Concerns about the World capacity of producing food for all, while preserving natural resources, are the key drivers to implement on large scale Precision Agricolture (PA), i.e. a set of techniques aiming at optimizing the used inputs (only where/when they are needed, and at the correct amount) for maximising product yield and quality. Besides invasive techniques (grid sampling), non-invasive remote sensing is already used, but often with limited capability of delivering data with the required resolution and within the needed timelines. Moreover, it is often able to provide only partial information on limited agronomical aspects, therefore, in case of multiple-feature analysis, the needed data have to be derived from diverse sensors and merged by a heavy post processing, with unavoidable fusion inaccuracy.
LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) and RADAR (RAdio Detection and Ranging) are widely used remote sensors having the advantage to be cheap, fast and fairly accurate. Their combined use allows to investigate complementary properties of the targets for multiple-feature analyses.
The group led by PHOOD Principal Investigator, Prof. Antonella Bogoni, has recently developed both an innovative photonics-based RADAR with new frequency flexibility and capability of coherent multicarrier detection, and an innovative fully coherent multi frequency LIDAR able to adapt its operation frequencies to the environment.
In photonics-based RADAR, the electrical circuit in the transceiver is replaced with an optical one which is partially identical to the optical circuit required by the LIDAR. Starting from this, PHOOD will develop a single optical circuit that serves both sensors. From a functional point of view, it allows to combine them in a single system providing heterogeneous data captured in uniform detection conditions, a very important feature for a more precise fusion of the information. Moreover, it provides coherence among data, which contributes to a more accurate data fusion with simpler and faster processing (avoiding synchronization process) that results in a more precise and timely final imaging.
PHOOD will design this combined RADAR/LIDAR system to exploit its innovative features, as frequency agility, coherence, and multi-frequency operation, for an enhanced, adaptable and multi-feature observation of crop and soil enabling insights on new parameters (soil structure, canopy density, products load, disease presence) for key advances of PA approach.
The size, weight and power consumptions (SWaP) of the prototype will be significantly reduced thanks to the sensor hardware sharing, and the implementation based on innovative photonic integrated circuits. Extensive laboratory trials emulating real field scenarios will verify the PHOOD outcomes.
