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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Jonesboro, Arkansas » Delta Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #407791
Research Project: Optimizing the Management of Irrigated Cropping Systems in the Lower Mississippi River Basin

Location: Delta Water Management Research

Title: Small unmanned aircraft systems and agro-terrestrial surveys comparison for generating digital elevation surfaces for irrigation and precision grading

Author
item PICKET, RICHARD - Arkansas State University
item NOWLIN, JOHN - Arkansas State University
item HASHEM, AHMED - Arkansas State University
item Reba, Michele
item ALSBROOK, SCOTT - University Of Arkansas
item Massey, Joseph

Submitted to: Drones
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2023
Publication Date: 10/26/2023
Citation: Picket, R., Nowlin, J., Hashem, A., Reba, M.L., Alsbrook, S., Massey, J. 2023. Small unmanned aircraft systems and agro-terrestrial surveys comparison for generating digital elevation surfaces for irrigation and precision grading. Drones. 7(11):649. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7110649.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7110649

Interpretive Summary: Many agricultural processes need a good elevation surface to be implemented, i.e. irrigation planning, this paper quantifies the value of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) based photogrammetry, to create these elevation surfaces. This research compares high precision, real-time kinematic (RTK) sUAS photogrammetry to the current ground surveying (agro-terrestrial) methods, to determine if the aerial survey technique can characterize the relief of a field, as well as RTK-based ground surveying. This was done by surveying a recently prepared field with an sUAS and the with ground methods at three different spacings. Then comparing the resulting elevation points and interpolated surfaces, and quantifying the differences. We determined that RTK sUAS technology is likely an improvement agro-terrestrial methods. The surface produced by RTK sUAS photogrammetry is far higher precision and at least as accurate, in relative elevation terms. These findings should benefit workers who are planning irrigation and land grading operations.

Technical Abstract: Advances in remote sensing and small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) have been applied to various precision agriculture applications. However, there has been limited research on the accuracy of Real Time Kinematic (RTK) sUAS photogrammetric elevation surveys, especially in preparation for precision agriculture practices that require precise topographic surfaces, such as increasing irrigation system efficiency. These practices include but are not limited to precision land leveling, placement of levees, multiple inlet rice irrigation, and computerized hole size selection for furrow irrigation. All such practices rely, in some way, on the characterization of surface topography. While agro-terrestrial (ground-based) surveying is the dominant method of agricultural surveying, aerial surveying is emerging and attracting potential early adopters. This is the first study of its kind to assess the relative accuracy, precision, time and cost efficiency of RTK sUAS surveying versus agro-terrestrial techniques. Our findings suggest sUAS are superior to ground survey methods in terms of relative accuracy and produce much more precise raster surfaces than ground based methods. We also show that this emergent technology reduces cost and the time it takes to generate agricultural elevation surveys.