Evolution of Remote Sensing in Agriculture

THE EVOLUTION OF REMOTE SENSING IN AGRI CULTURE 8 FarmLogs digital tools draw information from remotely-sensed data 25+ FarmLogs engineers and data scientists crunch remotely-sensed #s But what is remote sensing? Remote sensing is the art and science of acquiring information about an object without coming in contact with it. Remotely-sensed knowledge has been powering the world for more than 100 years. Check out how it got its start and the role it continues to play in ag. TIMELINE 1861 The foundation of the modern Air Force is ... 1914 laid with this remote-sensing technique: Abraham Lincoln signs off on using hot-air balloons to acquire information about the Confederate Army. In addition to planes, "war pigeons" are fitted with cameras in WWI for aerial reconnaissance missions. This remotely-sensed data saves so many lives that some pigeons are awarded medals. O .. 1945 The security of nations now depends on remote-sensing technology: planes fitted with infrared and long focal length camera systems are vital in the conclusion of WWWII. 1957 Russia kicks off the Space Race by launching Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial earth satellite. ... 1958 NASA is created in response to Sputnik 1, and the U.S. discovers magnetic belts around the earth by launching its own satellite: Explorer I. 1965 The Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) proposes a remote sensing program that uses satellites to gather information . 1972 about the planet's natural resources. Landsat 1 launches: it's the first satellite designed to study and monitor the Earth's surface. It's used to classify Midwestern U.S. landscapes into corn and soybean fields. 1972 NASA begins funding universities in states with strong agricultural economies to begin experimenting with the use of remote sensing. 1985 Landsat 5 launches. While its predecessor, Landsat 1, captured ground resolution at 80 meters, Landsat 5 captures ground resolution at 30 meters. ... 1991 The scientific community agrees that Landsat remote sensing has significant capabilities for estimating spatial patterns in soil organic matter and yield potential. 1999 For remote sensing to be used effectively in precision ag, more pixels per satellite image are required; efforts to design new satellite imaging systems begin. 2001 Quickbird, the second of two commercial satellites used for precision farming applications, launches and leads to new opportunities, such as identifying fields experiencing crop N stress. .. 2002 The frequency at which a satellite can return to pass a specific piece of land and capture an image drops from 18 days to 1-2 days. 2008 A new breakthrough in satellite remote sensing for precision ag arrives: a satellite company called RapidEye launches a five-satellite constellation that can capture 2014 5-meter ground resolution. FarmLogs partners with BlackBridge to gain access to RapidEye imagery in order to deliver insights to growers across the U.S. Today What can satellites tell us about our fields that we can't learn on our own? Plants and soil absorb, transmit, and reflect light and various wavelengths of energy - some of which can be detected with the human eye and some of which can't. A satellite, however, can detect all these things. The amount of light and energy coming from the ground can be used to detect or predict various field conditions, including water stress, nutrient stress, crop growth, and crop health. 600M+ Acres Covered in the U.S. by FarmLogs' satellite provider. Jun 1 Jul 1 Aug 1 Sep1 Oct 1 27,000 65,000 The number of data points collected with a traditional yield monitor for an 80-acre field over the course of one growing season. The number of remotely-sensed data points FarmLogs collects via satellite imagery for an 80-acre field over the course of one growing season. What Will You Discover with the FarmLogs App? Our in-season satellite imagery will help you detect and address yield threats sooner. Visit farmlogs.com to learn more about FarmLogs Advantage, which includes Crop Health Monitoring, Nitrogen Monitoring, and Automatic Activity Recording. FarmLogs © 2016 AgriSight, Inc. • farmlogs.com