Drone imaging is being used in a variety of industries performing tasks that are beneficial to agriculture, construction, research, and many other fields. For specifics on orthomosaics check out this other article as well about drone mapping and surveying.
Drone imaging technology was heavily invested into for military purposes, but now there are a wide range of drone imaging types across many commercial fields making work more efficient, and reducing workload and production costs.
Drone Imaging for Agriculture (Near InfraRed - NIR)
The use of drones in agriculture is constantly expanding. According to reports, the agricultural drone market is expected to reach $4.8 billion by 2024.
Drones are used in agriculture for a variety of purposes, including decision making, crop health assessment, monitoring field conditions, precise planting, security, irrigation, and many others.
According to reports, the agricultural drone market is expected to reach $4.8 billion by 2024.
Check out my reccomendations on the best drones for agriculture here.
Multispectral Camera for Drone Imaging Plant Health
A multispectral camera is a type of camera that is attached to drones and has a wide range of applications in agriculture. The drone can image spectral bands such as red, blue, near-infrared, and red-edge light. The Near-infrared (NIR) band is a spectral region that is not visible to the eyes because it is beyond the red band region, it’s used to assess plant health conditions. Healthy plants appear to have higher reflectance in the NIR region than in the RGB region.
The NIR and Red reflectance values detected by the drone camera are used to calculate the NDVI, or Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Because the amount of light detected by the drone varies from time to time due to changes in atmospheric conditions and, most of the time, the amount of sunlight received in different parts of the field, NDVI allows for meaningful spatial comparison of the crop at different times.
The NDVI index is one of the most effective and widely used indexes for determining the chlorophyll content and canopy density in a field. It is a dimensionless index with a value ranging from -1 to 1. If you have negative values, the area is most likely water, while values close to +1 indicate that the area is dense green fields.
Drone Thermal Imaging
Thermal cameras, also known as thermographic cameras, create images using infrared radiation rather than visible light. It displays the detected heat, which is invisible to the naked eye. Thermal images typically show blue to red colors. This represents the temperatures emitted by the subject, which could be humans, animals, or anything else in the vicinity. Cooler temperatures are represented by blue, while hotter temperatures are represented by red.
Handheld thermal cameras have limitations, but combining them with modern technology such as drones opens up a wider range of potential applications. This can be used to maintain public safety and rescue operations, especially when entering the area would be too dangerous for a rescuer or personnel. Thermal imaging drones can see through smoke, making them extremely useful in locating people in fires and other disasters.
I go through the top 4 UAVs available in this article on thermal drones.
Thermal Imaging Drone Applications
Thermal imaging drones can also be used for inspection in the industrial and energy sectors. This intervention allows for cost savings and increased efficiency in assessing energy infrastructures and other infrastructures such as solar farms, bridges, power lines, and many others.
This type of drone imaging can assist in monitoring wildlife populations. Thermal imaging drones detect heat from animals and can provide useful data to farmers and rangers. Drone imaging provides information on their location and saves time monitoring and tracking them. It can also be used in animal health monitoring.
Thermal imaging can help detect certain health issues and provide immediate treatment to animals. By monitoring animals with thermal imaging drones, it’s possible to determine whether the animals’ weight and size have changed, which could be attributed to diseases.
Drone Imaging for Site Inspections (eg. Construction)
Drone imaging plays a significant role in construction, with nearly all major industries adopting them. Construction site inspections are one of the most important applications of drones in today’s commercial use.
UAVs are also being used to make orthomosaic maps used for surveying and 3D models which show construction site progress. I go through the difference between drone mapping versus drone surveying and how they are created in the article; Drone Mapping Explained.
UAV’s are used to inspect:
- Highways
- Bridges
- Roads
- Building damage
- Roof damage
- Wind turbines and other structures.
The law requires that infrastructure and buildings be inspected regularly. This can be costly because it requires more staff and equipment if done manually and sometimes the entire building must be shut down.
In general, construction inspection takes time and can be dangerous, so using drones is a more efficient and safer option. Regular inspections are required for maintenance, and any damage discovered must be repaired as soon as possible.
Many problems can be solved by using drone technology. There is no need for a large staff team to operate it and it may not be necessary to shut down the entire building or site for evaluation. There will also be fewer interruptions.
Drones can also be used to monitor progress on construction sites. High-resolution drones can provide high-quality photos and videos that can be used to monitor contractors, equipment, and other assets. Fore more on drone cameras take a look at this article ; Best Drone Cameras.
Drone Photogrammetry for Surveying
Drones can fly to almost any location. You are not limited from imaging and surveying harsh terrain and steep slopes, which is a common issue the regions left unmapped und un-surveyed. Drone photogrammetry for surveying is where the operator flies the drone over a specific area, taking numerous photos with overlaps as it moves.
Those images are stitched together using computer software, and a model of the site is created. This is the drone photogrammetry process that results in an accurate survey or 3D representation of the subject area.
Before beginning a construction project, a 3D representation of the subject area is created to form a general understanding of the land. This can aid in the establishment of lot boundaries required for decision-making in land development. More examples of how drones are used in business and construction here.
Drone photogrammetry can also be used for surveying in the oil and gas industry to determine which routes pipelines should take and which areas should be avoided. Because it provides precise measurements, 3D models of the area can also be used for volume estimations on the site.
It’s also necessary for the design of roads and bridges to have a good view of the extent of the project, and the surrounding areas by conducting drone surveying.
Drone Imaging Wrap Up
Drones are a less expensive and more efficient alternative to the needs of major industries. They can assist in almost every situation. Drones now allow us to accurately map areas, monitor wildlife, agriculture, rescue operations, and many other things. Consumer drones are also becoming increasingly popular in support of various hobbies such as photography and videography.
As the drone technology gets better, so do its applications. Their capabilities will continue to grow and evolve, opening up new opportunities in new industries.
If you want to learn more about how drone maps and surveys and acquired and the software used to automate the process take a look at Drone Mapping Explained.
