Sentera Adds Gimbaled NDVI Data Capture to DJI Phantom 4 Drone Series

Sentera has announced the availability of a Micro Gimbal upgrade for Sentera Single sensors mounted on the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone platforms. The micro gimbal compensates for drone pitch and roll so that the imagery is captured closer to a straight-down (nadir) position. Sentera's latest offering will help ag professionals collect more uniform normalised difference vegetative index (NDVI) or normalised difference red edge (NDRE) data across a wider range of operating and environmental conditions.

Drone pitch and roll, especially in windy conditions or higher-speed operations, alter the angle at which a photo is taken relative to the ground. Deviations away from "straight-down" can slightly bias the vegetative index measurement derived from that photo. Helping ag professionals access consistently better data was a driving force behind the latest advancement.

“Our most sophisticated sensors compensate for the angle of the sun and the camera relative to the ground, known as the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, or BRDF,” said Ryan Nelson, Sentera's chief mechanical engineer. “The micro-gimbal product eliminates part of the variability that arises from BRDF for our smallest and most affordable imagers. Once the imager is stabilised with the micro gimbal, the remaining effects, like those due to the position of the sun in the sky, can be largely eliminated in software.”

Simple and Seamless Integration

The Micro Gimbal Upgrade easily integrates onto the Phantom 4 Pro, Advanced, or Standard drone platform. As with Sentera's traditional NDVI and NDRE Single Sensor upgrades, the micro gimbal upgrade does not change the performance or function of the factory-supplied gimbaled RGB camera.

Current owners of a Phantom 4 drone with a Single Sensor Upgrade can perform the micro gimbal installation themselves. Micro Gimbal upgrades will be installed by Sentera or an authorised dealer when included with a new Phantom 4 crop scouting solution or a new Single Sensor upgrade.

It Starts with the Sensor

All Single sensor variants are compatible with Sentera's Micro Gimbal. Sentera NDVI and NDRE Single Sensors feature high-sensitivity global shutter imagers and low-distortion optics for aerial data collection. Every Sentera Sensor includes a 12 month subscription to Sentera FieldAgent, allowing users to autonomously fly, make in-field assessments, perform analytics, and integrate data products with the digital platform of their choice.

Sentera's Micro Gimbal Upgrade will retail for US$699. Visit Sentera's website or contact a dealer near you to learn more about the product.