User:Malovici99/Agricultural Drones

Potential Benefits Many drones are built to be accustomed as accident prone, otherwise deemed to be “small and safe.” For this reason, they can be beneficial in many different situations. Among these, where it is not so popular, is operating in times of emergency in society. Times of emergency could include natural disasters, disaster relief, and search and rescue missions. At times like these, the drones could operate in these risky environments to accommodate the situation with the necessary supplies. They could operate where medical attention is needed, providing food, monitoring the natural disasters, or even locating missing people. Other than natural emergencies, drones are considered to be the most beneficial when used in farming. Especially in farming, we are learning how to use less chemicals in our environment, reduce water use, and produce better crops. Current Use The drones are made up of components including “tiny MEMS sensors (accelerometers, gyros, magnetometers, and often pressure sensors), small GPS modules, incredibly powerful processors, and a range of digital radios” (Anderson, C.). These components of the drones allow the farmer to capture images of their field and introduce problems such as irrigation, pesticides, visual differences between ‘good and bad’ plants, and having the ability to do time-series animations to show changes in the plants. The technology is and can be used anywhere and everywhere. They have been used all over the United States and Japan and there is even to be an expected rise in the use of drones in Europe. Future Use With the advances in technology, it has become much easier for farmers to purchase efficient drones for their use. It is said that, “quadcopters are easier to produce, motors are more efficient, and battery life has increased.” The mapping process that the farmers have to go through with their drones have become incredibly easy to use. They can use their smartphone with one click to fly the drone over their land and capture the images they need. They can also upload their data to the cloud to process it, and they can do all of this in one battery life. Further Research The cost efficiency for UAV’s depends on the type of drones you get. Southern Alberta’s Lethbridge-based Isis Geomantics uses specific drones that cost about 60,000 dollars. But in Chris Anderson’s article, a farmer named Ryan Kunde uses a drone which he likes to think of as a “low-cost aerial camera platform” in which farmers can get with less than 1,000 dollars. Many farmers, of course, would not have 60,000 dollars to purchase drones for their farms. But, because of its high price, it can be concluded that those types of drones are more cost-effective for more valuable crops. Average farmers could get by with the UAV’s that cost less than 1,000 dollars and they would work just as effectively in getting the farmers the data they needed to produce better crops and improve their farms.