Precision agriculture using pose georeferenced analytics
Precision agriculture methods and systems where drone images of an agricultural field are captured by a UAV and analyzed to generate information regarding the agricultural field. Items of interest are identified in the images, the pixel-space locations of the items of interest are determined, and the world-space locations of the items of interest are then determined using the pixel-space locations. The transformation from pixel-space location to world-space location occurs without transforming the images or processing transformed images.
1. A precision agriculture method, comprising:
receiving a plurality of drone images of an agricultural field that are captured by an imaging system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the imaging system includes at least one camera that includes poses comprising internal parameters and external parameters;
analyzing each one of the drone images using at least one computer processor, wherein the analyzing includes for each one of the drone images:
identifying at least one weed in the drone image and determining a pixel-space location of the at least one weed in the drone image; and
applying a transform to the pixel-space location to determine the world-space location of the at least one weed in the drone image using transform parameters that are determined by using the poses, including the internal parameters and the external parameters, of the at least one camera, wherein the internal parameters include one or more of: a pixel-space location of an optical center of the camera; a physical dimension of the camera; a pixel-space dimension of the camera; a focal length of a lens of the camera; and coefficients of a distortion model which describe distortion of the lens;
and saving the world-space locations for all of the weeds from all of the drone images in data storage; and
producing a spot spray weed prescription for the agricultural field using the world-space locations of the weeds.
2. The precision agriculture method of claim 1 , wherein the drone images include a first plurality of drone images having a first field of view and a second plurality of drone images having a second field of view that is less than the first field of view, and wherein the transform parameters are determined by:
receiving external parameters of the first plurality of drone images; and
determining external parameters of the second plurality of drone images using the external parameters of the first plurality of drone images.
3. The precision agriculture method of claim 2 , wherein the external parameters of the first plurality of drone images are determined by performing a one-camera photogrammetry-calibrated pose generation process.
4. The precision agriculture method of claim 1 , wherein the drone images include a first plurality of drone images having a first field of view and a second plurality of drone images having a second field of view that is less than the first field of view, and wherein the transform parameters are determined by:
performing a two-camera photogrammetry-calibrated pose generation process.
5. The precision agriculture method of claim 1 , wherein the UAV includes a navigation system, and the external parameters of the at least camera are determined using the navigation system.
6. The precision agriculture method of claim 1 , wherein the analyzing is performed in real-time on the UAV and the at least one computer processor is located on the UAV, or the analyzing is performed in real-time remote from the UAV and the at least one computer processor is located remote from the UAV.
7. The precision agriculture method of claim 1 , wherein the analyzing is post-analyzing performed on the UAV and the at least one computer processor is located on the UAV, or the analyzing is post-analyzing performed remote from the UAV and the at least one computer processor is located remote from the UAV.
8. A precision agriculture method, comprising:
using a camera on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to capture a plurality of drone images of an agricultural field, the camera includes poses comprising internal parameters and external parameters, the UAV including a navigation system, and the external parameters of the camera are determined using the navigation system;
analyzing the plurality of drone images, without generating a mosaic, using at least one computer processor, wherein the analyzing includes:
identifying individual weeds in the plurality of drone images and determining pixel-space locations of the individual weeds in the plurality of drone images; and
applying a transform to the pixel-space locations to determine the world-space locations of the individual weeds in the plurality of drone images using transform parameters that are determined by using the poses, including the internal parameters and the external parameters, of the camera, wherein the internal parameters includes one or more of: a pixel-space location of an optical center of the camera; a physical dimension of the camera; a pixel-space dimension of the camera; a focal length of a lens of the camera; and coefficients of a distortion model which describe distortion of the lens; and
producing a spot spray weed prescription for the agricultural field using the world-space locations of the individual weeds.
9. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , further comprising producing a count of the weeds.
10. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of drone images include a first plurality of drone images having a first field of view and a second plurality of drone images having a second field of view that is less than the first field of view, and wherein the transform parameters are determined by:
receiving external parameters of the first plurality of drone images; and
determining external parameters of the second plurality of drone images using the external parameters of the first plurality of drone images.
11. The precision agriculture method of claim 10 , wherein the external parameters of the first plurality of drone images are determined by
performing a one-camera photogrammetry-calibrated pose generation process.
12. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of drone images include a first plurality of drone images having a first field of view and a second plurality of drone images having a second field of view that is less than the first field of view, and wherein the transform parameters are determined by:
performing a two-camera photogrammetry-calibrated pose generation process.
13. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , wherein the navigation system on the UAV includes an inertial measurement unit and a global navigation satellite system sensor; and comprising determining the external parameters of the camera from the inertial measurement unit and the global navigation satellite system sensor.
14. The precision agriculture method of claim 13 , further comprising a navigation filter that receives data from the inertial measurement unit and from the global navigation satellite system sensor to determine the external parameters.
15. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , wherein the external parameters comprise camera location and camera orientation.
16. The precision agriculture method of claim 15 , wherein the camera orientation comprises yaw, pitch, and roll; or the camera orientation comprises omega, phi, and kappa.
17. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , wherein the pixel space location of each of the individual weeds is identified as a point representing the center of the individual weed, a bounding box containing the individual weed, or an outline of the individual weed.
18. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , wherein the world-space locations are saved in a file that can be read by a herbicide sprayer to turn herbicide spray nozzles on and off over the world-space locations in the agricultural field.
19. The precision agriculture method of claim 8 , wherein the pixel-space location of the at least one weed is a point representing the center of the weed, a bounding box containing the weed, or an outline of the weed; the world-space location of the at least one weed is a point representing the center of the weed, a bounding box containing the weed, or an outline of the weed; and the spot spray weed prescription is a file including the world-space locations of the weeds that can be read by a herbicide sprayer to turn herbicide spray nozzles on and off over the indicated world-space locations in the field.
20. A precision agriculture system, comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with an imaging system that captures a plurality of drone images of an agricultural field, the imaging system includes at least one camera that includes poses comprising internal parameters and external parameters, wherein the internal parameters includes one or more of: a pixel-space location of an optical center of the camera; a physical dimension of the camera; a pixel-space dimension of the camera; a focal length of a lens of the camera; and coefficients of a distortion model which describe distortion of the lens; and the imaging system further includes a navigation system that determines the external parameters of the at least one camera;
at least one computer processor;
a storage device comprising instructions, which when executed by the at least one computer processor, configure the at least one computer processor to:
analyze each one of the drone images, including for each one of the drone images:
identify at least one weed in the drone image and determine a pixel-space location of the at least one weed in the drone image;
apply a transform to the pixel-space location to determine the world-space location of the at least one weed in the drone image using transform parameters that are determined by using the poses, including the internal parameters and the external parameters, of the at least one camera; and
save the world-space locations for all of the weeds from all of the drone images in data storage.
21. The precision agriculture system of claim 20 , further comprising a first camera that captures a first plurality of drone images having a first field of view and the at least one camera that captures a second plurality of drone images having a second field of view that is less than the first field of view.
22. The precision agriculture system of claim 21 , wherein the transform parameters are determined by:
receiving the external parameters of the first plurality of drone images; and
determining external parameters of the second plurality of drone images using the external parameters of the first plurality of drone images.
23. The precision agriculture system of claim 22 , wherein the external parameters of the first plurality of drone images are determined by
performing a one-camera photogrammetry-calibrated pose generation process.
24. The precision agriculture system of claim 21 , wherein the transform parameters are determined by:
performing a two-camera photogrammetry-calibrated pose generation process.