Low-Altitude Remote Sensing with Unmanned Radio-Controlled Helicopter Platforms: A Potential Substitution to Satellite-based Systems for Precision Agriculture Adoption under Farming Conditions in Developing Countries

Abstract

In developing countries with small and medium farm holdings, satellite-based remote sensing is found unsuitable for precision agriculture technology adoption, due to low spatial and high temporal resolution of imagery. Image acquisition system mounted on unmanned helicopter platforms can provide user-specified and near-real time images for quick assessment of the crop and soil status giving enough time for preventive measures. Use of appropriate sensor combinations to acquire geo-referenced images being corrected for orientation information, will make the system more flexible in terms of system integration, specific applications and total costs. Reflectance indices and band ratios obtained through Low-Altitude Remote Sensing (LARS) systems can precisely represent the soil and crop parameters for crop monitoring, crop status modeling and output predictions. As a multi-dimensional application tool (e.g. for agriculture, disaster prediction and assessment etc.), the unmanned helicopter based LARS system posses lower pay-back period, further facilitating its adoption in developing countries. This paper gives an overview of the necessities and assimilation of unmanned helicopter based LARS system, emphasizing its specific applications and adoption potentials for farming conditions in developing countries.