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Sentera NDVI NJI Cameras

Anyone had any experience with using Sentera NDVI cameras on a DJI Mavic or Phantom? Seem like a handy little set up but is actually getting useful data.

More information can be seen at DJI NDVI Upgrade | Sentera | Sense the Earth


Yes Drone University USA's Agi Instructor loves that setup. He used to have a 3DR with another NDVI sensor but once he saw my Mavic Pro and its abilities, he bought one with the Sentera and has been using it ever since.
 
Anyone had any experience with using Sentera NDVI cameras on a DJI Mavic or Phantom? Seem like a handy little set up but is actually getting useful data.

More information can be seen at DJI NDVI Upgrade | Sentera | Sense the Earth

I'm a little bias since I work for them but I fly the platform 2-3 times a week. Any questions you have I'd love to answer. I'm an engineer for Sentera.
 
upload_2018-1-25_12-30-16.png
Here is the desktop app when I’m signed in. Everyone should be calm about the field locations. Some are in no-fly zones but with our app you can upload images taken by your phone or from the drone on the ground and that is exactly what those spots are. .


upload_2018-1-25_12-30-36.png

upload_2018-1-25_12-30-46.png

Here is some data from a farmer friend who let me fly his field all year. We were able to see (and quantify) the positive affect of his waterways and predict the yield of a variety of test crops that were planted. The use of this data is still largely untapped but our platform gives you the real data in a usable/shareable way. You’ll notice these images are not actually stitched. Our desktop app is able to run on crappy little laptops with no internet. In fact these “quicktiles” (as we call them) were produced in the field minutes after the flight. Stitching is something you can do with the data for a “cleaner” feel but to get the data in your hands while in the field makes it so much more actionable.
 
I'm a little bias since I work for them but I fly the platform 2-3 times a week. Any questions you have I'd love to answer. I'm an engineer for Sentera.

I have two questions. 1. Can the upgrade kit be installed by us, rather than having to send it in? 2. Once installed, does the Drone Deploy trigger the sensor or how does that work? How is the camera triggered I guess would be the question?

Thanks in advance for your input..:)
 
Processing data in the field is not desirable, it is essential to make sure they are correct. Nobody likes the idea of having to re-record again because you didn't get quality data because of carelessness.

The applications that allow to make a processing of the images, even if it is in very low quality, to verify that everything is correct follow the correct pattern :)
 
I have two questions. 1. Can the upgrade kit be installed by us, rather than having to send it in? 2. Once installed, does the Drone Deploy trigger the sensor or how does that work? How is the camera triggered I guess would be the question?

Thanks in advance for your input..:)
We do sell kits that allow people to do the mod themselves however some relationship usually needs to be made so we can get a feel for how well you can do the work. It doesn't do us any good to sell something people cant actually use if they don't have the skills needed to do the mod.

Our single sensor is a stand alone device currently. It's remarkable size is due to its isolated status. Basically we pull power and GPS from the drone and the camera decides when you snap a photo. You can control the camera's behavior with a simple .txt file on the SD card for the camera. There are a variety of modes and variables you control to get exactly what you want but for most people its a set it and forget it deal. The recommended is a GPS overlap of 30%.

Drone deploy works with our camera however there is you small issue with the cameras assumptions about the flight. Currently the camera always assumes the drone is east facing (there are a bunch of technical reasons why that is. It may change soon but for now this produces better quality stitching). Because of this I would suggest you check out our app FieldAgent. Actually I would check it out in a week or so. Its a free app on the ios app store that works like any other 3rd party flight app but it is customized for our sensors. The reason I say wait a week or so is we have rebuilt the app from the ground up and should be releasing it very very soon. I have been flying with it and I Love it. I fly with a lot of apps, drone deploy, pix 4d, litchy, Map Pilot, Autopilot, I like to stay up on the competition, and the new FieldAgent is as good as any and better for our sensor. I can let you know the day the new app goes live.
 
Processing data in the field is not desirable, it is essential to make sure they are correct. Nobody likes the idea of having to re-record again because you didn't get quality data because of carelessness.

The applications that allow to make a processing of the images, even if it is in very low quality, to verify that everything is correct follow the correct pattern :)

Well avoiding mistakes is always the right way to go but I'm not sure what you mean by "Processing data in the field is not desirable". I have talked with a LOT of agronomists and farmers who think having the data in the field IS valuable. Asking a farmer to buy a super computer to stitch imagery is insane but asking them to wait 1 week or more (very normal time frame for cloud based stitching) means the data is now old. For very sophisticated analytics you are right that immediate actions are not yet achievable but for most farmers that want to see whats going on in the field and find problem areas to go look at closer in-the-field data is the only way to go. That's what is nice about our system. We give you the ability to act on the data immediately while also giving you the real NIR data for further analytics.
 
Well avoiding mistakes is always the right way to go but I'm not sure what you mean by "Processing data in the field is not desirable". I have talked with a LOT of agronomists and farmers who think having the data in the field IS valuable. Asking a farmer to buy a super computer to stitch imagery is insane but asking them to wait 1 week or more (very normal time frame for cloud based stitching) means the data is now old. For very sophisticated analytics you are right that immediate actions are not yet achievable but for most farmers that want to see whats going on in the field and find problem areas to go look at closer in-the-field data is the only way to go. That's what is nice about our system. We give you the ability to act on the data immediately while also giving you the real NIR data for further analytics.

Processing data in the field is not desirable, it is essential to make sure they are correct.

Reading the whole sentence is best understood. That's why I tell no one we like to have to retake the data because they haven't been checked in the field and may not be correct. "Desirable no, is essential" ;)
 
We do sell kits that allow people to do the mod themselves however some relationship usually needs to be made so we can get a feel for how well you can do the work. It doesn't do us any good to sell something people cant actually use if they don't have the skills needed to do the mod.

Our single sensor is a stand alone device currently. It's remarkable size is due to its isolated status. Basically we pull power and GPS from the drone and the camera decides when you snap a photo. You can control the camera's behavior with a simple .txt file on the SD card for the camera. There are a variety of modes and variables you control to get exactly what you want but for most people its a set it and forget it deal. The recommended is a GPS overlap of 30%.

Drone deploy works with our camera however there is you small issue with the cameras assumptions about the flight. Currently the camera always assumes the drone is east facing (there are a bunch of technical reasons why that is. It may change soon but for now this produces better quality stitching). Because of this I would suggest you check out our app FieldAgent. Actually I would check it out in a week or so. Its a free app on the ios app store that works like any other 3rd party flight app but it is customized for our sensors. The reason I say wait a week or so is we have rebuilt the app from the ground up and should be releasing it very very soon. I have been flying with it and I Love it. I fly with a lot of apps, drone deploy, pix 4d, litchy, Map Pilot, Autopilot, I like to stay up on the competition, and the new FieldAgent is as good as any and better for our sensor. I can let you know the day the new app goes live.

Thanks Peter. My degree is in Digital Computer Electronics and feel completely completely comfortable installing this add-on. Thanks for the information. And yes, if you would let us know when the app comes out, I would give it a shot. I only use DJI Go, and Autopilot at the moment, I just don't want multiple Apps on my iPad.

One last question, if we install, is the cost a little less or the same?
 
Thanks Peter. My degree is in Digital Computer Electronics and feel completely completely comfortable installing this add-on. Thanks for the information. And yes, if you would let us know when the app comes out, I would give it a shot. I only use DJI Go, and Autopilot at the moment, I just don't want multiple Apps on my iPad.

One last question, if we install, is the cost a little less or the same?

I believe installing is cheaper. You can contact our office and talk to the sales or support team that know much more than me about the costs.
 
Peter, Is there a way to stay up with the latest developments with this? Cheers

The usual suspects are probably the easiest. Social media, Facebook, emails... We are a smaller company so its easy to get news fast and talk directly with the engineers. I try to stay on top of these forums too.
 
We do sell kits that allow people to do the mod themselves however some relationship usually needs to be made so we can get a feel for how well you can do the work. It doesn't do us any good to sell something people cant actually use if they don't have the skills needed to do the mod.

Our single sensor is a stand alone device currently. It's remarkable size is due to its isolated status. Basically we pull power and GPS from the drone and the camera decides when you snap a photo. You can control the camera's behavior with a simple .txt file on the SD card for the camera. There are a variety of modes and variables you control to get exactly what you want but for most people its a set it and forget it deal. The recommended is a GPS overlap of 30%.

Drone deploy works with our camera however there is you small issue with the cameras assumptions about the flight. Currently the camera always assumes the drone is east facing (there are a bunch of technical reasons why that is. It may change soon but for now this produces better quality stitching). Because of this I would suggest you check out our app FieldAgent. Actually I would check it out in a week or so. Its a free app on the ios app store that works like any other 3rd party flight app but it is customized for our sensors. The reason I say wait a week or so is we have rebuilt the app from the ground up and should be releasing it very very soon. I have been flying with it and I Love it. I fly with a lot of apps, drone deploy, pix 4d, litchy, Map Pilot, Autopilot, I like to stay up on the competition, and the new FieldAgent is as good as any and better for our sensor. I can let you know the day the new app goes live.


So, Peter is FieldAgent now released? It appears that it might be based on your web site, but wanted to check with you first. (I DOn't want to have to do it twice);) Anyway I hope you reply to this post soon, I know that you are a busy guy!

Thanks in advance!
 
We updated all the info so everything should say FieldAgent now. The app is still at 2.7 I think. 3.0 is scheduled to be pushed out withing the next 2 weeks. I'll post here when it goes live.
 

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