UAE to use drones to map agricultural areas

Drones will soon be used to survey and map agricultural areas in the UAE, it was announced on Monday. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) has invited several professional drone companies in the UAE to carry out the pilot phase of the project.

Commencing in the second week of June, this phase will include surveying and mapping Wadi Al Khib area (500 sqm) in the emirate of Fujairah via the cutting-edge technology.

Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: "Using a drone-enabled aerial mapping system is the ideal solution to generate high-resolution, highly efficient aerial data, including topographic mapping, contouring, vector mapping and textured 3D city models. This data will be systematically analysed to produce accurate statistical information that is updated constantly.

"We hope through this project to create a highly accurate agricultural database that supports decision making and forward planning."

Some of the types of data to be collected through the project include the number of temperature-controlled greenhouses (chilled and outdoor temperature greenhouses); area of windbreaks; infertile land area; area of farm buildings and facilities; number of wells in a farm; soil type and salinity, and livestock population (camels, cows, sheep, goats, and horses, among others). In addition, data on the number of beehives on a farm; farm area and geographical boundaries; farm classification (crop farm, animal farm or mixed); area of temporary and permanent crops; number of palm trees; and other fruit trees will also be collated.

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