Multispectral Field Monitoring with the QuestUAV DATAhawkAG, MicaSense RedEdge and MicaSense ATLAS
Aerial images captured by a drone are a great asset for growers and agronomists. They can monitor the health and vigor and track change over time.
When equipped with the MicaSense RedEdge camera, the Q-100 DATAhawkAg captures images in five discrete spectral bands, designed to detect patterns correlated to crop vigor, plant stress, and nutrient content.
This easily operated fixed-wing drone covers hundreds of hectares in a single flight; providing high-quality multispectral data for crop monitoring and analysis in an automated workflow.
Data processing and analysis has never been easier with the MicaSense ATLAS processing service. QuestUAV users can upload their data to the ATLAS cloud for processing, storage, and data management. An intuitive map interface allows access to crop health maps from any internet-connected device.
Soil Analysis with Rugged Equipment
The Q-100 DATAhawkAG is a compact multispectral mapping drone with an exceptionally easy hand-launch.
The entire UAV is ultra-rugged, can be rapidly deployed and flies an autonomous and stable route even in high winds.
Flight endurance is up to 55 minutes at 18 m/s covering up to 300 hectares per flight at 400ft.
Multiple landing options, including automatic and parachute landing, allow for an easy and safe operation in open and confined environments.
MicaSense RedEdge
The Q-100 DATAhawkAG carries the MicaSense RedEdge sensor, a multispectral unit capturing data in five discrete spectral bands (near-infrared, red-edge, red, green and blue) optimally sensing plant reflectance.
Plants reflect light in a predictable pattern across visible and non-visible wave-lengths. These patterns are correlated to crop vigor and plant stress as well as nutrient content.
MicaSense RedEdge optimally senses plant reflectance with narrowband filters delivering the information needed to assess crop status.
Growers and agronomists can alter nutrient inputs and take action based on the images.
8cm Res Data Acquisition
QuestUAV’s intuitive flight planning software allows users to plan a flight mission from autonomous take-off through site surveying at specific height and image overlap until autonomous landing.
Having arrived on site it only takes a pilot 10 minutes of preparation to get airborne. Images are acquired as soon as the Q-100 DATAhawkAG approaches survey height and starts flying the grid lines.
Every second the MicaSense sensor captures five images (one for each spectral band) and writes them to the internal SD card. The Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) at 400ft is 9cm. Geo-coordinates are directly written to the image EXIF.
Data Upload and Processing
After flight images can be directly uploaded from the SD card to MicaSense ATLAS for storage, photogrammetric processing, analysis, and presentation.
Datasets are processed as soon as the upload is completed and outputs are available within 24 hours.
MicaSense ATLAS is a cloud-based solution enabling users to automatically process multispectral data and extract multiple outputs such as orthomosaics, vegetation index maps (e.g. NDVI and NDRE) and Digital Surface Models (DSMs).
Each layer is reflectance-calibrated and registered at the sub-pixel level, with the value for each pixel indicative of percent reflectance for that band, providing valuable information on crop health at all stages of growth.
Data Management, Analysis and Presentation
Once MicaSense has completed the processing, all layers can be viewed in a secure web-based map interface. All data can also be downloaded as GeoTIFF files for advanced analysis in GIS software.
Datasets are organized in a ‘Farms and Fields’ structure. Users can create field boundaries online and ATLAS automatically organizes the data into the field boundaries.
The map interface allows users to view RGB orthomosaics, DSM and index maps in a multi-layer stack as well as to scout the field and share information with their farm management team.
Summary
QuestUAV provides farmers and agronomists with a simple workflow to monitor crop status and plant health over time. The QuestUAV Q-100 DATAhawkAG autonomously maps hundreds of hectares in a single flight.
Equipped with the MicaSense RedEdge camera, the Q-100 DATAhawkAG captures images in five discrete spectral bands, designed to detect patterns correlated to crop vigor, plant stress and nutrient content.
Datasets can be securely uploaded to MicaSense ATLAS for processing, storage, and management.
The intuitive map interface of ATLAS allows users to view and analyze their data from any online device. Datasets can also be downloaded as GeoTiff files for advanced analysis in GIS software.
For more information visit questuav.com
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