UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY TECHNIQUES FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE

The following article aims at presenting a new photogrammetric application for precision agriculture. Photogrammetry has been used for numerous engineering tasks and for the past decade the UAV photogrammetry, in particular, has proved to be applicable in the sphere of agriculture. Better techniques and solutions have been sought by scientists in order to improve yields, preserve the environment and therefore increase the potential of agriculture. The chosen study field has been monitored for the past two years. It regards a corn and rye fields, surrounded by grass and forests. The area is located in the west part of the Czech Republic, near the village of Vysoke Sedliste. The location has been chosen for its historical and archaeological significance as it was fortified in the past and numerous battles took place in the 17th century. The purpose of the study is to analyse the development of certain crops. It has been claimed by agronomists that there might be still water causing drainage to some crops. The survey was carried out by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) eBee by senseFly owned by the Department of Geomatics. The agricultural fields were mapped in April, June and July. The images were captured by multispectral and a thermal camera and later processed in Pix4Dmapper. The results of the study are calculated Digital Surface Model and index maps respectively for each month.