FieldAgent - Mobile Stand Count

FieldAgent - Mobile Stand Count

  Overview

    Mobile Stand Count from Sentera

The Mobile Stand Count feature for FieldAgent Mobile (iOS app) is intended for quickly processing shareable Stand Count results from the field’s edge. The video below shows it populating in real time: 

Mobile Stand Count from Sentera



A map result will be shareable immediately after processing. Sharing options include text message, iMessage, email, and any other iOS supported applications.


Mobile Stand Counts processed on FieldAgent for iOS are run through the same steps as FieldAgent Web and Desktop and thus users can expect the same results.


 NOTE: Stand Count on FieldAgent Mobile (iOS app) will not upload the underlying imagery associated with each numbered disc on the map. To attach imagery to the numbered discs, Stand Count must be reprocessed using FieldAgent on Web or Desktop.



Requirements

Although there are a few requirements for processing Mobile Stand Counts with FieldAgent Mobile, it is worth noting that online connectivity is NOT a requirement to generate a stand count*!  

FieldAgent Subscription Type

Stand Count on FieldAgent Mobile (iOS app) requires users to have an Enterprise, Advisor Standard, or Advisor Premium License.


For more information on pricing, view our pricing page .

Sensor

The following sensors are supported:

  1. Sentera Double 4K Analytics on a DJI M300 or Sentera PHX
  2. DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2 built in RGB Sensor
  3. DJI Mavic 2 Pro built-in RGB Sensor
  4. DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise built-in RGB Sensor


Sensor

Flight Altitude

Sentera Double 4K - Analytics

150ft

DJI Mavic 2 Pro

50 ft

DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2

50 ft

DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise
50 ft

iOS Device

Mobile Stand Count only works on iPads . The newer the iOS device, the faster Stand Counts will process.  You will also need a microSD card adapter that is compatible with your iPad.

Crop Types

  1. Corn
  2. Cotton
  3. Potato
  4. Soybeans

Crop Size

Plants should be at least 4 inches leaf across, leaf tip to leaf tip. Rowfill mode will be used when plants within a row are touching. Stand Counts can not be performed when the space between rows is covered by crop canopy.

Uploading (*online connectivity)

The iPad that is generating Mobile Stand Counts must be connected to the internet in order for Stand Count results to be uploaded to the cloud and accessible on the Web and Desktop. A field must also be selected when running Stand Counts so that the Stand Counts have somewhere to upload. File sizes on Stand Counts are designed to be extremely small, so as not to interfere with low data caps or connections in areas with slow connectivity.




How to use

Flight Planning for DJI Drones on FieldAgent Mobile

After setting an area or line, and camera: 

Choose the Stand preset. This will set the correct altitude for your camera and set the overlap to capture at ~1 stand count per acre.

Flight Planning for FieldAgent Mobile


The boundary buffer for Stand Counts is set to 100ft. This will cause Stand Counts over small fields (less than 50 acres) to have much less than one Stand Count per acre. Lowering the boundary buffer (as it is safe to do so) will allow the drone to fly closer to the edges of the field and thus capture more of the field.

 WARNING: DJI Mavic and Phantom drones are set to fly at 50 feet in order to collect the imagery with the correct resolution. Use caution when flying at low altitudes.

Non-Flat Terrain and Obstacles

When flying over non-flat terrain, Terrain Informed  Flight Planning should be turned on as well. Note that while processing Mobile Stand Counts does not require an internet connection, planning a terrain informed flight DOES require an internet connection.


Terrain Informed Flight Planning



WARNING:  Concave flight boundaries with surrounding trees should be replanned as line missions.

Look closely at planned flight routes before pressing launch. Some flight patterns over concave flight boundaries may cut through the boundaries. Cutting through the boundary is the most efficient path, but not the safest.

To solve this problem, clear the flight plan and, in the order the drone can safely fly, select all the locations where you would like to capture an image for Mobile Stand Count. Planning flights in this manner also makes it less likely that images are captured over areas where a Stand Count may not be possible (i.e., over terracing or irrigation channels). See below for an example of a custom planned line flight that ensures the drone will not cross over trees while capturing photos.

Custom planned line flight in FieldAgent Mobile

Running Mobile Stand Count

1. After flight, remove the SD Card from your sensor or drone and insert into an SD card reader attached to your iOS device. 

SD card in iOS Device


2. From the Home Screen, tap the menu option for Dashboard and select Review Drone Imagery

3. Select Allow Access.

Review Images and Allow Access


4. When prompted, select the SD Card in the finder window and then click  Done FieldAgent will automatically search the SD Card for flights. Flights will be organized by date and time with the most recent flights on top.


Unless necessary, select the SD Card name and not a lower level folder.


 5. Select the flight you’d like to run a Mobile Stand Count and then select Create Report at the bottom of the screen. If necessary, deselect or other non-RGB takeoffs.

Select flight in FieldAgent


5. Confirm the properties and edit as necessary.

Confirm properties in FieldAgent Mobile


Uploading results to the cloud requires a field selection. Click Field and choose from your list of fields. You may need to switch organizations to find an existing field. 


Choose your field in FieldAgent Mobile


6. Once you’ve confirmed the properties, select Start. 

Viewing and Analyzing Results

After analyzing a subset of images results will begin to populate on the screen quickly! This video below shows the process in real time:

Mobile Stand Count from Sentera

Progress Bar

A progress bar at the bottom of the screen provides an estimate for how much time remains in processing the selected Mobile Stand Count images.

Progress bar for Mobile Stand Count


Numbered Discs

As images are processed, discs will appear on the screen in place of the white photo-dots at each image location.

Analyzing the discs for Stand Count


Each Stand Count disc displays the detected number of plants per acre and is colored according to how that number compares to the other Stand Counts on the screen. Dark green indicates a higher Stand Count, red indicates a lower Stand Count.


Recoloring of discs happens in real time. In the example below, a Stand Count in the lower right turns from red to orange as more images are processed.


Showcasing Mobile Stand Count as its processed ---> Showing Mobile StandCount as its processed


The discs can be selected to preview the image at that location. Select a disc and then press the magnifying glass to preview the annotated image at that location full screen.


Mobile Stand Count - Preview images          Annotated images for Mobile Stand Count                             

PDF Report

Stand Counts can be shared as a PDF report after processing.


1. Click edit report to open the PDF editing feature and share.

2. Click the Add Notes section and type in any notes you’d like to add to the report.

Building a report in FieldAgent Mobile


3. When you are done, click the Share Icon  in the upper right corner and share using your preferred sharing method.

Accessing Previously Created PDF Reports

1. Click on the gear settings icon from any page in the mobile app and then My Past Surveys .

2. Select My Stand Counts.

Viewing past surveys in FieldAgent Mobile


3. Select the survey date you’d like to view.

Looking at Survey Data in FieldAgent Mobile


4. Share the report using the share icon in the lower right corner.

View the report in FieldAgent Mobile

Sharing to the Cloud

Underlying images will not be uploaded to the cloud. Make sure you import your images to FieldAgent to save and sync the data.

Sharing to the cloud happens automatically  when a field was selected before processing and the iPad was connected to the internet when processing was completed.

Access Stand Counts generated by FieldAgent Mobile in the Web or Desktop by visiting the field page that the Stand Count was associated with and viewing the map layers.


Stand Count by Sentera



      

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