Products & Services
a eld, we can service almost any part of the continent. And because our product has been developed with our continent in mind, we are constantly learning from our clients, constantly improving and making it easier to access, and always trying to keep the cost relevant to the local, African market. �at is why our introductory offer of $ 75.00( R950.00) per month for the full satellite product over any farm up to 10 000 hectares makes such sense. We wanted to bring the value usually available only to large-scale farmers in areas like the US and Europe, to farmers here.
On drones and what to look for We know that the drone space is rapidly changing, and the seemingly newest“ best thing” changes daily. What we have found, though, is to focus on what is really important: the relevant crop, sensor and requisite data. So as drones become more ubiquitous in the sky( Africa is fast approaching 3 million civilian drones in its airspace), allow us to share a few hard-earned learnings:
1. �e drone is just the vehicle for the sensor. Get a good one that will t the area that you want to observe. If the area is large elds, a xed-wing drone makes more sense, like the senseFly eBee SQ. For small areas, or areas where elephants eat your crop, a multi-rotor like the DJI Phantom 2 or 3( elephants associate their buzzing with that of bees).
2. Test, test again, and try a third time. Don ' t buy a drone in haste. Rather try a few, and nd what works best for you.
3. Get the correct sensors. If you want to observe plant health, a Near Infra-Red( NIR / NDVI) sensor is required.
4. Understand that buying the drone is only the rst step. O�en, image processing so�ware, extra training, insurance, extra batteries and spares( and a very large credit limit) is required. At DroneClouds we have learned to cut through that, by allowing farmers to send us their images, and we will process it for them.
5. �ere is no such thing as a silver bullet. What may work in one area, might not work in another. Small elds are very expensive to measure with a drone, depending on the relevant crop. Satellites make more sense over elds of single, uniform crops like maize and wheat.
6. Remember that seeing the problem area is only the rst step.
And when you do decide to buy a drone, keep the following in mind.
1. Make sure that your supplier has a service network or capability in your country. �ere is nothing as frustrating as having to wait for spares.
2. Fly safely, and learn to manage your b atteries( w h e n operating batterypowered drones) or f u e l( f o r f u e l- p o w e r e d c r a �). Rather err on the side of caution, than having to go look for a lost drone.
3. When ying in a c o u n t r y w i t h l i c e n s i n g requirements, get yourself licensed. It might be difficult or a hassle, but the e c o n o m i c opportunities for q u a l i e d d r o n e pilots around the world, especially in Africa, is rapidly increasing. By being a quali ed pilot, and connecting to your l o c a l C i v i l U n m a n n e d A v i a t i o n Association( like C U A A S A f o r Southern Africa) allows you to keep up to date with new rules, regulations, and industry expectations. It also allows others to refer work to you in times where the farming season is slow.
4. Have fun. It is a very young, rapidly c h a n g i n g a n d v e r y e x c i t i n g opportunity, especially here in Africa. We have diverse weather, topography, climate and laws, which makes it an amazing place to y. And once you have seen the bene ts that the drone industry can bring to your farm, we don ' t think you ' d want to go back.
5. R e m e m b e r: h at, s u n g l a s s e s, sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.
6. And always more sunscreen.
www. droneclouds. com
May- June 2017
FARMERS
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