Airborne Sensors: A Key Player in the Success of Precision Farming

Agriculture is the phenomenon that offers for the most fundamental needs of humans: food and fibre. The advent of novel farming practises in the last few decades (especially during the Green Revolution) has lend a helping hand for the agriculture industry to keep up with the mounting demand for food and other farming harvests. Nevertheless, increasingly growing food demands, a bulging population, and escalating income levels are expected to put extra pressure on natural resources. With the increasing awareness about the adverse impacts of farming on the environs, novel practises and methods must be implemented to meet the forthcoming food demands while upholding or plummeting the environmental footprint of agriculture. Thanks to the evolution of novel technologies that are evolving day-by-day to make things in the arena of agriculture much simpler and efficient. Some of these technologies, such as Big Data analysis, geospatial technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI), are helping in making well-versed management decisions that are fruitful for increasing crop yield. In addition to these technologies one such technology that is aiding in precision agriculture (PA), which is one of the most trending farming practices these days, is an airborne sensor.

What is an Airborne Sensor?

An airborne sensor is installed on aircrafts to capture pictures of the earth's surface. These sensors are beneficial in numerous applications such as forestry, defence, environment, mining, mapping & survey, infrastructure & urbanization, and obviously agriculture.

In precision farming, various advanced technologies are used to enhance agricultural efforts to increase agricultural yield and decrease losses. The implementation of remote sensing technologies, such as airborne sensors, in precision farming has increased at an accelerated pace in the last few decades. The images captured with the help of airborne sensors have optimized many processes in precision farming, including irrigation management, crop monitoring, nutrient application, management of crop diseases and pests, yield prediction, and others.

Why has the Adoption of Airborne Sensors Increased in Agriculture?

Remote sensing plays an important role in data acquisition in precision farming. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has augmented enormously in the past decade owing to their affordability and flexibility in acquiring the high-resolution (cm-scale) images desirable for precision farming applications. Hence, the development of precise yet practical, user-friendly airborne sensing systems is probable to give rise to far-reaching implementation of remote sensing technologies in commercial as well as non-commercial precision farming applications.

As per a report by Research Dive, the global airborne sensors market is anticipated to surpass $14,473.7 million by 2030, growing from $9,200.0 million in 2021 at a CAGR of 5.3%. Tactical partnerships among the market players and the launch of numerous progressive airborne sensors are likely to hasten the airborne sensor market growth. For instance, in February 2019, Airbus, a global front-runner in aeronautics, space, and related services, launched a novel service , Verde to support precision farming across the globe. This service provides detailed crop analytics from satellite imagery and focuses precisely on each and every field. It is a plug-and-play Application Programming solution for any precision farming portal.

The Bottom Line

Precision farming uses remote sensing technologies like airborne and spaceborne sensors, satellite navigational systems, and information technology to keep an eye on the growth and health of crops in each and every field of a farm.

The images captured through these sensors can be used to detect nutrient shortages, diseases, water shortage or excess, insect damage, weed infestations, wind damage, hail damage, herbicide damage, and plant populations as well as in variable rate applications of fertilizers and pesticides. To sum up, the implementation of airborne sensors in precision farming is sure to boost farming capabilities and help in catering the rising demand for food worldwide.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.