PrecisionHawk, Agri-Trend partner for Ag UAV solutions

PrecisionHawk and Agri-Trend have announced a partnership to offer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data collection, sensing and analysis tools to farmers across the U.S. and Canada through the Agri-Trend SkyScout program. This year will be spent offering UAV services throughout Canada, with plans to release a full commercialization service model in 2016, the companies said.

“Scaling comes from things being seamless and simple. It is our belief that to reach true field level value, these products need to be captured and delivered cost effectively through automated processes, on-board UAV intelligence, and by many different individuals, including both coaches and farmers,” said Rob Saik, Agri-Trend founder and CEO. “We see PrecisionHawk as the clear leader in this rapidly evolving space and together we believe we can bring unmanned remote sensing products to the millions of acres owned by Agri-Trend clients.”

The first phase of the partnership includes the integration of PrecisionHawk’s DataMapper into the Agri-Data Solution Platform, which allows farmers to aggregate and analyze data coming from a multitude of sources in order to have more efficient results.

“So often we hear, how can drone technology actually improve agriculture?” said PrecisionHawk CEO Christopher Dean. “This relationship combines the best aerial and software data technology to provide Agri-Trend farmers with next-generation data products that extend far beyond a traditional normalized difference vegetation index.”

As part of the partnership, Agri-Trend, a Canada-based agricultural coaching organization, will offer PrecisionHawk’s UAV platform, suite of sensors and Data Software, Data Mapper, to its corporate partners and consultants, the companies said.

“The partnership includes a number of important firsts around the intersection of agriculture and drone technology,” said Dean. “As the first large-scale, agricultural drone program roll-out in North America, aerial data will be seamlessly captured by PrecisionHawk systems and transformed into meaningful data products inside the Agri-Data system for application by the end grower.”

In January, PrecisionHawk also joined forces with Measure, a drone data services provider, to allow clients to have quicker, simpler and more affordable access to aerial data and analysis through Measure’s services. Both companies provide solutions tailored for commercial clients including oil and gas companies, utilities, farmers, insurers, mining companies, wildlife conservationists, public safety professionals, filmmakers and others.

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