Development Of Low-Cost Multi-Spectral Cameras For Precision Agriculture

Abstract

The demand for low-cost multispectral cameras is rising in the agricultural sector for precision farming. Spectral indices provide valuable information about crop health, being essential for making efficient decisions about crop management. In this work, the authors present the prototype of a new low-cost multispectral camera for precision agriculture. Its main characteristics are its reduced price compared to other cameras in the industry, its high spatial resolution, and the possibility of exchanging the optical filters to measure different wavelengths. A commercial Silios camera helped to calibrate Pandora's bands. The validation approach compares the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values obtained with Pandora and Silios. The surfaces analysed were bare soil, a potato crop and wood. Pandora has performed promisingly on all surfaces, with errors below 1%. The results indicate that the new prototype is competitive with other models on the market, and its flexibility is a significant advantage. Further testing and calibration are currently underway.