Sony launches solution for crop management
Sony introduces its drone-mounted Smart Agriculture Solution, which allows for daily crop management and monitoring through the capture, collection, and analysation of data in the field.
Sony Smart Agriculture Solution enables in-the-field operation without a network connection, unlike conventional networked methods. It employs sensor fusion and fast stitching technology, consisting of a newly developed drone-mounted multispectral sensing unit and Fast Field Analyser image analysis software.
Dual sensor camera unit
The multispectral sensing unit carries a dual sensor camera unit and an accurate geolocation sensing unit. It can be mounted on a drone to capture normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and RGB imagery in a single flight.
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Generate maps with Fast Field Analyser
During a flight, this sensing unit obtains highly accurate geolocation, altitude and posture information leveraged by Sony’s algorithm and real-time processor, while synching up geo data with every photo it captures. This allows users to generate maps with Fast Field Analyser by stitching captured data using only geolocation data.
Fast Field Analyser image analysis software (FFA-PCW)
- Fast flight data quality validation before processing
- Fast stitching for generating NDVI / RGB map
- Multiple battery flight data import with a single operation
- Easy to use graphical assessment tools for in-field decision making
- Location point export for streamlined ground truthing operation
Completely offline environment
According to Sony, it requires less overlapped images, and consequently, it increases a single flight’s efficiency with a wider coverage area, enabling drones to gather 300-400 images covering a maximum range of 160 acres. All the processes are conducted in a completely offline environment that does not use time consuming cloud processing so that users can take immediate action in the field with accurate analysis results.
Multispectral sensing unit (MSZ-2100G)
- Built-in dual sensor (RGB/NDVI)
- RGB : 2 inch / pixel @ 400ft flight
- NDVI : 4.6 inch / pixel @ 400ft flight
- Accurate geotagged image capture
- Data capture to micro SD card
Field investigation programs with Syngenta
During its development, Sony carried out a number of field investigation programs with industry partners to firmly grasp market issues and needs, including with Syngenta. Syngenta selected Sony’s Smart Agriculture Solution as a part of its comprehensive digital agriculture service. The 2 companies work closely together to provide compatibility between Sony’s Smart Agriculture Solution and Syngenta’s satellite imaging software for end-users’ convenience.
The new Smart Agriculture Solution is planned to be available in spring 2019 in the US and Canada.
Have you heard about @Sony’s Smart #Agriculture Solution? Deployed via a drone-mounted dual sensor camera, it uses sensor fusion & fast-stitching #tech to generate whole-field maps. https://t.co/x8ovZv6yYc#digitalag #agtech pic.twitter.com/pEhBL2SLUn
— Syngenta (@Syngenta) 14 March 2019
