A new scouting application (app) allowing farmers to monitor their fields and report on crop health, has recently been released.

The app aims to relieve farmers of time-consuming, manual on-foot scouting and promises a more intuitive, guided experience. It allows for remote crop monitoring and features clear visuals and a problem-tree detection algorithm that pinpoints stressed trees in the orchard. In addition, it can be used as a tool to manage pest infestations and diseases.

Once the drone data has been collected, features such as scout missions allow users to assign further on-site ground assessments and crop treatment interventions to other team members. All data is Global Positioning System-referenced, allowing for follow-up and accountability.  

The Aeroview InField app was developed by Aerobotics, a Cape Town-based agritech company that processes data from drone and satellite imagery through its proprietary artificial intelligence software. Its tools are used to identify and analyse problems affecting individual trees and vines on a farm.

The app was designed on the backbone of an existing app, Aeroview Scout, with the additional feature of allowing users to add more than one marker per tree. This allows for multiple data points, aimed at more precise data capturing. Markers can be accompanied by custom notes, photos taken on a smartphone and qualifying data of in-field problems.

Another updated feature is the inclusion of improved reporting structures, with custom thresholds for pests, which can be shared with others. Weekly reports can be downloaded in various formats.

The new app can also facilitate upcoming software developments such as drone scouting, which allows farmers who own and fly drones to collect data when needed. The tool is used to control the drone and position it within a 5 m range of stressed trees, to capture a 360° visual of each tree. The data is then interpreted to identify potential problems.

A feature planned for the near future is yield management, which aims to helps farmers make informed decisions on how much fruit to thin during the early stages of the season and to optimise the yield at harvest.