Extreme Weather Presents Risks to Farmers. Better Analytics Can Help Mitigate the Damage.

Sentera Launches Crop Damage Analytics Platform

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

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Sentera, a Minnesota corporation specializing in agricultural analytics, recently announced the launch of its Crop Damage analytics platform to aid in critical decision-making around mitigation strategies for unforeseen weather events. Amidst increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather patterns caused by global warming, technology to help farmers and other customers protect their crops is increasingly important- the American Farm Bureau Federation reported that 2022 was the third-costliest disaster year event in history, with more than $21.4 billion in crop and rangeland losses.

Technology can help. As Eric Taipale, chief technology officer of Sentera, stated in a press release: “We can’t regulate the weather or many other events that can damage crops, but we can control how quickly we can respond to losses. Crop Damage analytics offers customers fast, precise, and accurate insight into the location and extent of damage. Customers can use this information to inform mitigation and update management strategies to optimize profitability or an agronomic outcome.” Sentera’s data tools turn aerial imagery into actionable, plant-level information, resulting in improved decision-making ability and allowing for the optimization of “boots on the ground” resources.

This flexible approach is built on UAV technology, showing its increasing influence across the agricultural sphere. Sentera’s flexible sensor packages, installed on drones like the DJI Mavic 3, utilize additional cameras alongside the drone’s main cameras, which can be used in conjunction with Sentera’s data models to determine measurements like canopy cover, crop area, crop health, elevation & hydrology, flowering, height & lodging, residue cover, and stand count. The new Crop Damage analytics platform can use this data to help inform resource allocation, replanting, and crop management. In addition, Sentera’s Crop Damage solutions can also streamline the crop insurance process, aiding in efficient and accurate claim processing. While extreme weather events remain an operating risk for agricultural clients, better data models can undoubtedly provide farmers with the information they need to react.

Read more:

• Sentera Announces Double 4K Sensor Compatible with DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise
• Enterprise Scale: DJI Introduces New P4 Multispectral for Precision Agriculture and Land Management
• Drones in the Agriculture Sector: Five Ways Intelligent UAS are Helping Growers Meet Demand
• senseFly and Microsoft Plant Drone Farming Solution

Ian McNabb is a staff writer based in Boston, MA. His interests include geopolitics, emerging technologies, environmental sustainability, and Boston College sports.