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Annual Survey of Mining Companies, 2019Mining
Annual Survey of Mining Companies, 2019
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This report presents the results of the Fraser Institute’s 2019 annual survey of mining and exploration companies. The survey is an attempt to assess how mineral endowments and public policy factors such as taxation and regulatory uncertainty affect exploration investment. The survey was circulated electronically to approximately 2,400 individuals between August 20th to November 8th, 2019. Survey responses have been tallied to rank provinces, states, and countries according to the extent that public policy factors encourage or discourage mining investment.
We received a total of 263 responses for the survey, providing sufficient data to evaluate 76 jurisdictions. By way of comparison, 83 jurisdictions were evaluated in 2018, 91 in 2017, 104 in 2016, and 109 in 2015. The number of jurisdictions that can be included in the study tends to wax and wane as the mining sector grows or shrinks due to commodity prices and sectoral factors.
Like last year’s survey, this year’s survey also includes an analysis of permit times.
The Investment Attractiveness Index takes both mineral and policy perception into consideration An overall Investment Attractiveness Index is constructed by combining the Best Practices Mineral Potential index, which rates regions based on their geologic attractiveness, and the Policy Perception Index, a composite index that measures the effects of government policy on attitudes toward exploration investment. While it is useful to measure the attractiveness of a jurisdiction based on policy factors such as onerous regulations, taxation levels, the quality of infrastructure, and the other policy related questions that respondents answered, the Policy Perception Index alone does not recognize the fact that investment decisions are often sizably based on the pure mineral potential of a jurisdiction. Indeed, as discussed below, respondents consistently indicate that approximately 40 percent of their investment decision is determined by policy factors.
The top The top jurisdiction in the world for investment based on the Investment Attractiveness Index is Western Australia, which moved up from 2nd place in 2018. Finland moved into 2nd place after ranking 17th the previous year. Nevada moved down two spots from 1st in 2018 to 3rd in 2019. Alaska ranked 4th this year, and Portugal improved from 46th in 2018 to 5th in 2019. Rounding out the top 10 are South Australia, the Republic of Ireland, Idaho, Arizona, and Sweden.
The bottom When considering both policy and mineral potential in the Investment Attractiveness Index, Tanzania ranks as the least attractive jurisdiction in the world for investment. This year, Tanzania replaced Venezuela as the least attractive jurisdiction in the world. Also in the bottom 10 (beginning with the worst) are Argentina: Chubut, Argentina: La Rioja, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Zambia, Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Nicaragua.
Policy Perception Index: A “report card” to governments on the attractiveness of their mining policies While geologic and economic considerations are important factors in mineral exploration, a region’s policy climate is also an important investment consideration. The Policy Perception Index (PPI), is a composite index that measures the overall policy attractiveness of the 76 jurisdictions in the survey. The index is composed of survey responses to policy factors that affect investment decisions. Policy factors examined include uncertainty concerning the administration of current regulations, environmental regulations, regulatory duplication, the legal system and taxation regime, uncertainty concerning protected areas and disputed land claims, infrastructure, socioeconomic and community development conditions, trade barriers, political stability, labor regulations, quality of the geological database, security, and labor and skills availability.
The top Finland displaced Saskatchewan from the top spot this year with the highest PPI score of 100. Finland was followed by the Republic of Ireland in the second place, which moved from 4th in the previous year. Along with Finland and Ireland the top 10 ranked jurisdictions are Nevada, Utah, Western Australia, Alberta, Idaho, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, and Arizona.
The bottom The 10 least attractive jurisdictions for investment based on the PPI rankings (starting with the worst) are Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Argentina: Chubut, Argentina: Mendoza, Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Guinea (Conakry), and Argentina: La Rioja.
Authors:
Ashley Stedman Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute
Elmira Aliakbari Associate Director, Natural Resource Studies, Fraser Institute
Jairo Yunis Junior Policy Analyst
Doosan Infracore pilots Concept-X XiteCloud 3D drone survey at Peru mine construction site
Doosan Infracore has launched XiteCloud, its new smart construction solution, in South Korea. XiteCloud is the first step towards the commercialisation of Concept-X, the company’s integrated unmanned and automated control solution, first demonstrated to the world in 2019. It has relevance for mining too including mines in the construction phase.
XiteCloud maximises productivity by incorporating complex 3D drone construction surveys and earthwork calculations into a cloud platform, allowing them to be completed in just one to two days.
XiteCloud has already been applied at a pilot project in Peru, ahead of the development of a large-scale mine in the country. It says the client was greatly satisfied with the service, particularly the regular drone-based surveys and the sophisticated construction management results. An executive of the client company said, “XiteCloud provides a comprehensive project progress management service which serves to increase trust between client and contractor.”
Doosan Infracore plans to expand XiteCloud’s applicability to large-scale construction equipment by exploiting 5G mobile technology and telematics. Having successfully launched XiteCloud in the domestic market, Doosan Infracore now plans to start its overseas launch in the near future, including Europe. With XiteCloud, a contractor can manage multiple tasks such as surveys, terrain analysis, equipment operation and construction management on a single platform, thereby reducing construction costs and saving time while increasing work accuracy, which in turn raises productivity. The solution even makes it possible to digitise earthwork site information into three dimensions as well as to analyze rock formations. Since it is cloud-based, XiteCloud makes it easy for stakeholders, including contractors and clients, to join forces and manage the progress of a given project together.
Even on unfriendly terrain such as steep slopes and cliffs, XiteCloud calculates exact work volumes using advanced drone-based surveys. By analysing vast amounts of field data quickly and accurately, XiteCloud completes construction surveys and earthwork calculations, which typically take as long as two weeks, within a day or two.
In November 2019, Doosan Infracore held a Concept-X demonstration event at its performance test site in Boryeong, Korea, and introduced the construction site of the future, which will be characterised by a high concentration of advanced unmanned and automated technologies. “Concept-X is a comprehensive control solution that encompasses the entire construction process, including drone-based surveys, automatic analysis of topographical data, construction planning, and unmanned construction machinery and control centre operations,” said an executive of Doosan Infracore. “We will launch various solutions in stages even before the full-scale commercialisation of Concept-X, with the launch of XiteCloud marking the very first step towards that goal.”
Why is Hydrography Survey important
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and features description present underwater that affect maritime navigation, dredging, marine construction, offshore oil exploration/offshore oil drilling and related activities. Conducted under authority concerns, Hydrography is mainly carried out by means of sensors, sounding or electronic sensor system for shallow water.
Hydrography is performed to map the underwater bottom with a high level of accuracy that help correlation and interpretation of the data obtained from other methods that measure thickness from the bottom, which yield sub-bottom information and allow a quality check of the results.
Since the surface being mapped cannot be observed directly or occupied, it is necessary to infer topography from depth measurements of deducing underwater topography from numerous discrete observations of depth at positions throughout the survey area. The activity uses the raw data collected through hydrographic survey into information usable by the end user. However, the quality of its product depends on the accuracy and density of these observations. But why is it important to keep under water features and measurement in check?
Importance of Hydrography
Ships and fishing boats use hydrographs to establish whether an area is safe to head into, either in advance or while on the water. It is important to obtain the underwater measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of all other marine. While the objective is to delineate the shape of a portion of the earth’s surface concealed by water, a strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, seabed and submerged obstructions that relate to the previously mentioned activities.
Navigation
According to Jennifer Birdsall, SEAFLOOR SYSTEMS INC. Marketing Coordinator, Hydrographic Survey serves an extremely important function due to its inherent association with ocean going vessels. To ensure that large vessels fully laden with petroleum products passes unobstructed and undamaged through navigational channels and canals, highly accurate surveys are required on a consistent basis.
Seafloor Systems has a wide dealer network in Africa as well as extensive users in the Civil Construction and Mining industries. Their Seafloor USV and Echosounder products have found use in Egypt, Mozambique, Morocco, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Accuracy
In his opinion Sean Strevens of Cheetah Marine Says that, hydrographic survey is done to obtain accurate river and coast data to allow safe shipping and mining.
Cheetah Catamarans are renowned in the commercial world where time at sea is dictated by the weather conditions a boat can operate in. The company sells direct to their customer from their factories in the UK and Portugal.
Dredging
Regional Sales Manager at Teledyne Marine, Nico van Woerkom says that, doing Hydrographic surveys on cm level accuracy helps one to know the
From the seafloor to the surface…
Teledyne Marine delivers solutions
Teledyne Marine is a group of leading-edge undersea technology companies that have been assembled by Teledyne Technologies Incorporated. Through acquisitions and collaboration, over the past 14 years Teledyne Marine has evolved into an industry powerhouse, bringing the best of the best together under a single umbrella. Each Teledyne Marine company is a leader in its respective field, with a shared commitment to providing premium products backed by unparalleled service and support.
www.teledynemarine.com
depth of the Port/rivers and one can easily determine where dredging should take place or if dredging is required.
”Knowing the exact depth can save millions of dollars on maintenance. Inspection of breakwaters using our multibeam technology is also an essential part of the surveys,” says van Woerkom.
Teledyne Marine is a group of leading-edge subsea technology companies that are part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated. Their Products can be found in Ports for dredge maintenance and surveys, on rivers to measure water flow and discharge and hydrographic surveys.
Total cost / budget control
“Hydrography originated to ensure safe travel to seafarers and prevent grounding, saving thousands of life. Hydrographic survey became one of the principal pillars supporting the growth of countries having access to maritime and fluvial trade routes,” says David Vincentelli, iXblue, Manager at the Sea Operation division.
“It is therefore the baseline for any development of the African blue and green economy, supporting the development or the extension of ports, fairways, allowing new touristic development or lowering the cost of exporting raw materials or manufacturing goods. Not only supporting the economy, it is also one of the key science to understand the impact of extreme climate events and the impact of climate changes in general,” he adds. oceanographic, geophysical survey and marine environmental assessment in any African countries and any region.
Their products are widely used in Africa in the following countries, Cabo Verde, Morocco, Seychelles, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Senegal, Tunisia, Gabon, Madagascar, Egypt,
Eritrea, Angola, Algeria, Libya, Kenya and Tanzania.
Delineating Maritime Boundaries
As a Hydrographic Surveying expert, Raphael Pacot, Deparentis Managing Director, believes that, Hydrographic surveying is essential on several levels. At the national scale, a good awareness of the situation makes it possible to assert one’s rights by delineating maritime boundaries, and thus to claim the natural resources in national waters, fishing, oil and gas.
Close to the coasts, hydrographic survey allows the control and maintenance of accesses, waterways, ports, to ensure safe navigation. The stakes here are vital. It should Pacot adds that, the hydrographer’s expertise is essential for every construction project, maritime works, and installation of outfalls, power cables or telecommunications such as fiber optics, coastal development or erosion control.
Based in Dakar, Senegal, DEPARENTIS specializes in coastal hydrographic activities, inland navigation and port related services in West Africa. The company carries out investigations at sea from survey vessels specifically designed and equipped for this purpose. They are also involved in topobathymetric surveys on the coastline with LiDAR or photogrammetry.
Safety
According to Deparentis, safety is the first consideration as the activities involve exposure to water environment and conditions for which one must prepare: training and anticipation are the keys to safe practice. Technically, the project requirements are obviously those of the customer. However, there are international standards and norms, which are published by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
“We have to adapt our capabilities and methods to meet a wide variety of needs. For example, a bathymetric survey takes different forms depending on whether it is a question of calculating dredging volumes, producing an accurate chart of a port or a navigational area, or carrying out a coastal protection survey over several kilometers of coastline. We cannot require our clients to master norms and standards, or to be informed of the latest state of the art. This is why we owe them the
advice that is an essential part of our business, so that we can finally deliver the best service: the one they need,” says Pacot.
Mr. van Woerkom adds that, hydrograpic survey is essential to ensure safe shipping on rivers, channels and Ports.
Stability and Effeciency
According to Mr Strevens, When conducting hydrographic survey, the key factors to look out for is the vessel stability, fuel efficiency and easy engine maintenance.
“Another factor to consider is the Hydropod for the multibeam systems and if it does not need re calibrating between survey sites<” he adds.
Environmental Conditions
When it comes to environment conditions, Seafloor Systems suggests one of the main factors to consider when conducting hydrographic survey are the environmental conditions, and what data set you’re looking to achieve.
Conferring with iXblue perspective, there are several other factors that contribute to a successful hydrographic survey, this are: - Vicinity of port and local support (crane, warehouse) - Availability of vessels, crews or potential local surveyors - Custom process for foreign manpower and imported equipment - Permitting - Local knowledge (expected water depth, geology, weather risk…) Other factors include: -Labor cost, -Equipment cost -Transportation -Efficiency -Acuracy & result -Easy to operate or not This is in respect to Frank Kong, the Project Manager for OceanAlpha Group Limited.
Oceanalpha manufactures Unmanned Surface Vessel/Autonomous Surface Vehicle. The company helps professionals in, water sampling, hydrography survey, patrol & drowning rescue. Their products are in use in Africa as well in countries like South Africa, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, and Morocco.
The maintenance
Frank Kong, of OceanAlpha says that, as per the standard of different equipment, including physical and software maintenance, there is need to comply with operation procedure as per different equipment ‘ requirement.
Regular calibration procedures
robust, the major maintenance are to be anticipated trough regular calibration procedures and signal quality control. Nowadays a large panel of equipment is accessible from low cost plug and play systems with short life cycle to auto-calibrated, robust and long life cycle equipment.
“I would say the major maintenance procedure that is common to any hydrographic survey equipment is the field operators education background and continuing education. All major equipment manufacturers and hydrographic offices or regional hydrographic societies have developed or are developing e-learning capacities, webinar or other continuing education materials,” continues David Vincentelli from iXblue, and also president of the Francophone Hydrographic society.
Proper cleaning
Like all equipment deployed in the field in extreme environments, proper maintenance, operation and care is critical to the long term availability of the equipment. With hydrographic survey equipment, you have the added influence from salt water which requires proper cleaning and maintenance, this is according to Jennifer Birdsall of Seafloor Systems Inc.
Training
Mr. van Woerkom of Teledyne concludes that, training Hydrographic surveyors is key as this will help the surveyors know how to use the equipment correct and how to achieve best accuracies for data collection, data processing, modelling can do volume/differential calculations.
iXblue: Opening up new horizons
iXblue is a global high-tech company specializing in the design and manufacturing of advanced autonomous and marine technologies. The group in-house expertise includes innovative systems and solutions devoted to inertial navigation, subsea positioning, underwater imaging, as well as shipbuilding.
The company’s products and solutions are perfectly suited for challenging environments where GPS is not available, and address a wide range of applications such as hydrographic, oceanographic and geophysical surveys, marine environmental assessment, offshore and renewable energies applications, or underground mining.
Vision
Through their mastery of the key technologies of autonomy, of the sea and of photonics (on which all of the company’s inertial navigation systems are based), iXblue contributes to the mutations of the world and are opening up new horizons.
Vertical integration
iXblue has end-to-end control of its value chain, from the design work carried out in its engineering offices through to manufacturing in the company’s own production shops. This brings great flexibility and agility to the company, allowing it to adapt better to the specific needs of its customers and to market trends.
R&D
Research and development is central to the company’s activities and iXblue is recognized as a pioneer in many technical disciplines. This focus on innovation has enabled the company to establish and maintain a leading position in its strategic markets over the past three decades.
iXblue in African countries
iXblue products are widely used in Africa, with close to 20 countries already using the company’s systems. Those include Fiber-optic based (FOG) navigation systems (gyroscopes and INS), acoustic subsea positioning systems (Gaps USBL, Canopus LBL), seafloor mapping sensors, as well as DriX unmanned surface vessel (USV).
All of iXblue products and solutions can be purchased locally through a network of partners. They are also used locally by international companies on the occasion of major contacts.
For the past ten years iXblue Sea Operations division, that conducts surveys around the world, was furthermore involved in many survey operations in the following countries of the region (starting from the most recent experiences):
Cabo Verde (on-going), Morocco (ongoing), Seychelles, Reunion Island (ongoing), Mauritius, Senegal, Tunisia, Gabon, Madagascar, Egypt, Eritrea, Angola, Algeria, Kenya and Tanzania.
During those surveys, iXblue is especially attentive to develop equipment that aim to: • Reduce the environmental impact of such surveys • Reduce the human risk exposure when working at sea • Contribute to the gathering of georeferenced and calibrated data.
AGRICULTURAL DRONES: Why a modern farmer needs a drone
Drones are becoming increasingly important in agriculture and in these modern days, more and more farmers are considering purchasing a drone. In fact, farmers are now turning to high-level drone technology that can provide them with fast and efficient solutions.
The agricultural industry is now embracing drone technology and using these advanced tools to transform the modern farming. The use of drone technology in agriculture is currently helping agricultural businesses meet the changing and growing demands of the future. Moreover, high-tech drones allow farmers, and the drone pilots that operate them, to increase efficiency in certain aspects of the farming process, from crop monitoring to planting, livestock management, crop spraying, irrigation mapping, and more.
According to a recent report by Markets and Markets, the agriculture drones market is expected to grow from US $1.2 billion by 2019 to US $4.8 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 31.4%. The pressure on global food supply due to growing world population and increase in venture funding for the development of agriculture drones are a few of the key factors driving the growth of this market.
Importance of drones in agriculture
The use of drones for precision agriculture continues to evolve as the industry matures, and new technology is introduced that help to accomplish difficult and time consuming tasks and at the same time reducing cost on agricultural activities. The evolution of drone software and its overall affordability also account for the increased application of drones. Let’s now explore how drones can be used for agriculture, more specifically.
Crop yield
According to Justin Cunningham, Hitec Commercial Solutions, LLC Drone Sales Manager, the value of drones in the agricultural industry is increasing exponentially. In the past, most farmers needed to use a full-scale aircraft which is extremely expensive and not an efficient use of time or money.
“Now, drones are able to quickly deploy when needed, provide higher quality data at a fraction of the cost and allow the farmer or land owner to grow with technology while improving crop yield,” he adds.
Remote sensing
Drones are helpful especially when it comes to determining crop yield and crop health in the form of NDVI imagery, in Africa, drones are used to monitor deforestation and locust swarm movements, disaster management, This is according to Mirjam Bäumer, Microdrones Marketing Manager.
With reference to Nikita Prokofev, Head of agriculture at Geoscan Ltd., nowadays, there are two main applications for remote sensing drones: land management and multispectral mapping for variable rate fertilization.
i. Land management
Land management is based on the measurement of each field border position and area. This is vital information for resource planning, because amount of seeds, fertilizers, water and employee’s workload depends strictly on the arable land area. Also at this stage elevation maps can be built which is very useful for water management. Variable rate application (VRA) is more complicated and requires compatible machinery such as sprayers and spreaders. VRA is a part of precision agriculture which has proven its efficiency multiple times in various conditions
and on different crops. The idea of this method is quite clear: fertilizers should be applied depending on the crop needs, and should not be applied at the zones where vegetation is non-viable or where there is no vegetation at all. So the task is to make the map of plant requirements, i.e. reveal vegetation zones.
Multispectral mapping
Justin Cunningham , says that, utilization of multi-spectral sensors gives the farmer the ability to target a specific area in their crop that may need particular attention, measure plant health, generate maps to provide prescribed health if needed and optimize efficiency of fields. The farmer can also use other sensors to quickly assess storm damage, identify any damage to the fencing or infrastructure, determine optimal foraging areas if they farm livestock, monitor livestock movements and customize surveillance of their property.
“Drones are easy-to-use tools for multispectral mapping. Obtained imagery is processed up to reflectance maps and then either vegetation indices or a composite map is built. This data is used at classification stage as an information of crop health or nitrogen deficiency. Eventually, prescription maps are exported and loaded in the field computer or controller installed at the tractor, sprayer, etc,” says Nikita Prokofev.
Crop Surveillance
Matthieu Lefebvre, Wingtra Sales and Business Development Manager argues that, drones can gather more detailed and complete information far more quickly and more cost effectively than satellites, manned aircraft or conventional ground survey methods. Overseas demand for clean, agricultural
products has never been higher and drones can maintain competitiveness despite high costs.
“Agricultural drones can provide farmers with immediate information about soils, plant health, growth rates, fertilizer requirements, weeds, pests and weather damage,” asserts Lefebvre.
Crop spraying
“The crop spraying drone technologies are advancing at a very rapid rate – making farming smarter and more efficient / cheaper,” says Tim Wise of PACSys (PTY) Ltd. “In some cases the drones are capable of more effective applications than the existing methods of application (knapsacks / tractors) thereby enhancing crop production and quality. This means more revenue for the growers and more food for the population,” he complements.
Field data collection
Matthew Davis, Drone Ops Manager at Aerobotics states that, drones are essential in agriculture as they can collect a lot more data points much faster than traditional farming practises. “Drones can cover large amounts of area and with our machine learning, we can provide farmers with actionable data within a couple days of the flight. The cameras that they carry also help offer valuable metrics that health, chlorophyll content, canopy area, tree counts, etc that help identify issues early on and help farmers track growth in their orchards,” he affirms.
What you should lookout for when buying a drone
Drones are accessible and relatively inexpensive, yet there are important things to take into account before implementing drone solutions. The steps involved in transforming your farm into a drone-enhanced agritech business include the following factors:
Flexibility
“The most important thing to consider is the flexibility needed with the aircraft. No
one wants to have an aircraft that can do only one job or has limited capabilities,” states Justin Cunningham. However, there are multiple factors to consider when purchasing an agricultural-based drone. One needs to consider how much land there is to cover, basic topography, the goal of the aircraft based on overall needs, what type of sensors are required and the overall flexibility of the aircraft on what type of sensors it can carry, he adds.
Determining goals
Agriculture drones have a range of applications; ranging from field and crop monitoring, seed planting, cattle surveillance, etc. What do you want them to do?
Mirjam Bäumer advices on determine the core farm processes that you believe would benefit most from using drones, i.e., will the drone be used for spraying, spreading, NDVI imagery, topographical Surveys, Land Tenure. Conditions of flight matters too, i.e., weather conditions, topography etc.
Mr. Wise adds that among other factors one should look out for is what is the current pesticide application method cost per hectare and is the drone going to be cheaper / more effective? Is the pesticide you’re applying registered for aerial application at around 30 liters per hectare? If not, then the drone may not be as effective as other ground application methods (knapsacks, tractors) for higher volume applications.
“I think the most important thing to consider when buying a drone is to what extent you will use it. You can use smaller, cheaper drones for industries like film but in Agriculture we recommend bigger, more industrial drones. When flying for Aerobotics you will need a drone that can carry dual payloads (two cameras). The visual camera also needs to be of a certain quality (15 megapixels) and have geotagging capabilities. The bigger the drone, the more expensive it will be, but you will be able to cover more ground in a day and therefore get paid more,” says Matthew Davis.
Product discovery phase
Matthieu Lefebvre points out that, one need to look out on several factors before using a drone, for instance, -Safety: Can the drone be operated safely for itself, the pilot and the environment? – Ease of use and maintain: What are the skills to operate and maintain such advanced technology tool? - Productivity and accuracy: How fast and accurate is the drone in collecting the agricultural data that are needed?
Automation
Nikita Prokofev comments that, automation is crucial when a drone is meant to be used in agriculture, because you’ll never know if it is possible to train operators in a proper way before they launch their first flight. Payload type should be defined by typical tasks for a drone.
“One of the most important factors is ease of use. For example, our drones are fully automated and even supplied without RC. Flight mission is planned at the operator’s laptop; manual control also is performed
there, if required,” says Prokofev. “Payload type should be defined by typical tasks for a drone. Our specialization is remote sensing, and for this task you have two main options: quadcopter or fixed wing with digital still camera or multispectral camera. Basically, fixed wing fits better for larger areas of survey, with typical performance of 300-700 ha per hour. Quadcopter covers significantly lower area, approximately 50-100 ha per flight. Nevertheless, quadcopter is able to fly at lower altitude and speed, comparing to fixed wing. This is useful for ultra-high GSD, lower than 2 cm, thus quadcopters are widely used in research tasks,” he elaborates.
Caring for the Drone
Mr. Cunningham indicates that, depending on the amount of flight time on the aircraft, agricultural-based drone maintenance is fairly simple. You may need to replace motors, props or other basic parts. Battery refresh is also needed after a certain number of flight hours. The occasional software update may be needed, which is simple to do in the field. Overall, if the aircraft is kept clean and protected, it will last for a very long time.
On the other hand, Ms Bäumer is keen on customer support 24/7, Inspection Program every 12 months or 150hr of flight to inspect for damaged and corroded parts, Service Program every 300hr and 900hr to replace motors, payload cables, power plugs, electronic components and arm joints.
Mr. Prokofev recommends that, remote sensing drones, especially electric types, do not require complicated maintenance procedures. Most often, battery health decreases, limiting battery life cycle to approximately two years. Some moving parts such as motors should be checked every 80 flights.
According to Mr. Wise, The high resolution cameras that the drones carry help offer valuable metrics such as health, chlorophyll content, canopy area, volume and tree counts which assist farmers with identifying issues at an early stage to ultimately help prevent loss and increase yields.
DJI Agriculture:Technology Inspires Growths
DJI Agriculture equips operators with cutting-edge technology as well as innovative workflows, making farming more efficient than ever. In 2012, DJI was determined to extend its cuttingedge drone technology to the agricultural industry. Thus, in 2015, DJI Agriculture was born. DJI Agriculture is committed to providing intelligent solutions through drone technology, facilitating agricultural innovation and development on a global scale.
At present, DJI has successfully released a wide array of crop protection drones, including the MG-1, MG-1S, MG-1P, and T16, as well as P4 Multispectral and Phantom 4 RTK. DJI has also introduced a dedicated software called the DJI Agriculture Data Management Platform. With tools servicing over 30 countries in multiple regions, DJI Agriculture has empowered over 10 million professionals with intelligent farming solutions, which are:
a) Reliable Operation
The all-new modular design of the T16 simplifies assembly and accelerates daily maintenance. An IP67 rating provides reliable protection for key components of the drone. A light, yet durable airframe is made of carbon fiber composites and can be quickly folded to 25% of its original size, making it easy for transportation. Both the battery and spray tank are easily swappable, significantly improving the efficiency of power and liquid supply.
b) Enhanced Efficiency
Supported by its outstanding flight performance, the T16 spray tank can carry up to 16 L, and the spray width has increased to 6.5 m. The spraying system has 4 delivery pumps and 8 sprinklers with a maximum spray rate of 4.8 L/min. The T16 can spray 24.7 acres (10 hectares) [1] per hour. The spraying system also has an all-new electromagnetic flow meter, providing higher precision and stability than conventional flow meters.
c) Easier operation
The T16’s upgraded radar system can sense the operating environment during the day or at night, without being affected by light or dust. It has greatly improved flight safety with forward and backward obstacle avoidance and a horizontal FOV (field of view) of 100˚°, double that of previous DJI agricultural drones. It can also detect the angle of a slope and adjust to it automatically even in mountainous terrain. This innovative radar system adopts Digital Beam Forming (DBF) technology, which supports 3D point cloud imaging that effectively senses the environment and helps to circumvent obstacles
d) Comprehensive and Intelligent Operation
DJI Agriculture is committed to making the workflow of crop protection more efficient and intelligent. With drones and effective tools, DJI’s agriculture solution greatly simplifies operations, improves efficiency, and increases industrial upgrades.
Innovation is a core value for DJI Agriculture. Determined to enhance industrial development and meet user demands, the team has worked diligently to renovate traditional agriculture with efficient, reliable, and intelligent technology.
Environmentally-Friendly Solutions
DJI Agriculture pledges to protect our planet. This not only means empowering agricultural operators with optimized tools and solutions but also with more environmentallyfriendly workflows. DJI Agriculture strives to continuously reduce waste and damage during field operations and create a more harmonious co-existence with nature.
Building a Sustainable Ecosystem
DJI Agriculture carries out production, study, and research cooperation with a variety of partners, including universities, agrochemical companies, and research centers. Together they have co-established an ecosystem focusing on talent recruitment, agrochemical optimization, and technological innovation to advance the global agricultural industry.
Passion for Farming
With a great passion for farmers’ success, DJI Agriculture is determined to enhance productivity. Through cutting-edge technology and intelligent solutions, DJI Agriculture aims to help farmers solve problems in the field, increase yield rates, and ensure efficiency.
DJI crop spraying drone
