Icaros-Demeter has developed a lightweight, compact remote sensing system with a potential for producing 100,000 acre (400km-2) thematic maps per day with high resolution digital RGB/CIR CMOS sensors. The Icaros- Demeter system enables fast, precise location of multiple area and spots types. The system’s ability for producing high precision Digital Surface Models (DSM) over vast areas, offers a direct method for computing agricultural biomass via volume calculations, instead of common indirect methods.
This unique ability to compute volume changes at high precision gives the user the ability to measure the field's biomass directly, instead of second degree evaluation from radiometric data.
The Icaros-Demeter system is installed and operated in less than 25 minutes on any type of light aircraft with no modification required. The system comprises full flight planning and control modules – so no blank spots are created in the covered area map, even though it uses a small frame size camera. Further the use of light aircraft enables Icaros-Demeter to fly in almost all types of weather conditions and below the cloud canopy.
The imagery created by the sensor is processed in a ground station unit – enabling the creation of 100,000 acre ortho-rectified thematic map within a 12 hour period. This 12 hour processing period may be shortened by an increase in processing units. The precision of the map is 3-5 Meter – without GCP's (ground control points), 1Meter with GCP's. The ground resolution is 25cm/pixel – using a 50mm lens from 6600' above ground in flight level.
The Icaros-Demeter system allows the farmer to receive rapid and precise data which current space/airborne systems can only provide with a much longer lead time and processing procedure. In addition the ability to create volume based calculations makes the Icaros-Demeter system the next generation of thematic map production system for Precision Agriculture.
The Icaros-Demeter system was successfully used in 2006-2007 in large scale (5,000,000 acres) projects with rapid turn-around of rural area mapping – for forestry and infrastructure engineering clientele. In Q1 2008 the Icaros- Demeter system performed agriculture reconnaissance and intelligence missions over more than 500,000 acres of Eucalyptus groves and wheat fields. The deliverable product given to the farmer contained a level of data heretofore unavailable, allowing the farmer the ability to treat current conditions of the field as well as enacting preventative measures for the future.
