Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Agriculture: A Survey

TLDR

Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly used in many civil applications, especially agriculture, where their historical role as pioneers of precision agriculture techniques has led to widespread adoption. This survey aims to provide an overview of the agronomical use of unmanned aerial vehicles, reviewing common applications and their advantages. The survey classifies UAVs by typology and key sensor/performance features, reviews common agricultural applications and advantages, and summarizes relevant civil drone legislation.

Abstract

The number of tasks that nowadays are accomplished by using unmanned aerial vehicles is rising across many civil applications, including agriculture. Thus, this work aims at providing the reader with an overview of the agronomical use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The work starts with a historical analysis of the use of aircrafts in agriculture, as pioneers of their use in modern precision agriculture techniques, currently applied by a high number of users. This survey has been carried out by providing a classification of the vehicles according to their typology and main sensorial and performance features. An extensive review of the most common applications and the advantages of using unmanned aerial vehicles is the core of the work. Finally, a brief summary of the key points of the legislation applicable to civil drones that could affect to agricultural applications is analyzed.