Why conduct the UAV Coffee Project?
The use of remote-sensing technology to monitor the Earth’s surface is not new. Satellites orbiting the Earth currently provide remotely sensed data, but they focus on large areas of the planet’s surface. Aerial photography obtained by on-board pilots has been available for decades, but it is expensive. What is new in Herwitz’s research is the platform — the UAV — on which the digital cameras are mounted. The UAV promises several advantages over other platforms. It requires no on-board pilot and can fly at low altitudes targeting only the portion of the Earth’s surface under study. The aircraft, because it is solar-powered, eliminates expensive fuel costs. In the future, researchers envision that the airplane will be able to ‘loiter’ in the air over the region of interest for days or weeks at a time, or until weather conditions are best for data gathering. The coffee plantation provides an ideal laboratory for the demonstration. If it succeeds, the project not only will pave the way
