The course’s training schedule and comprehensive learning modules are based on its instructor’s own experienced surveying task management, planning methodologies, multispectral imaging acquisition techniques and workflow processes with UAVs.

Day 1

AM

Fundamentals and Principles of Drone Multispectral Aerial Imaging

  • Understanding the various types of sensors (RGB, MS, TIR…) that are utilised in precision agriculture.

  • The Electromagnetic Spectrum and where RGB and MS imaging are situated within.

  • What is a Vegetation Index (VI) and what types of indices that are applied towards specific agricultural applications.

  • What combinations of MS imaging can provide different Vegetation Index (VI) outputs

  • Understanding RGB and MS aerial imagery Fields of View (FoV).

  • Understanding RGB and MS spatial resolutions - Ground Sampling Distance (GSD).

  • RGB and MS GSD considerations applied for precision agricultural tasks.

  • How to calculate RGB and MS imagery FoVs and GSDs with mathematical formulae.

  • What can affect FoV and GSD on nadir aerial imagery.

PM

Drone Mapping Planning for Multispectral Aerial Imaging

  • Managing precision agricultural mapping and surveying tasks.

  • Planning UAV multispectral aerial imaging mapping flights.

  • The UAV - correctly planning semi-autonomous UAV multispectral aerial imaging mapping flights with optimised flight settings.

  • The Sensors - applying the correct RGB and MS sensor settings for accurate and high radiometric qualities of RGB/MS aerial imaging acquisitions.

  • Site specific planning – understanding the operating environment and weather.

  • Hardware - using the correct onboard imaging storage media.

Day 2

AM

Imagery Collection Checks and Data Management.

  • Post UAV flight management steps - validating actual imaging collection with that of a planned-for collection.

  • Managing and organising the various bands of aerial imagery collections.

  • Understanding the importance to check the collected imagery’s integrity (exposure, focus, collect overlaps…) before ingesting into any photogrammetry processing software.

  • Creating a basic ‘Imagery Collection Report’ to accompany collected aerial imagery.

  • Photogrammetry processing - turning RGB and MS imaging into spectral-banded raster maps (orthomosaics).

PM

Geospatial Analysis Exercises.

  • Conducting field metrics from RGB/MS imaging with a Geospatial Information System (GIS).

  • Differentiate Soil from Vegetation from RGB/MS imaging with a GIS.

  • Measuring the height of crops from RGB/MS imaging with a GIS.

  • Estimating crop biomass and yield from RGB/MS imaging with a GIS.

  • Calculating the NDVI and NDRE from MS imaging with a GIS.