UAS seminar with practical demo

Posted 25 February 2014

Watch the video on our YouTube channel.

How unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can benefit Precision Farming was the topic of a seminar held at Harper Adams University last month.

The event, held on January 30, aimed to provide an introduction to UAS and also illustrate practical farm-based strategies for their development and promotion through education, research and commercial initiatives.

It coincided with the official opening of the new Agricultural Engineering Innovation Centre building on campus – the home of the National Centre for Precision Farming (NCPF), which was behind this seminar in partnership with URSULA Agriculture

Head of Engineering at Harper Adams, Professor Simon Blackmore, said: “UAS offer potential to farmers, land managers and the agricultural supply chain by delivering timely information on crops and livestock through the means of high-resolution aerial imagery.

“Recently, UASs have gained more interest from the academic and business communities and as a result, low cost model-scale systems have begun to proliferate.

“This seminar provided an introduction to their use and delegates were able to attend live demonstrations and discussions.”

Topics of the sessions included the economics of UAS, UAS in Precision Livestock Farming and Regulatory Framework and Training Requirements. Two delegate discussions took place and networking was encouraged.

Among the speakers were Gerry Corbett of the Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Mark Palmer of Agrovista, and Jonathan Gill of the NCPF, as well as other NCPF academics.

This video shows highlights from the practical UAS demo which took place during the day. This was run by KOREC, a company specialising in the supply innovative surveying, mapping, machine control and geospatial positioning technology.