UK based Drone AG is launching a first-of-its-kind app that scouts fields for you, in less time
and in more detail. All you need is a smartphone and a small drone.
After choosing a field the Skippy Scout app flies your drone for you, collecting high resolution
imagery at various points in the field. These are downloaded straight to your phone and can
be analysed for Growth Stage, Green Area Index, Weeds and Disease. You can then share
the data from your phone at the fields edge.
Drone AG has been offering farming-focused drone systems and certified training for over 3
years, and this is their first move into software which is a fast growing area in modern
agriculture.
“In terms of taking and analysing photos, it’s like other crop scouting apps you can get,
except with Skippy your phone camera can fly around the field by itself” says Drone AGs
Jack Wrangham.
“ It makes field scouting more efficient through the use of affordable drone
systems, which many farmers and agronomists already own. The aim is to save time, while
also providing more information which can be easily shared.”
“You can use popular drone systems like the DJI Mavic and Phantom series, using an iOS
based mobile phone. These drone systems can be purchased for as little as £500, so the
cost of entry is relatively low” said Jack.
Flying drones professionally needs a licence from the CAA. This means those that provide
services to others, such as Crop Consultants will need to do a 2 day course and flight test to
obtain their PfCO (Permission for Commercial Operations from the CAA). However the CAA
has recently confirmed that a farmer operating a drone on their own land does not need a
commercial license.
Jack says “It’s great to have confirmation on this from the CAA, as it’s been a grey area for
so long. Whilst it means farmers don’t need a full license, they should still follow the drone
code – keeping the drone within line-of-sight and below 400ft.”
“As the technology develops and becomes more intelligent, flights beyond line-of-sight will
become safe enough to allow and we’ll start to see true drone automation on the farm. Using
a drone to scout a field is just the beginning of our goal to develop super-simple software
that uses drones (not just airbourne!), smart phones, automation and AI to enable more
efficient farming, with less hassle!”
The Skippy Scout app will be free during its launch and testing phases, starting in
November.
