Multispectral and Modified Cameras Comparison in Agricultural Mapping with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Abstract

The development and expansion of new technologies applied to agricultural production through increasingly accurate information systems and machines mean that mapping systems need to monitor and provide data with compatible quality and accuracy. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ability to revisit a place in a short time period allows the observation and inspection of larger areas, using less human resources and less displacement. This study evaluated two cameras, one multispectral and one modified for near-infrared (NIR) wavelength images and their applications with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculation to monitor the plant health condition and to identify the regions with some lower vegetative development due to some illness, water stress or nitrogen deficiency, among other reasons. The results showed that the multispectral camera presented a more satisfactory result than the modified camera.