How to use Skippy Scout

Skippy is a mobile app that can be downloaded for use on a smartphone.

Skippy will automatically fly your drone to selected points in a field and send you high resolution, leaf level images and a whole field overview.

Then Skippy analyses the captured images and sends you a field report, with % healthy crop, unhealthy crop, weeds and insect damage.

The whole process takes minutes, not hours.

You’ll need:

A compatible drone system
Check out the list of compatible models, or contact us and we’ll sort you out!
An iOS or Android device
The newer, the better, or some drone systems come with Android built-in

1.1 Sign up to Skippy Scout

Sign up for an account → https://client.skippy.farm/register

Or contact us and we’ll get it sorted for you

Once signed up, you’ll get a QR code on-screen, its also emailed to you, keep it on-screen or be ready to access it, you’ll need it in step 1.3. Or take a photo of the QR code now with the device you’ll use for Skippy.

1.2 Download the Skippy Scout app for your device

1.3 Activate the app

Open up the app and be sure to grant all the required permissions - Skippy needs access to your location, Bluetooth and photos to work properly.

Then you’ll need to use your QR code to activate your account.

You can scan the code with your device camera, or choose saved image of the QR code:

Scan the code

On another screen, get the code up on-screen
Or print it!
Choose ‘scan code’ on the Skippy Scout app
Frame the QR code in the camera view
You might need to move closer or further away to register it
The app should now activate and start syncing your account.

Use a saved code

If you took a photo of the QR code already, nice. If not, open the email you received when you signed up on you device.
Save the QR code image on your device.
In the Skippy Scout app, ‘choose image from reel’
Select the QR code image and the ap should activate and sync your account.

Having issues? You might need a new QR code for some reason, login to your account (https://client.skippy.farm/) and go to ‘Activate new device’ to see a new code, and try that!

2.1 Add your first Farm and Field

Open the app and choose ‘Map’
Tap ‘add new field’
Tap the field you’d like to add on the map
Choose ‘Create Field’
Type the name of the farm this field belongs to
Or if you already added the farm, choose ‘select farm from list’
Type the Field name
Choose ‘Save’
If you’re in England we’ll get the field boundary from our database
If not, you’ll need to draw the boundary
You can also import many field boundaries at once if you have them in other software → Import field links
You can edit the boundary if needed or re-draw it, otherwise choose ‘save boundary’
Next, ‘select crop type’ that is growing in the field
Then, add the planting date for this crop and choose ‘Set Crop’
Optionally add the see rate, or skip this step
Optionally set the row direction for the crop, or skip
Important for row based crops like Potatoes, useful for all crops as the image direction will match.
Done! You can now take a Scout Sphere of your field
That's a high level field overview

screen recording added here

2.2 Add Scout Points

Adding Scout Points to the field tells the drone where to go to capture close-up images with leaf-level detail for analysis.

If you’re still on the screen for the field you just added, choose ‘Add Scout Points’
Or, from the home screen navigate to the field on the map and tap it, or choose map > fields & farms list to find the field.
Tap on the map within the field boundary to add points
You also have a few other options for scout points…

💠 Automatic Grid

You can use the default Scout Point Grid group.
This is fast and simple and will give you even coverage across the field.

Coming Soon

🛰️ Fieldmaps

Import a map to guide point placement.
Satellite maps from another app? Soil maps? Yield maps? Use them to add scout points in areas of the field that are different.

🌐 Scout Sphere

Capture a Scout Sphere first and use the Spheres interface to place scout points
Get a whole field overview fast, and within minutes use it to add scout points.

See how to capture on in the next step…

groups how to link

NewFieldmaps_iOS_2024.mp4

https://vimeo.com/842793537/2f6e0e9f01

Once you’ve added some Scout Points, you can do a full field scout flight…

3.1 Your first Flight

New drone? Make sure you activate it and fly it in the DJI app first

Used your drone at all yet? Read the manual, watch an intro video and go for a fly. Then its time for Skippy Scout to take over.

https://www.youtube.com/@DJITutorials

Try and choose a take-off location that gives a good line-of-sight of the whole field, to avoid signal loss and to allow you to monitor the drone flight.

If you have any issues during flight, press ‘PAUSE’ and then you can take back control of the drone.

If you haven't flown the drone for a while, or you have moved more than 20 miles from your last flight location, its best to do a compass calibration first.

Charge your batteries, and go to the field you added above.

Get the drone out, ready to fly and power it and the RC controller on
Connect the RC controller to your device running the app if needed
Launch the Skippy Scout app, choose ‘Scout Now’, select the field → ‘Scout this Field’
You’ll enter the landscape flight screen, if you haven't connected the drone and RC yet, do it now
Issues? Try unplugging and plugging back in!
For Android → https://droneag.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/SS/pages/1648656385/Using+Skippy+Scout+on+Android#Drone-connection-issues%3F
Once connected, the app will run a camera and storage check on the drone and wait for a GPS position lock, then you’re ready to fly!
Issues? → Troubleshooting
Now you can choose what kind of flight you like to do:

🎛️ Scouting Only Flight

The drone will automatically fly around the field collecting close-up images of the crop.

These are then analyzed to provide crop metrics.

🌐 Sphere Only Flight

The drone will automatically fly high above the center of the field and capture images in all directions.

These are then combined to provide a 360 degree aerial view of your field.

🌐 🎛️ Scout Sphere Flight

This combines both flights into one, and take the longest.

The drone will capture the Sphere overview, then drop down and fly to capture close-up images at each point.

3.2 Choose FLY NOW

Tap Fly Now to begin the flight
The drone will take off and proceed to its safe flight height for that field
Then it will fly to the first point and begin capturing images
Monitor the drone flight via the screen - be aware of any other aircraft approaching the field
You can choose ‘pause’ to hold the drone at its current location, or ‘fly home’ to initiate the drone returning early.
Once the flight is complete, the drone will return to land and images will begin downloading from the drone to your device.
Be sure not to power of the drone or controller until this is complete.
Once the image download is complete, your flight is complete.
Image upload to our servers will begin if you have an internet signal.
If not, images will be uploaded for analysis once you acquire internet signal.
Your results will be emailed to you once processed, usually within 10 minutes of upload being complete.

You can also access you data in your account portal → https://client.skippy.farm/

See below for guides on specific functions.

More specific how-to guides

Take a look amore specific guides for your setup and use cases…

Using Skippy Scout on Android Using the DJI RC Pro/Enterprise How to use DJI RTK drones Troubleshooting

Using the Reports Portal Using Scout Spheres Importing Field Boundaries Getting VRA Maps

Using Skippy Scout for Nitrogen guidance Using Skippy Scout for Pesticide guidance SFI: Claim using Skippy Scout