2 Research Description
2.1 Problem Definition
• Aerial photo of crop fields is needed to enable
farmers make the right decision about kind and
amount of treatment at the right time and the right
location within a field.
• Turn around time of the aerial photo is more
important to farmers than data accuracy. Usually
the farmers need the information within 24 hours
of acquisition.
• A system that enables the farmers to make fast turn
around time of the aerial photo of the crop field is
needed.
• Cost is important matter, this includes low first
time investment and low operational and
maintenance cost.
• Ease of operation is also important matter,
considering the availability of human resources
quality.
2.2 Research Objective
• Design and implement an UAV platform which is
small enough to be operated from typical crop field
in Indonesia without the need of special airstrip.
The proposed launching method is by hand, so the
UAV platform should be able to do short take off
and landing (STOL, short take off and landing).
• Design and implement a low cost autonomous
autopilot navigation system that will be used to
automatically navigate the UAV to cover the crop
field to produce the mosaic aerial photo
• Design and implements a simple flight planning
software that will generates waypoints covering
the crop field optimally
• Design and implement payload management
system onboard the UAV that enable the automatic
timing of digital camera shutter release for aerial
photo taking
• Design and implement a post processing software
that automates the mosaicking process of the aerial
photos, so the turn around time will be fulfilled
• For future development : development of specific
payload for precision agriculture other than digital
camera (such as bio chemical sensor,
environmental sensor, weather sensor, etc)