Extended-altitude, aerial mapping of crop NDVI using an active optical sensor: A case study using a Raptor™ sensor over wheat

Recently reported testing of active, optical crop sensors in low-level aircraft have demonstrated a new class of airborne sensing system that can be deployed under any ambient illumination conditions, including at night. A second-generation, high-powered, light-emitting diode system has been assembled and tested over a 80ha field of wheat (Triticum aestevum) by mapping the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) at altitudes ranging from 15 to 45 m above the canopy; significantly higher altitudes than existing systems. Comparisons with a detailed on-ground NDVI survey indicated the aerial sensor values were highly correlated to the on-ground sensor (0.79