Precision Agriculture: Crop Monitoring at Scale
Correlated multispectral + visual data in a single flight
A 5,000-acre farm operation needed weekly crop health monitoring with both multispectral indices (NDVI, NDRE) and high-resolution visual inspection for pest and disease identification. Traditional single-sensor drones required separate flights, doubling operational time and preventing real-time correlation between data types.
HERA deployed with MicaSense multispectral camera and Phase One P3 150MP operating simultaneously. Both payloads captured correlated data in a single flight, providing multispectral health maps overlaid with ultra-high-resolution visual imagery. Edge AI generated preliminary prescription maps onboard.
Each 40-minute flight covered 500 acres with correlated multispectral and visual data. Precision pesticide targeting reduced application by 23%. Disease detection occurred 2 weeks earlier than ground scouts could identify issues. Season ROI on the drone program investment reached 340%.
“Correlating multispectral health data with 150-megapixel visual inspection in real-time changed our entire precision agriculture workflow.”