UAVOS Demonstrates Opportunity of Autonomous Technology in Forestry
UAVOS, a developer and manufacturer of security and commercial solutions based on advanced Unmanned Systems, has completed a drone-based forest inspection project to assess the general timber environment. Combining digital data and UAVOS's customized software has provided innovative analysis of forestry data. UAVOS's methodology is an advance for forestry, allowing foresters not only to optimize and improve the way data is collected and analyzed on a daily basis but also helping to reduce environmental risks and to generate economic wealth in the sector. The project has been carried out under partnership with a forestry and land management company.
UAVOS employed a dedicated Borey fixed-wing aircraft equipped with a digital camera. The goal of the project was to analyze high accuracy spatial data and create a 3D line map from airborne digital photogrammetry and telemetry. The high-precision aerial images allowed UAVOS team to automatically identify symptoms of tree pests and diseases, assess general tree health, and conduct illegal logging activity assessments. Utilizing drones aimed to extend scope to assess long term decline of slow acting bark beetles in pine stands, which are major pests of conifer forests in the world.
“Our approach to project management is to restrict the spread of bark beetles by annual aerial surveys around the edge of a quarantined area followed by destruction of infested trees. Detection of disease would be achieved by producing orthorectified layers”, - said Aliaksei Stratsilatau, CEO at UAVOS.
Processing data for this project was undertaken using artificial neural networks (ANNs) and UAVOS’s proprietary AI software, designed specifically for large survey datasets. The results will be used to identify and optimize forest management activities.
“Our project’s outcome demonstrated the ability to comprehensively survey nearly 1000 acres (400 hectares) of forest area, using the Borey unmanned aircraft, in only a few weeks time,” said Aliaksei. “Borey equipped with a digital camera also showed the significant cost-effective benefit that could be gained from employing the quick - deployment unmanned platform to capture forest landscape.”
4 August 2022