Utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Develop Innovative Approaches to Wild Blueberry Harvesting

新斯科舍省有1,000多家野生蓝莓生产商，管理着40,000英亩以上的土地，产量超过40 每年上百万磅的蓝莓。野生蓝莓是新斯科舍省最大的水果作物， 年出口额超过7000万美元。为了最大限度地提高浆果产量，种植者正在寻找创新的 改进收获作业的方法通常从8月开始，一直持续到9月下旬。 Frostbyte Interactive是一家总部位于新斯科舍省的技术创新公司。他们的部门和品牌 Aerhyve目前专注于不断增长的精准农业领域，使用无人机 (无人机)获取可转化为信息的数据。通过The Wild提供行业支持 新斯科舍省蓝莓生产者协会，Frostbyte一直在针对野外的系统性问题 蓝莓板块。Frostbyte希望与NSCC的应用地球信息学研究小组合作 (AGRG)调查将空间分析工具应用于从无人机收集的数据的可行性 提高蓝莓生产和采收效率。 随着无人机的使用，将在初春收集蓝莓田地的航空图像，以测量 生长前的田地，在树冠顶端再一次。植物高度将通过取差值来确定。 在山顶树冠覆盖和原始地面高度之间。然后可以使用植物高度数据来调整 采摘设备在田里移动时，从而使蓝莓产量最大化 收获。除了计算植物高度外，还将识别和绘制裸露地面区域的地图，以进行评估 蓝莓不生长的地方。这种鉴定对减少杀虫剂和除草剂有影响。 这些应用为种植者节省了大量的成本。

Nova Scotia has over 1,000 wild blueberry producers managing over 40,000 acres which generate over 40 million pounds of blueberries annually. Wild blueberries are the largest fruit crop in Nova Scotia and generates over 70 million dollars in annual exports. In order to maximize berry yield, growers are looking for innovative ways to improve the harvesting operation that normally begins in August and continues to late September. Frostbyte Interactive is a Nova Scotia based technology innovation company. Their division and brand Aerhyve, is currently focused in the growing field of precision agriculture, using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to acquire data that can be turned into information. With industry support provided through the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia, Frostbyte has been targeting systemic issues in the wild blueberry sector. Frostbyte would like to collaborate with NSCC's Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG) to investigate the feasibility of applying spatial analytic tools to data collected from an UAV to increase the efficiency of blueberry production and harvesting. With the use of UAVs, aerial imagery of blueberry fields will be collected in early spring to measure pre-growth fields and again at peak canopy. The plant height will then be determined by taking the difference between the peak canopy cover and the original ground level. The plant height data can then be used to adjust the harvesting equipment as it moves across the field, thereby maximizing the yield of blueberries during harvest. In addition to plant height calculations, areas of bare ground will be identified and mapped to assess where blueberries are not growing. This identification has impacts on reducing pesticides and herbicides applications resulting in substantial cost savings to the grower.