scholarly journals Digital In Situ Data Collection in Earth Observation, Monitoring and Agriculture—Progress towards Digital Agriculture

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 393
Author(s):  
Mike Teucher ◽  
Detlef Thürkow ◽  
Philipp Alb ◽  
Christopher Conrad
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Digital Workflow ◽  
Web Mapping ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Ground Truth Information

Digital solutions in agricultural management promote food security and support the sustainable use of resources. As a result, remote sensing (RS) can be seen as an innovation for the fast generation of reliable information for agricultural management. Near real-time processed RS data can be used as a tool for decision making on multiple scales, from subplot to the global level. This high potential is not yet fully applied, due to often limited access to ground truth information, which is crucial for the development of transferable applications and acceptance. In this study we present a digital workflow for the acquisition, processing and dissemination of agroecological information based on proprietary and open-source software tools with state-of-the-art web-mapping technologies. Data is processed in near real-time and thus can be used as ground truth information to enhance quality and performance of RS-based products. Data is disseminated by easy-to-understand visualizations and download functionalities for specific application levels to serve specific user needs. It thus can increase expert knowledge and can be used for decision support at the same time. The fully digital workflow underpins the great potential to facilitate quality enhancement of future RS products in the context of precision agriculture by safeguarding data quality. The generated FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) datasets can be used to strengthen the relationship between scientists, initiatives and stakeholders.

scholarly journals Fig Plant Segmentation from Aerial Images Using a Deep Convolutional Encoder-Decoder Network

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Fuentes-Pacheco ◽  
Juan Torres-Olivares ◽  
Edgar Roman-Rangel ◽  
Salvador Cervantes ◽  
Porfirio Juarez-Lopez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Aerial Image ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Visual Appearance ◽  
Aerial Robots ◽  
Lighting Conditions ◽  
Convolutional Encoder

Crop segmentation is an important task in Precision Agriculture, where the use of aerial robots with an on-board camera has contributed to the development of new solution alternatives. We address the problem of fig plant segmentation in top-view RGB (Red-Green-Blue) images of a crop grown under open-field difficult circumstances of complex lighting conditions and non-ideal crop maintenance practices defined by local farmers. We present a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with an encoder-decoder architecture that classifies each pixel as crop or non-crop using only raw colour images as input. Our approach achieves a mean accuracy of 93.85% despite the complexity of the background and a highly variable visual appearance of the leaves. We make available our CNN code to the research community, as well as the aerial image data set and a hand-made ground truth segmentation with pixel precision to facilitate the comparison among different algorithms.

Identification of Agricultural Management Zones Through Clustering Algorithms with Thermal and Multispectral Satellite Imagery

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (Suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
R. B. Arango ◽  
A. M. Campos ◽  
E. F. Combarro ◽  
E. R. Canas ◽  
I. Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Clustering Algorithms ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Special Equipment ◽  
Management Zones ◽  
Ndvi Index ◽  
Cost Efficient

Precision Agriculture entails the appropriate management of the inherent variability of soil and crops, resulting in an increase of economic benefits and a reduction of environmental impact. However, site-specific treatments require maps of the soil variability to identify areas of land that share similar properties. In order to produce these maps, we propose a cost-efficient method that combines clustering algorithms with publicly available satellite imagery. The method does not require exploring the parcels with any special equipment or taking samples of the soil for laboratory analysis. The proposed method was tested in a case study for three vineyard parcels with topographical dissimilarities. The study compares different spectral and thermal bands from the Landsat 8 satellite as well as vegetation and moisture indices to determine which one produces the best clustering. The experimental results seem promising for identification of agricultural management zones. The findings suggest that thermal bands produce better clustering than those based on the NDVI index.

scholarly journals Deep Learning Based Cardiac MRI Segmentation: Do We Need Experts?

Algorithms ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 212
Author(s):  
Youssef Skandarani ◽  
Pierre-Marc Jodoin ◽  
Alain Lalande
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Cardiac Mri ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Medical Image Analysis ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Cine Mri ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Mri Segmentation ◽  
Segmentation Evaluation ◽  
Ground Truth Data

Deep learning methods are the de facto solutions to a multitude of medical image analysis tasks. Cardiac MRI segmentation is one such application, which, like many others, requires a large number of annotated data so that a trained network can generalize well. Unfortunately, the process of having a large number of manually curated images by medical experts is both slow and utterly expensive. In this paper, we set out to explore whether expert knowledge is a strict requirement for the creation of annotated data sets on which machine learning can successfully be trained. To do so, we gauged the performance of three segmentation models, namely U-Net, Attention U-Net, and ENet, trained with different loss functions on expert and non-expert ground truth for cardiac cine–MRI segmentation. Evaluation was done with classic segmentation metrics (Dice index and Hausdorff distance) as well as clinical measurements, such as the ventricular ejection fractions and the myocardial mass. The results reveal that generalization performances of a segmentation neural network trained on non-expert ground truth data is, to all practical purposes, as good as that trained on expert ground truth data, particularly when the non-expert receives a decent level of training, highlighting an opportunity for the efficient and cost-effective creation of annotations for cardiac data sets.

Digital Workflow to Enhance Reservoir Management Strategies for A Complex Oil Field Through Real Time and Advanced Engineering Monitoring Solution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julieta Alvarez ◽  
Oswaldo Espinola ◽  
Luis Rodrigo Diaz ◽  
Lilith Cruces
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Reservoir Characterization ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Reservoir Management ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Oil Reservoirs ◽  
Production Operation ◽  
Digital Workflow ◽  
Operational Decisions

Abstract Increase recovery from mature oil reservoirs requires the definition of enhanced reservoir management strategies, involving the implementation of advanced methodologies and technologies in the field's operation. This paper presents a digital workflow enabling the integration of commonly isolated elements such as: gauges, flowmeters, inflow control devices; analysis methods and data, used to improve scientific understanding of subsurface flow dynamics and determine improved operational decisions that support field's reservoir management strategy. It also supports evaluation of reservoir extent, hydraulic communication, artificial lift impact in the near-wellbore zone and reservoir response to injected fluids and coning phenomenon. This latest is used as an example to demonstrate the applicability of this workflow to improve and support operational decisions, minimizing water and gas production due to coning, that usually results in increasing production operation costs and it has a direct impact decreasing reservoir energy in mature saturated oil reservoirs. This innovative workflow consists on the continuous interpretation of data from downhole gauges, referred in this paper as data-driven; as well as analytical and numerical simulation methodologies using real-time raw data as an input, referred in this paper as model-driven, not commonly used to analyze near wellbore subsurface phenomena like coning and its impact in surface operation. The resulting analyses are displayed through an extensive visualization tool that provides instant insight to reservoir characterization and productivity groups, improving well and reservoir performance prediction capabilities for complex reservoirs such as mature saturated reservoirs with an associated aquifer, where undesired water and gas production is a continuous challenge that incorporates unexpected operational expenses.

scholarly journals Integrating Drone Technology into an Innovative Agrometeorological Methodology for the Precise and Real-Time Estimation of Crop Water Requirements

Hydrology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Stavros Alexandris ◽  
Emmanouil Psomiadis ◽  
Nikolaos Proutsos ◽  
Panos Philippopoulos ◽  
Ioannis Charalampopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Crop Water ◽  
Crop Water Stress Index ◽  
Water Requirements ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Ir Camera

Precision agriculture has been at the cutting edge of research during the recent decade, aiming to reduce water consumption and ensure sustainability in agriculture. The proposed methodology was based on the crop water stress index (CWSI) and was applied in Greece within the ongoing research project GreenWaterDrone. The innovative approach combines real spatial data, such as infrared canopy temperature, air temperature, air relative humidity, and thermal infrared image data, taken above the crop field using an aerial micrometeorological station (AMMS) and a thermal (IR) camera installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Following an initial calibration phase, where the ground micrometeorological station (GMMS) was installed in the crop, no equipment needed to be maintained in the field. Aerial and ground measurements were transferred in real time to sophisticated databases and applications over existing mobile networks for further processing and estimation of the actual water requirements of a specific crop at the field level, dynamically alerting/informing local farmers/agronomists of the irrigation necessity and additionally for potential risks concerning their fields. The supported services address farmers’, agricultural scientists’, and local stakeholders’ needs to conform to regional water management and sustainable agriculture policies. As preliminary results of this study, we present indicative original illustrations and data from applying the methodology to assess UAV functionality while aiming to evaluate and standardize all system processes.

scholarly journals Using Internet Streamed Data for Sport Visualization

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Rex G. Cammack ◽  
Paul Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Performance Analysis ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Data Flow ◽  
Tracking Data ◽  
Web Mapping ◽  
Dynamic Mapping ◽  
Complex Point ◽  
Point Data ◽  
Athlete Performance

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> In many modern sports, athlete tracking for athlete performance analysis is a common practice. Most of the time this athlete tracking is done during training sessions. At some World Tour cycling races the broadcasting company and race organizers use athlete tracking data during race events for various graphical for fans of the sport. This research attempt to use the race real time broadcast of data to produce a web mapping application that will show detailed cycling race tactics and other mapping forms in near real time. This research focuses on data flow and processing for dynamic mapping of complex point data patterns.</p>

scholarly journals Design and Evaluation of a Crowdsourcing Precision Agriculture Mobile Application for Lambsquarters, Mission LQ

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1951
Author(s):  
Brianna B. Posadas ◽  
Mamatha Hanumappa ◽  
Kim Niewolny ◽  
Juan E. Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Classification Rate ◽  
Human Centered Design ◽  
Ground Truth Data ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Design Protocol

Precision agriculture is highly dependent on the collection of high quality ground truth data to validate the algorithms used in prescription maps. However, the process of collecting ground truth data is labor-intensive and costly. One solution to increasing the collection of ground truth data is by recruiting citizen scientists through a crowdsourcing platform. In this study, a crowdsourcing platform application was built using a human-centered design process. The primary goals were to gauge users’ perceptions of the platform, evaluate how well the system satisfies their needs, and observe whether the classification rate of lambsquarters by the users would match that of an expert. Previous work demonstrated a need for ground truth data on lambsquarters in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area. Previous social interviews revealed users who would want a citizen science platform to expand their skills and give them access to educational resources. Using a human-centered design protocol, design iterations of a mobile application were created in Kinvey Studio. The application, Mission LQ, taught people how to classify certain characteristics of lambsquarters in the DMV and allowed them to submit ground truth data. The final design of Mission LQ received a median system usability scale (SUS) score of 80.13, which indicates a good design. The classification rate of lambsquarters was 72%, which is comparable to expert classification. This demonstrates that a crowdsourcing mobile application can be used to collect high quality ground truth data for use in precision agriculture.

Transforming to a smart hospital system

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nawaf Alharbe ◽  
Anthony S. Atkins
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Dynamic Control ◽  
Rfid Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Domain Experts ◽  
Smart Hospital ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Operational Processes

Purpose Expert knowledge is an important organisational resource, and organisations need to retain the knowledge learned by experience, which can be shared as part of inter-professional learning. In a healthcare context, radio-frequency identification (RFID) and ZigBee technologies can be used together, to provide real-time information for decision support and to create a secure and reliable smart hospital management information system (SHMIS) that allows the dynamic control of objects and transforms operational processes, while minimising any potential risks to patients and staff. Currently, the RFID technology in Saudi Arabia is being solely used for the monitoring of newborn infants, and some difficulties have been encountered during the different stages of tagging and monitoring. The current system in Medina Maternity and Children’s Hospital (MMCH) uses battery-powered active RFID tags, which are expensive and require routine maintenance. This study aims to discuss the way in which the MMCH in Medina, Saudi Arabia, could be transformed into an SHMIS. Design/methodology/approach The extraordinary growth of RFID and ZigBee technologies has made it possible to identify, locate and track objects in various environments in real time. The RFID technology is a non-contact identification technology that is cheap and reliable but has limited range in the case of passive tags. ZigBee has greater range and lower power consumption, giving more precise location of the object’s movements (0.6 m). Passive RFID when combined with ZigBee technology can be used to improve services provided by healthcare organisations through continuous data collection and supporting real-time decision-making, by applying expert knowledge of domain experts to data produced by communication from electronic and sensor technologies. Findings A prototype object-tracking system using RFID and ZigBee was developed to support the knowledge transformation for knowledge reasoning for decision support (KRDS), and the outcome of this research was validated with domain experts in hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Two feasibility case studies were conducted at MMCH in Saudi Arabia, to evaluate the proposed system. A survey was also conducted to address the requirements at MMCH, and the researcher adopted a range of strategy techniques, including interviews and meetings with staff, and the setting up of communities of practise (CoPs) at the target hospital. Research limitations/implications This paper has investigated the transformation process of an automatic healthcare tracking and monitoring systems for the purpose of developing a smart system in Saudi hospitals. For the scope of the project, the prototype implementation was restricted to a laboratory environment, to demonstrate the proposed proof of concept. The next phase will include conducting a scale up of the system, with implementation and testing done in a real hospital environment. Originality/value This paper proposes a prototype application of an (SHMIS that allows the dynamic control of objects and transforms operational processes, while minimising any potential risks to patients and staff.

BYANJON: A Ground Truth Preparation System for Online Handwritten Bangla Documents

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Shibaprasad Sen ◽  
Ankan Bhattacharyya ◽  
Ram Sarkar ◽  
Kaushik Roy
Keyword(s):  
Extraction Procedure ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Word Segmentation ◽  
Text Line ◽  
Line Extraction ◽  
Manual Intervention ◽  
Ground Truth Generation ◽  
Class Labels ◽  
Text Line Extraction ◽  
Ground Truth Information

The work reported in this article deals with the ground truth generation scheme for online handwritten Bangla documents at text-line, word, and stroke levels. The aim of the proposed scheme is twofold: firstly, to build a document level database so that future researchers can use the database to do research in this field. Secondly, the ground truth information will help other researchers to evaluate the performance of their algorithms developed for text-line extraction, word extraction, word segmentation, stroke recognition, and word recognition. The reported ground truth generation scheme starts with text-line extraction from the online handwritten Bangla documents, then words extraction from the text-lines, and finally segmentation of those words into basic strokes. After word segmentation, the basic strokes are assigned appropriate class labels by using modified distance-based feature extraction procedure and the MLP ( Multi-layer Perceptron ) classifier. The Unicode for the words are then generated from the sequence of stroke labels. XML files are used to store the stroke, word, and text-line levels ground truth information for the corresponding documents. The proposed system is semi-automatic and each step such as text-line extraction, word extraction, word segmentation, and stroke recognition has been implemented by using different algorithms. Thus, the proposed ground truth generation procedure minimizes huge manual intervention by reducing the number of mouse clicks required to extract text-lines, words from the document, and segment the words into basic strokes. The integrated stroke recognition module also helps to minimize the manual labor needed to assign appropriate stroke labels. The freely available and can be accessed at https://byanjon.herokuapp.com/ .

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