Precision Agriculture with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for SMC estimations – Towards a more Sustainable Agriculture

This master thesis is reviewing the latest published research on remote sensing technology in the agricultural sector, for soil moisture estimations towards a more sustainable precision agriculture. Modern, exciting new technological innovations will also be presented, along with the sustainable aspect of conventional agriculture with more precise agricultural practices. The synergy between UAS, SMC and sustainability are the focus of attention for this review thesis, as the possibilities and opportunities this can open for us can be of significant advancement in profitability and precision agriculture. As precision agriculture evolves and grows, the potential and opportunities also follow. The new field of unmanned aerial systems demonstrates this. There are several sectors the unmanned aerial vehicle is being welcomed with open arms, only within the agricultural sector, it has shown to be of great value for crop yield and biomass estimation. It takes little energy to run and operate and it can be from a green power source. As we all should move towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle, industries, businesses and corporations are no exceptions. Agriculture is a major contributor to the climate change and environmental destruction, we should make a change to a more sustainable method of farming, with precision agriculture we are making this shift. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the fundamental research for future implementation and introduction of remote sensing technology with a UAV. This thesis highlights these areas, to assist in closing the gap between researchers and endusers. By increasing the precision and applying inputs like artificial fertiliser and pesticides/herbicides at a correctly variable amount and time, a reduction of the inputs and the environmental disruption should follow, which results in an increase in the profitability for the farmers, and less environmental damages