Soil Color Characteristics From Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Images and Possible Applications

Abstract

The development of the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), their reduction in cost and mass production, and the ability to carry various measuring devices have led to an expansion of the capabilities of remote sensing of agricultural fields. The development of methods for monitoring agricultural fields has led to the emergence of several areas of application of optical devices, which are mostly aimed at studying vegetation. The characteristics of the soil are studied much less frequently, since most of the year it is covered with snow or vegetation, and only in the spring or after plowing does the soil become available for study using unmanned aerial vehicles. In this regard, the authors do not consider ground-based methods for studying soil, since they are well developed and widely known. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically and comprehensively study the application of UAV remote sensing of soil systems that are feasible for analysis. In this article, we review the available literature and present the results of our own research in the field of using UAVs to study the color characteristics of soil. The presented results will be useful for improving the understanding of UAV applications for monitoring soil characteristics.