Glossary/Index

Drone

[Hardware]: Remotely controlled or automated flying machine.

Supported Drone Models

M3E

[Hardware]: DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drone.

Supported Drone Models

M3M

[Hardware]: DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral drone.

Similar to the M3E, with added NIR, RE, Red and Green bands.

Supported Drone Models

Nest / Dock / Base Station / DIAB

[Hardware]: Drone in a box, a system that protects, houses and charges the drone, launches it without the need for a person on-site.

(Not to be confused with RTK base stations / GNSS stations)

Using Base Stations with Skippy Scout (DIAB)

RTK Base-station / Mobile GNSS station / DJI D-RTK 2

[Hardware]: mobile GNSS stations, including RTK versions used for drone positioning, utilise receivers & antennas to precisely determine location via satellite signals. Similar to tractor-mounted RTK modules, they provide high-precision positioning (<5cm), compared to standard GPS (~1-5m).

RC Pro

aka RC Enterprise (M3E/M3M)

[Hardware]: Radio controller with built in Android that can be used with certain DJI drones.

Using the DJI RC Pro/Enterprise

Skippy Scout

[Topic]: Platform developed by Drone Ag which utilises drones, mobile devices and the IoT (Internet of Things) to automate, improve and speed-up crop monitoring and broader farm planning operations.

Sphere / Scout Sphere

[Skippy feature/data/end-result]: Describes both the image and the interface on which the image is viewed; image is high-resolution, 360° panorama, captured at 100m above field centre (Sphere or Scout Sphere mode). Web-based interface displays image and overlays relevant data (field boundary, scout points, Fieldmaps*, statistics etc.). User can zoom for inspection, flatten for assessing field-scale variability & add scout points for future visits and monitoring. If Scout Sphere flight is completed, scout data will also be accessible for full agronomic inspection within interface.

Report

[Skippy feature/data/end-result]: A PDF generated from data produced by a scout flight; includes field average stats, a heatmap, and point specific stats for each scout point visited in a given flight/field.

Scout / scout flight

[Skippy flight mode]: A flight that visits Scout Points, taking photos at low-altitude and producing a report.

Scout Point

[Skippy feature]: A location in a field, a point of interest, where the drone will take a photo of the crop close-up/low-altitude.

Crop Cycle

[Skippy feature]: Describes the currently assigned crop type and plant date in a field on Skippy Scout, important for calibrating Skippy’s AI.

Scout Point Group

[Skippy feature]: A group of Scout Points; these can be selected/switched between in bulk, for different purposes including monitoring known weed patches or herbicide efficacy, performing full scout etc.

Can also be used to divide a field into segments to monitor sub-cropping, field-scale trial plots, cultivation methods and so on.

Sphere flight

[Skippy feature]: A flight which captures only a Sphere; drone will automatically fly to the centre of mass of the field at 100m in altitude, it will then capture a 360° panorama. At the end of the flight this will be sent to the cloud, where it will be stitched.

Scout Sphere flight

[Skippy feature]: A flight which combines low-altitude scouting with high-altitude Sphere, produces a “full” Sphere and a report.

Fieldmap

[Skippy feature]: Any kind of map you can add as a layer in-app to help guide scouting.

Using Fieldmaps

Sphere Map

[Skippy feature]: A Fieldmap automatically generated after a Sphere flight, made by snipping the image of the field from the Sphere image, using the field boundary as a “cookie cutter”. The Sphere Map is then available within the Skippy Scout app* to guide scouting.

*(Currently iOS only)

Multispectral / MS

[Topic]: In agricultural remote sensing, “multispectral” refers to captured image data from multiple specific wavelengths (bands) of light, such as red, green, blue, near-infrared and red edge, which can be used to analyse and monitor crop health, soil conditions, and vegetation characteristics.

RGB

[Wavelength/band]: Red, Green & Blue wavelengths, the primary colors of light used in electronic displays/screens & imaging systems/cameras, similar to the way our eyes perceive color. In remote sensing this allows for the detailed visualisation and analysis of vegetation, water bodies, and other features.

NIR

[Wavelength/band]: Near-Infrared; a wavelength of light just beyond the visible spectrum, slightly longer than red light. In remote sensing, it is used to detect and analyse vegetation health, moisture content, and other surface properties due to its sensitivity to plant reflectance characteristics.

RE

[Wavelength/band]: Red Edge; a specific range of wavelengths in the EM spectrum, situated between the red and NIR bands. In remote sensing applications, the Red Edge band is particularly valuable for assessing plant health and physiological properties, capturing subtle changes in chlorophyll absorption and reflectance, aiding in the identification of stress and growth stages in vegetation.

NDVI

[Spectral index]: Normalised Difference Vegetation Index; a multispectral index or algorithm that uses the red (Red) and NIR reflectance bands to calculate the density and health of vegetation by measuring the difference between near-infrared (which vegetation strongly reflects) and red light (which vegetation absorbs).

NDRE

[Spectral index]: Normalised Difference Red Edge; an index that uses RE and NIR reflectance bands to assess crop health and vigor. It has an advantage over NDVI in late-season monitoring because it can better detect stress and changes in chlorophyll content when vegetation is denser and NDVI becomes over-saturated.

VARI

[Spectral index]: Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index; a vegetation index that measures vegetation greenness using visible light wavelengths, designed to be less sensitive to atmospheric effects like haze when compared to NDVI and other indices.