Remote Sensing Application for Precision Agriculture
Description:... Precision agriculture is used to improve site-specific agricultural decision-making based on data collection and analysis, formulation of site-specific management recommendations, and implementation of management practices to correct for factors that can limit crop growth, yield, and quality. Various approaches for the remote sensing of soil fertility, water stress, diseases and infestations, and crop growth and condition have been developed and applied for precision agricultural purposes. With developments in remote sensing technologies, the spatial and spectral resolution and return frequencies available from both satellite and other remote collection platforms have improved to the point that the promise of precision agriculture can increasingly be realized. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in particular are providing newer and deeper insights, leveraging their high resolution, sensor-carrying flexibility and dynamic acquisition schedule. This range of remote sensing platforms has been used to estimate comprehensive information related to crop health and dynamics, providing rapid retrievals of leaf area index, canopy cover, chlorophyll, nitrogen, canopy/leaf water content, canopy/leaf temperature, biomass, and yield, amongst many other variables of interest. In combination, they allow for the expansion from local to regional scales and beyond. There has never been a greater opportunity for remote sensing data to enable precision agricultural insights that can be used to better monitor, manage and respond to in-field changes that might impact crop growth, health and yield.
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