Agriculture

Infrared Imaging

Infrared imaging on a rainy, windy day So what does an infrared drone guy do on a rainy windy day... practice.  Happily Flir in conjunction with DJI has upgraded their camera and software to give so many more options.  All the colors and palettes become more vivid and dynamic.  You can even tell how hot your cup of coffee is if you have your drone fired up and running (no propellers) and facing yourself.  The Starbucks coffee was 140 degrees when I first set it on the desk.  Within the first 10 minutes it decreased 20 degrees.  Enough about coffee. Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging Infrared Drone Uses The use of drones and infrared imaging are growing.  A lot of people don't even realize how useful it can be.  I recently had my DJI Inspire Pro with the XT Flir camera flying over a commercial building.  Now I didn't know were the leaks on the building were, but after careful examination I circled areas of concern on the infrared and presented this to the owner.  Surprise surprise the areas that I circled on the infrared turned out to be close to the leak areas on the building.  Now the owner is educated about his roof leaks on his building and a roofing contractor can come out and accurately repair the roof. Roof Infrared Hvac contractors can use infrared to see how hot the units are running and believe me some run very hot compared to others (see picture above, two units running hotter). Electric companies can inspect transformers and any other part of the electrical systems to find out what is operating inefficiently.  Any type of piping that runs on the outside of a building can be inspected. Cellular towers can be inspected. Search and rescue, especially at night reveal vivid pictures of human being trying to hide or run from something. The energy efficiency of any building can be determined.

THE USE OF DRONES IN AGRICULTURE

Agriculture and the use of Drones

On a large farm, the inspection of crops can be an overwhelming task.  How can a farmer other than walking the fields or renting a helicopter ever be able to tell how his crops are doing.  The land especially in Illinois is very flat with no rolling hills to climb onto to have a look to see how the crops are preforming.  Crops are a farmers livelihood, so if they are not producing there is money that is thrown away.  Early detection is the key.  If there are large acres that are not growing or growing slower than others, the areas can be pinpointed and inspected to figure out what the best course of action should be.  Agriculture is using technology more and more every day.

Should I take an infrared, video or take a topography map with a drone?

A determination needs to be decided ahead of time.  What is needed to help your crop (your bottom line).  I was a farmer for the first 18 years of my life.  My first thought when I heard of using drones for crop inspection was, "Why would you ever need that?".  After hearing all the technology that could help produce more crops, my tune soon changed.  Taking pictures or video can tell bare areas or crops that are not growing at the same rate of speed as the rest of the crop.  Taking infrared can tell the moisture content of the ground to see if that is effecting the growth.  Taking a topographic map of the land can also pinpoint areas of concern.