Tag: drone

CropLife Asia’s ‘Drone for Pesticide Application’ Online Forum draws Asian Policymakers and Global Experts

A first-of-its-kind virtual conference on drone use for pesticide application in Asia concluded this week after three days of dialogue and discussion among stakeholders from across the food supply chain. The event focused on perspectives ranging from those of regional governments, manufacturers as well as commercial adopters, and experts in the field forecasting future innovations.

“OUR INDUSTRY TAKES SERIOUSLY ITS COMMITMENT TO ENSURE RESPONSIBLE USE OF PLANT SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. DRONES ARE A NEW TOOL THAT CAN SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN THAT EFFORT – AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PLAY A TRANSFORMATIVE ROLE IN ASIAN AGRICULTURE,” SAID MR. GUSTAVO PALEROSI-CARNERIO, CROPLIFE ASIA PRESIDENT.

“As with any innovation, the most critical components are the best practices that reflect responsible use and the policies that underpin them. Through this week’s conference, we’ve heard vital insights from agricultural drone use experts in these areas and what the future may hold. We look forward to continuing these constructive conversations, and working with regulators and other key stakeholders across the food supply chain to help deliver drone use for pesticide application in Asia that is conducted responsibly.”

Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly being used by large and small-scale farmers globally. This includes use for mapping, crop surveillance and scouting, pesticide application, and monitoring both irrigation as well as grazing livestock. According to a recent Industry ARC report, “Agricultural Drones Market – Forecast (2021-2026)”, the market for agricultural drones is projected to reach more than $5.8 billion by 2026.

In Asia, the use of drones for pesticide application is rapidly growing in popularity due to the advantages it provides, namely: efficiency with use of inputs; enhanced spray precision; reduced water consumption; and less dependence on labor, resulting in lower associated costs.

“As food and agricultural stakeholders, we all have a duty to ensure our region’s farmers are enabled and empowered to grow the nutritious crops on which we depend – and help deliver a food supply for Asia that is safe, secure and sustainable,” commented Dr. Siang Hee Tan, CropLife Asia Executive Director.

“When used responsibly, drone technology can be a game-changer for Asia’s smallholder farmers. However, it’s critical that the growth in agricultural drone use in our region is matched by an expansion of sound and science-based regulations to support their responsible use. By bringing together a broad array of government and private sector stakeholders, this week’s forum was a substantial step forward on that front.”

Asia is home to the smallest-sized farms and the largest number of smallholder farmers in the world. It’s estimated that 85% of the world’s 525 million smallholder farmers live and work within our continent. These growers face unique challenges in comparison with larger commercial farmers – landholder rights, access to finance, labor shortages, and availability of technology among them. With COVID-19 having an exacerbating effect on many of these and other obstacles Asia’s smallholders face, drone use with pesticide application has the potential to benefit these growers by helping drive production and sustainability at the same time.

CropLife Asia’s Drone for Pesticide Application Online Forum was conducted 8-10 March and brought together virtually technology experts and sector stakeholders from across Asia and around the globe. The three-day conference was structured to convey and grow: common understanding of drone benefits to sustainability as well as farmers’ safety and productivity; strong cross-sector partnership between government and industry; and an open exchange of knowledge and best practices to manage risks and concerns.

A total of seven sessions were conducted during the forum to guide the discussion on a range of topics. From the “government” perspective, this included sessions on: Digital transformation and its impact on government agricultural policies; Regulatory frameworks for pesticide application by drone around Asia Pacific; and Safety Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for pesticide application by drone. Sessions focusing on the “field” perspective included: R&D – Technology enablers for pesticide application by drone; and Commercial adoption of drone for pesticide application in APAC. Lastly, capturing the “future” perspective were sessions on: Emerging technological advancements in drone for pesticide application; and Roundtable – Future collaborations to drive best practices in the region.

For additional details regarding the Forum, including a full roster of moderators and panelists who participated, please consult the Events section of the CropLife Asia website.

About CropLife Asia

CropLife Asia is a non-profit society and the regional organization of CropLife International, the voice of the global plant science industry. We advocate a safe, secure food supply, and our vision is food security enabled by innovative agriculture. CropLife Asia supports the work of 15 member associations across the continent and is led by six member companies at the forefront of crop protection, seeds and/or biotechnology research and development. For more information, visit us at www.croplifeasia.org.

For more information please contact:
Duke Hipp
Director, Public Affairs & Strategic Partnerships
CropLife Asia
duke.hipp@croplifeasia.org

ETRI Develops Drone and AI Technology to Predict Algal Blooms

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has developed a technology for analyzing water quality with drones and using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the level of algal bloom. The technology is expected to reduce public anxiety about algal blooms that reoccur each summer and help manage drinking water safety.

ETRI reported it successfully measured and predicted harmful algal blooms in a remote lake with a hyperspectral camera built in a drone. The research was published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment.

– Prediction of algal bloom expansion with AI analysis

Algal blooms have been observed in many rivers and coastal waters where water flow is slow or stagnant. Large algal blooms can be toxic to the environment and people. If the algal bloom growth reaches a certain point, it expands exponentially making it difficult to manage. Thus, it’s critical to accurately monitor and predict algal activity.

In the past, it took a couple of days to collect samples and analyze water quality. Moreover, the process was cumbersome as it required physical site visits, making it difficult to respond quickly before the algal bloom spread.

The technology developed by ETRI uses drones to remotely examine water bodies, making it easier to study blue-green algae status, including migration, spread, and distribution in rivers or streams. Compared to satellites or aircraft, drones can monitor the water more easily at low costs and high resolution. The acquired big data is then quickly analyzed with AI, which helps predict where the blue-green algae will bloom.

– Rivers and streams explored with a hyperspectral camera

A hyperspectral sensor is central to the system’s success. While conventional images divide light into three primary colors (RGB), the hyperspectral technology can divide the visible and near-infrared regions into 200 or more colors. Thus, the technology can classify the components of an object in more detail and can be applied widely in the military, environment, medicine, healthcare, and other areas.

The hyperspectral camera in a drone can easily indicate whether the blue-green algae level is at ‘Attention’, ‘Warning’, or ‘Outbreak’. It uses the light spectrum of blue-green algae to check the current status digitally.

“We have the goal of achieving the world’s best level of accuracy in algae prediction. We plan to make it possible to track down the growth of blue-green algae and facilitate early response to prevent further spread,” said Dr. Yong-Hwan Kwon, the ETRI project manager.

ETRI has used the hyperspectral camera drone to examine the water quality of Daechung Reservoir in South Korea. The research team next plans to construct a real-time monitoring map of algal blooms in the reservoir. The objective includes a study on automating the process of exploration, data collection, input and analysis after establishing the optimal moving path of the drone.

The research team has the goal of increasing the accuracy of the algae prediction to 90% or higher by enhancing the analysis performance. They also plan to reduce the weight and size of the hyperspectral sensor by 2022.

For more information, contact:

Yong-Hwan Kwon

Project Manager

042-860-5377

yhkwon@etri.re.kr

About ETRI – Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute

ETRI is a non-profit, government-funded research institute focused on global information and communications technologies (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI). Since its foundation in 1976, ETRI has helped position Korea as a leading ICT nation by developing world’s first and best technologies. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.etri.re.kr/eng/main/main.etri

Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003442571930536X