Editor Note: This article is a summary of “How Microsoft’s new drone deal will help farmers combat crop disease”, authored by Julie Gabel.
Microsoft recently signed an agreement with DJI, an civilian drone and aerial imagery technology company, to bring drones to farms across the world.
This partnership combines DJI commercial drone technology and Windows 10 PCs technology to bring full flight control and real-time data transfer capabilities.
“Together, we are bringing unparalleled intelligent cloud and Azure IoT capabilities to devices on the edge, creating the potential to change the game for multiple industries spanning agriculture, public safety, construction and more,” says executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise Group, Scott Guthrie.
How could this help farmers?
Microsoft (FarmBeats) and DJI’s technology aggregates and analyses data from aerial and ground sensors to detect heat, light and moisture to provide visual insights into crops and soil. This would give farmers access to quickly identify crop stress and disease, pest infestation, or other issues that may reduce yield.
