Monday, September 4, 2017
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Status of UAV Governance in Africa - interactive map
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) recently commissioned a scan of 79 Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Groups of States vis a vis the status of rules and regulations affecting the use of remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) better known as drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Below is a map showing the status of legislation by country. Concerning Africa, the study was limited to Sub-Saharan countries.
Legend:
Animation on "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Agriculture" produced by students of the Wageningen University
This video animation has been produced by students from the Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing ate the Wageningen University and Research Centre in the context of the GRS-60312 Remote Sensing and GIS Integration Consultancy Project. Their report 'Towards Cost and Benefit Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to Support Agricultural Production' is synthesized in this well crafted video animation.
Members of the study group include: Vinicius Perin, Ramin Heidarian, Simon Veen, Erwin Van den Berg and You Zhou. Coach: Sytze de Bruin
Those interested in the technology related to the use of drones or better "unmanned aerial vehicles' in the agricultural domain should join the dedicated discussion list www.uav4ag.org.
Follow UAV for Agriculture on Twitter at @uav4ag
#sUAS #benefits in #agriculture explained https://t.co/Lqf90aLiho by students of t/ @WU_MGI #uav4ag #returns #income pic.twitter.com/Zg4UF6DUyH
— Drones 4 Agriculture (@UAV4Ag) July 10, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
Le dernier numéro d'ICT Update est sorti : Les drones au service de l'agriculture
L'utilisation de véhicules aériens sans pilote, ou drones, pour la gestion des cultures, des cheptels, des pêches, des forêts et d'autres activités basées sur des ressources naturelles représente le franchissement d'une nouvelle frontière technologique et ouvre la voie à toute une série d'opportunités enthousiasmantes.Le dernier numéro d'ICT Update, un magazine bimensuel publié par le Centre technique de coopération agricole et rurale ACP-UE (CTA), est consacré à l'utilisation de cette technologie et de systèmes connexes dans différentes parties du monde. Le numéro, disponible en ligne et en version imprimée en français et en anglais, est publié en collaboration avec Esri.
Il contient 12 articles, une interview et une sélection de diverses ressources en ligne sur le sujet. Les articles traitent notamment de l'utilisation des drones pour concevoir un système d'irrigation au Nigéria, pour alimenter un système de surveillance des sauterelles, pour récolter des preuves d'occupation illégale de terres au Panama, ou encore pour aider des petits producteurs à superviser leurs cultures en Afrique de l'Est.
Vous pouvez commander une version imprimée ou télécharger une version PDF de ce numéro en suivant ce lien: http://bit.ly/uav4ag-FR
Une sélection d'articles sont proposés sur le portail web du magazine: http://ictupdate.cta.int/fr, où vous pouvez vous abonner à la publication gratuitement.
Follow @UAV4Ag
Friday, May 6, 2016
Sri Lanka's drone pioneers
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Sri Lanka has begun to experiment with drone technology to support a wide range of studies like crop monitoring, disaster mitigation and disease prevention.
In recent months, the Colombo based International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has begun to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – also known as drones – to monitor rice crops in and around the water scarce area of Anuradhapura. The institute is testing the data-collecting capabilities of UAVs for various purposes. For example, RGB (red, green, blue) colour and near-infrared (NIR) sensors were used to capture images over the paddy fields. These technologies have the potential to help farmers detect fields that are under stress and to help them identify low-laying areas prone to pooling.
IWMI's drone is also regularly used in partnership with local authorities. In December 2015, the Survey Department of Sri Lanka was developing a disaster mitigation plan for Badulla, the capital city of Uva Province. The Survey Department needed a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the town for the plan, and asked IWMI to use its drone to capture the required aerial imagery.
Using conventional techniques, it might have taken over a year to survey the town. However, the drone used by the IWMI team was able to survey the entire 10 square kilometres area in just three days, by carrying out fourteen UAV flights and shooting 4,600 high-resolution images, with an average spatial resolution of four centimetres.
Drone imagery can also be used to better understand the spread of disease, allowing health analysts to create high-quality maps. Chronic Kidney Disease of Uncertain Aetiology (CKDu) is one of the most serious non-communicable diseases presently afflicting Sri Lankans, and it remains poorly understood. First diagnosed in the mid-1990s, the disease has now been found to occur in six out of the nine Sri Lankan provinces. It is essentially confined to the dry zone and only affects farmers engaged in rice cultivation. CKDu is believed to have resulted in the death of approximately 25 thousand people to date, while over 8 thousand people are currently estimated to be receiving treatment for the condition.
In the CKDu-affected area of Mahiyangana, the disease is believed to be spread via contaminated drinking water, which originates from wells. The UAV has been used to gather geo-referenced data on where households live and where wells are located. The collected data can be used in addition to a digital elevation model to locate the high and low areas of two villages, Sara Bhoomi and Badulupura.
The gathered data has been used in support of a pilot project on prevention of CKDu in the area. According to project leader Ranjith Mulleriyawa, these aerial photos and maps have provided researchers with an improved overall picture of the area, helping them understand how contaminated wells are linked to the spread of CKDu in affected areas.
IWMI also plans drone initiatives in Nepal to map fresh water springs by using a small thermal sensor. The targeted watersheds in Nepal have dense canopy cover, and it is difficult to use standard optical sensors to identify and locate the springs. The drone-mounted thermal sensor can see through the dense canopy cover to find these springs, as their temperature is lower than the temperature of the earth surrounding them.
While the use of UAVs in research and other practical applications remains in its infancy, IWMI’s initial tests have already demonstrated their usefulness. Drones can be used to carry out surveys over large and hard-to-access areas, in a relatively short timeframe and with high accuracy. For policy experts and decision-makers, these aerial images can provide them with more accurate and up-to-date information than has hitherto been possible. For farmers, high-quality drone images can help them detect potential crop failure early, giving them enough time to respond.
IWMI thinks that UAV based surveys will be especially useful in studies that require highly accurate and repeated monitoring. These include checking for changes in cropping patterns, shifts in the status of important water resources, and documenting the extent of environmental disasters. It doubtless won't be long before farmers routinely use UAVs to monitor their crops, just as they use more conventional machinery to sow and harvest.
Salman Siddiqui (S.Siddiqui@cgiar.org) is senior manager of the Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing and data management unit at the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka.
In recent months, the Colombo based International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has begun to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – also known as drones – to monitor rice crops in and around the water scarce area of Anuradhapura. The institute is testing the data-collecting capabilities of UAVs for various purposes. For example, RGB (red, green, blue) colour and near-infrared (NIR) sensors were used to capture images over the paddy fields. These technologies have the potential to help farmers detect fields that are under stress and to help them identify low-laying areas prone to pooling.
IWMI's drone is also regularly used in partnership with local authorities. In December 2015, the Survey Department of Sri Lanka was developing a disaster mitigation plan for Badulla, the capital city of Uva Province. The Survey Department needed a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the town for the plan, and asked IWMI to use its drone to capture the required aerial imagery.
Using conventional techniques, it might have taken over a year to survey the town. However, the drone used by the IWMI team was able to survey the entire 10 square kilometres area in just three days, by carrying out fourteen UAV flights and shooting 4,600 high-resolution images, with an average spatial resolution of four centimetres.
.@IWMI_ in #SriLanka uses #sUAS to monitor #crop #disaster & #disease https://t.co/ftxUg2knyy #drones #DRR #aviation pic.twitter.com/Gc2oCbT73E— Drones 4 Agriculture (@UAV4Ag) May 5, 2016
Disease prevention
Drone imagery can also be used to better understand the spread of disease, allowing health analysts to create high-quality maps. Chronic Kidney Disease of Uncertain Aetiology (CKDu) is one of the most serious non-communicable diseases presently afflicting Sri Lankans, and it remains poorly understood. First diagnosed in the mid-1990s, the disease has now been found to occur in six out of the nine Sri Lankan provinces. It is essentially confined to the dry zone and only affects farmers engaged in rice cultivation. CKDu is believed to have resulted in the death of approximately 25 thousand people to date, while over 8 thousand people are currently estimated to be receiving treatment for the condition.
In the CKDu-affected area of Mahiyangana, the disease is believed to be spread via contaminated drinking water, which originates from wells. The UAV has been used to gather geo-referenced data on where households live and where wells are located. The collected data can be used in addition to a digital elevation model to locate the high and low areas of two villages, Sara Bhoomi and Badulupura.
The gathered data has been used in support of a pilot project on prevention of CKDu in the area. According to project leader Ranjith Mulleriyawa, these aerial photos and maps have provided researchers with an improved overall picture of the area, helping them understand how contaminated wells are linked to the spread of CKDu in affected areas.
High accuracy
IWMI also plans drone initiatives in Nepal to map fresh water springs by using a small thermal sensor. The targeted watersheds in Nepal have dense canopy cover, and it is difficult to use standard optical sensors to identify and locate the springs. The drone-mounted thermal sensor can see through the dense canopy cover to find these springs, as their temperature is lower than the temperature of the earth surrounding them.
While the use of UAVs in research and other practical applications remains in its infancy, IWMI’s initial tests have already demonstrated their usefulness. Drones can be used to carry out surveys over large and hard-to-access areas, in a relatively short timeframe and with high accuracy. For policy experts and decision-makers, these aerial images can provide them with more accurate and up-to-date information than has hitherto been possible. For farmers, high-quality drone images can help them detect potential crop failure early, giving them enough time to respond.
IWMI thinks that UAV based surveys will be especially useful in studies that require highly accurate and repeated monitoring. These include checking for changes in cropping patterns, shifts in the status of important water resources, and documenting the extent of environmental disasters. It doubtless won't be long before farmers routinely use UAVs to monitor their crops, just as they use more conventional machinery to sow and harvest.
About the author:
Salman Siddiqui (S.Siddiqui@cgiar.org) is senior manager of the Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing and data management unit at the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka.
Source:
Republished with consent from http://ictupdate.int
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