Drones, big data, practical application cornerstones for agricultural enhancement
Crop production is getting a boost thanks to high-tech methods of collecting, managing and analyzing data that are being used by Texas A&M AgriLife researchers and others.
“Researchers with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, along with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agents and experts at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Purdue University, have been creating a platform for collecting and analyzing data from images provided by unmanned aerial vehicles,” said Juan Landivar, Ph.D., director for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi. “This process of gathering ‘big data’ for analysis and interpretation for practical application on the farm can be used toward the improvement of various agricultural crops.”
Initial development of that platform, now the cornerstone of the Texas A&M AgriLife Digital Agricultural Program, DAP, was supported by funding from Cotton Incorporated, Landivar said. This funding made it possible for researchers to collaborate with digital experts to investigate and develop ways for improving cotton production…