Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

This new partnership between (Aerobotika Aerial Intelligence, Ltd.) and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) will provide a foundation for integrating low cost remote sensing and digital mapping methods with traditional agricultural scouting methods. This project will capitalize on the major technological advances in the use of drones and remote sensing methods for detecting and mapping crop productivity. This project will focus on cranberries, an important agricultural crop in British Columbia that is grown in large contiguous fields and notoriously difficult to scout for crop health parameters. Using drones, cranberry fields will be mapped with visible, near infrared and thermal sensors. Analysis of the images will help to identify problem areas and provide growers with maps predicting areas where crop loss will occur. Furthermore, by collecting images over time, maps quantifying change in the crop canopy will provide a unique product that will provide a basis for making long-term crop management decisions. Ultimately, the maps developed under this project will become valuable crop management tools allowing growers to efficiently utilize the acreage where crops are grown by managing soils, pests, weeds and pathogens.