and makes a colour-coded map based on its health, which is then assessed by the UAV Company. Agricultural drones are UAVs used for precision agriculture, which is a modern method of farming that uses big data, aerial imagery and other means to optimise efficiency. Agriculture Insurance Company of India along with Skymet, a weather forecasting company, has conducted a few pilots in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan to see how drones can be used to survey crops and help map crop diseases along with helping insurance companies settle claims.

Jatin Singh, CEO of Skymet, in an interview with a business daily said “Remote sensing through UAV allows non-destructive sampling to observe agronomic indicators in every square metre. We did a pilot project last year and plan to increase its coverage across Rajasthan and Gujarat this year.” In a single flight session, a UAV can cover an area of about 5 sq km. It can take two such trips in a day. These UAVs have the ability to send images every fifth second and provide geo-referenced images.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had restricted the use of drones by civilians and has recently clarified that it is fast tracking the process of issuing guidelines for civil use. If there are a lot of players in this market, then the prices of the drones would be less thereby helping the farmers with their produce.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com