Unlike smaller multirotor drones, the UX11 Ag is adept and efficient when it comes to acquiring multispectral images over large areas. It even displays the images in real-time on the pilot’s tablet in both a visual RGB rendition and an on-the-fly NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index). Equipped with PPK, a cellular connection, and a rugged design, the UX11 Ag is ready to fly in harsh environments.
The UX11 Ag is a capable solution for agriculture and forestry issues such as:
• Field trials
• Precision Ag
• Forest management
• Weed detection
• Plant and stand counts
The Micasense sensor captures five spectral bands: red, blue, green, red edge, and near infrared. The red edge and NIR bands are known in academic literature to be a reliable proxy for plant health assessment.
Live display of NDVI, a bird’s eye view, and real time control over the camera and drone parameters allows the pilot to not only manage the flight, but to verify and ensure that high-quality data is being collected during the flight.
Everything works seamlessly and efficiently. Apart from the flight itself, the flight preparation and data export processes take less than 20 minutes combined.
Compared to a multirotor ag drone, the fixed wing UX11 Ag solution saves big on operational costs.
E.g. for Precision Ag of 20 Ha:
Multirotor solution 14€/Ha vs Delair Fixed wing 2€/Ha
E.g. for field trial of 6 Ha:
Multirotor solution 17€/Ha vs Delair Fixed wing 6€/Ha
Once stands are counted in row crops, planting rows can be digitized and spacing between plants measured.
The Micasense camera in the UX11 Ag can also be useful for detecting diseases or water issues in a forest. While chlorophyll anomalies cannot be detected using basic RGB cameras found on standard drones, the UX11 Ag observes the specific red edge band required to calculate the NDRE (normalized difference red edge) index which is an indicator of the presence of chlorophyll in plants.