By Ajinkya Dixit, Aerobotics

1. Drones in the Field
AGRICULTURAL DRONES

2. Drones are the future of farming. With greater
refinements in drone technology and implementation we
will see the agricultural drone sector take off. According to
Global Markets Insights, Inc. the Agriculture Drones
Market will be valued at $1 billion by 2024.

3. Top drone manufacture DJI evaluated the drone
agricultural market at $75 million during the launch of
their first agriculture drone in 2016.

4. Are farmers actually using drones?
31% 33%
are using drones by
themselves or through
a third party provider
out of 1,094 farmers polled
are considering using drones
in 2018

5. 21% 226
405
334
127
12%
Yes, will operate myself
COUNTS
COUNTS
COUNTS
COUNTS
37%
Yes, third party will operate
Are considering
using drones
in 2018
Are not
considering
using drones
in 2018
31%

6. HOW ARE DRONES BEING USED FOR AGRICULTURE?
Mapping/Surveying
Drones equipped with near infrared camera sensors allow the drone to see the
spectrum of light that plants use to absorb light for photosynthesis. From this
information, using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) farmers can
understand plant health. Software analysis can be used to change values in order to
reflect the specific crop type and even in which stage of life a specific crop is in. In
addition to crop health, drones can create detailed GPS maps of the crop field area.
This allows farmers to better plan where crops are being planted to maximize land,
water, and fertilizer usage.

7. Crop Dusting/Spraying
To maintain yields, crops require proper fertilization and pesticide
application. Manually driving a vehicle through the fields to spray or
crop dust by manned airplane to spray are methods of the past.
Crop spraying drones can carry large liquid storage reservoirs, can
be operated more safely (even autonomously), and can be operated
and maintained at a fraction of the cost compared to crop dusters.

8. Irrigation Management
Drones equipped with thermal cameras can provide excellent insight
into irrigation by highlighting areas that have pooling water or
insufficient soil moisture. These issues can severely affect crop yields
and quality. Thermal drones give farmers a better way to understand
their fields through more frequent inspections and surveying.

9. Drones with thermal imaging cameras allow a single remote pilot
in command to monitor livestock. The operator can check in on
the heard to see if there are any injured, missing, or birthing
animals. Drones give livestock farmers a new way to keep an eye
on their livestock at all times, resulting greater profits.
Livestock Monitoring

10. The Benefits of Drones in Farming
Increase Yields
Improve production, efficiency, and get higher yields by
identifying problems before they happen with increased
crop health awareness and frequency.
01

11. Drones can be set up and deployed quickly. This ease of
use allows farmers to gain information routinely or
whenever they need it.
Save Time
02

12. Generate precision orthomosaic maps for better crop
planning and land management.
Plan for the Future
03

13. Features
40-60
Times faster than
manual spraying
Full spectral
band capture
Precision
mapping
Thermal
Imaging

14. AgriculturAL Drones SOLUTIONS
DJI AGRAS MG-1S
AGRICULTURAL DRONE
PHANTOM 4 PRO
DELUXE NDVI AG KIT
DJI M100
WITH MICASENSE
• Ground sensing radar for
precision flight
• Interchangeable nozzles for
optimized spraying
• Easy and intelligent operation planning
• Rugged design and components
• An easily integrated crop health
sensor for consumer drones
• Capture NIR imagery to monitor
crop health
• Access all of Sentera’s
FieldAgent software
• A flight platform designed with
customizability in mind
• Carry multiple camera sensors and
battery payloads
• Micasense is a full spectral band
sensor for even greater crop
information

15. AGRICULTURE SENSOR AND SOFTWARE
Micasense with Atlas
• Produce chlorophyll and weed
detection maps
• Track data over time to monitor
yearly yield changes
• Produce digital surface models (DSM)
• Identify disease and highlight
stress variation
Sentera with FieldAgent
• Export maps to John Deere
Operations Center
• Process sensor data and gain NDVI
and NDRE insights
• Generate orthomosaic maps
• Autonomously fly your drone within
a selected area
DJI Zenmuse XT with DroneDeploy
• Easy integration with Skymatics, Aglytix,
and John Deere agriculture management software
• Identify crop stress, track fertilizer application,
and discover disease earlier
• Monitor crop treatments and trends over time
• Track livestock and analyze grazing patterns

16. Maximize yields and minimize costs through better
analytics, data management, crop spraying and
autonomous flight capabilities.

17. Reference:
https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/agricultural-drones-market
http://www.businessinsider.com/farming-drones-precision-agriculture-mapping-spraying-2017-8
https://sentera.com/sensors/
https://www.micasense.com/rededge-m/
https://www.dji.com/mg-1
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601935/six-ways-drones-are-revolutionizing-agriculture/
https://www.airbornedrones.co/farming-and-agriculture/
https://www.dslrpros.com/dslrpros-blog/drones-for-agriculture/
https://dronelife.com/2017/01/31/the-7-best-agricultural-drones-on-the-market-our-updated-list/
http://cornerstonemapping.com/precision-ag-thermal-infrared/
https://www.dronezon.com/learn-about-drones-quadcopters/best-lidar-sensors-for-drones-great-uses-for-lidar-sensors/
http://www.agrotechnomarket.com/2016/09/benefits-of-drones-in-agriculture.html
http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Agriculture-Drones-Market-shipments-to-hit-200-thousand-units-by-2024-1011085885
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