DJI unveils new precision ag drone
The new P4 Multispectral drone is a world first for farming and land management, the company saysDJI says its new P4 Multispectral model is the world's first drone with multispectral imaging designed for precision agriculture and environmental management.
The company says the P4 Multispectral combines data from six separate sensors to measure the health of crops, from individual plants to entire fields, as well as weeds, insects and a variety of soil conditions.
According to DJI's Director of Strategic Partnerships, Jan Gasparic, the P4 Multispectral drone gives farmers a new tool to improve crop yields and cut operating costs, while also providing environmental professionals with a means of easily monitoring vegetation.
"P4 Multispectral has the promise to transform the agriculture and land management industries by collecting precise plant-level data without having to send personnel into the field for manual surveys," said Gasparic.
"By combining multispectral imaging into a trusted, efficient and affordable tool, DJI is making this transformative technology more accessible to professionals around the world who are pioneering the adoption of drones in their industries."
Precision imaging
The P4 Multispectral features a gimbal-stabilised imaging system comprising one RGB camera and a multispectral camera array with five narrow band sensors capable of capturing visible and invisible light. The data gives trained professionals insights into vegetation stress, soil composition as well as water salinity and contamination, says DJI.
An additional integrated spectral sunlight sensor maximizes the accuracy and consistency of data collection during missions flown at different times of day.
DJI's Ground Station Pro flight planning app allows pilots to switch between real-time views of the drone's RGB video camera and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) output for immediate insights while in the field.
An integrated RTK positioning module and TimeSync system support real-time, accurate positioning data for each image, optimising photogrammetric results and providing centimetre-level accurate measurements.
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Industry workflow compatibility
P4 Multispectral is compatible with standard industry workflows including flight programming, mapping, and analytics software from DJI and other leading providers. Using the DJI GS Pro application, users can create automated and repeatable missions including flight planning, mission execution, and flight data management.
Data collected can be uploaded to DJI Terra or a suite of third-party software including Pix4D Mapper and DroneDeploy, for analysis and to generate additional vegetation index maps.
The accuracy of the drone's RTK positioning can be enhanced without an internet connection by using DJI's D-RTK 2 High-Precision GNSS Mobile Station, which supports all major global satellite navigation systems.
The P4 Multispectral has a 7km transmission range and come with two 2-megapixel cameras. The battery provides a flight time of up to 27 minutes per charge.
The DJI P4 Multispectral is available from October 2019 from $US6499 (approximately $A9622). For stockists click here.
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