Radar Drones Transform Soil Moisture Monitoring: Cranfield University Leads Innovation for Flood and Drought Management
Cranfield University is spearheading a groundbreaking two-year project aimed toward revolutionizing soil moisture monitoring through the fusion of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
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Synthetic Aperture Radar utilizes radio waves to generate detailed images of the Earth’s surface by bouncing waves off objects, measuring their return time, and integrating the information to create high-resolution maps. The project, under the leadership of Dr. Dan Evans, seeks to judge the accuracy and potential applications of this progressive technology in soil moisture monitoring.
In accordance with a Cranfield University press release, the initiative goals to boost flood and drought risk management by acquiring precise soil moisture measurements at the sector scale. These measurements will assist farmers in making informed decisions regarding irrigation and preparing for extreme weather events. Furthermore, the technology holds promise for assessing the soundness of railway embankments.
The project also intends to determine the effectiveness of radar-based soil moisture measurements across various land use contexts, encompassing grasslands, arable farmlands, and woodlands.
In collaboration with Surveyar Ltd and other academic partners, Cranfield University secured funding of £30,000 from the Douglas Bomford Trust to support this endeavor.
The utilization of radar-equipped drones guarantees to streamline soil moisture measurements, overcoming the laborious, time-consuming, and dear nature of traditional methods. These drones offer continuous, cost-effective measurements of soil moisture as much as 40 centimeters deep, a critical depth for plant growth and yield. While initial findings suggest the efficacy of UAV-based radar in assessing soil moisture, the project will delve into how above-ground vegetation influences the accuracy of those moisture data across diverse land use contexts.
Cranfield University, alongside partner institutions reminiscent of the University of Stirling and the University of Missouri, will conduct comparisons between UAV-based radar data and standard ground-based measurements to validate the accuracy of UAV radar relative to existing methodologies. If successful, this technology might be prolonged to applications reminiscent of biomass mapping and yield measurements.
Dr. Dan Evans, Lecturer in Soil Formation at Cranfield University, emphasized the project’s ambition to push the boundaries of radar technology through the combination of UAVs.
“Through mounting synthetic aperture radar onto drones, we will conduct comprehensive radar surveys of fields, providing us with detailed measurements of soil moisture. This has significant implications for managing flooding and drought risks. With increasingly warm summers and the threat of maximum weather events, monitoring soil moisture becomes crucial for optimizing irrigation practices and mitigating the impact of flooding.
“Our goal is to validate the accuracy of UAV radar compared to traditional methods, paving the way in which for scalable and cost-effective soil moisture monitoring solutions.
“This technology has immense potential not just for agriculture but additionally for environmental monitoring, biomass mapping, and yield measurement.”
The project holds promise for transforming soil moisture monitoring practices, offering a possible breakthrough in flood and drought management strategies.
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