New to the group but not to UAVs or GIS. Have a quick question about imagery processing packages that I bet you guys can help with.
I am an advanced user of packages such as ArcGIS, Global Mapper, and Photoscan. I have experience with ENVI as well. I downloaded and installed a trial version of AgPixel last night and started messing with it some. It seems to be quite powerful, but its capabilities don't immediately jump out and let you know of their presence. I was wondering what you guys do with your imagery in AgPixel to render imagery analysis for precision agriculture. The program seems to be well-suited for its purpose, I just don't really know where to start with it.
Do any of you use any other processing packages for precision ag applications? What about using ArcGIS or the raster calculator in Global Mapper? Any software packages to avoid? Any favorites? I am looking to get into crop monitoring and maybe even water management. Suggestions would be welcomed! Thanks in advance!
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I remember now why I didn't go with Pix4D. It's price tag is $8500!!!! No thanks! Photoscan works just fine for half that cost.
I did a test between Pix4D and Photoscan. I thought the results from Photoscan were better and I think the processing times were quicker as well.
I'm a pretty big fan of Photoscan. I even used it in a grad school RS & photogrammetry class last year. Got great results with it.
Side note...went looking for carbon fiber tubing today here in town...NADA. Neither of the two hobby shops here carries. ONE said he'd order it for me, but he'd have to get it from China. I may as well order the stuff myself from a US vendor.
Yeah, you have to source that online. It is hard to find at a local shop.
ImageJ works for multispectral, it's just hard to do anything else with it, i.e. overlay other data and make maps.
Dude, this is GREAT information! Many thanks!
I had considered Pix4D a while back but decided it was too pricey for my tastes. I'll give it another look.
I hadn't looked at Flight Riot until now. WOW!!! Talk about LOTS of good information!
Yep. Now that I look at it closer it is pretty much the same animal. Photoscan is definitely my choce here for mosaic/point cloud/DEM-DTM production.
I have used ENVI in the past, but it is VERY EXPEN$IVE and NOT something I would spend money on immediately to start up a business like this. That's the sort of software you get later down the line with really high-end computers using blade server and RAID technology. It works on a desktop, but it works SLOWLY even with the most robust platforms.
The whole point of starting this thread was to find some low-cost or open-source packages for this sort of work that didn't involve ESRI. I think we have accomplished that goal. Here's what I think would be a good setup:
1.) Agisoft Photoscan Pro ($3400 for pro license)
2.) AgPixel ($499 right now...they are going up a bit soon with a new version)
3.) Global Mapper 15 ($499 for full license; has good point cloud and raster stuff included now)
4.) MAYBE ArcGIS since I already have it licensed for now and it makes nice presentation maps
5.) Feature Analyst (ArcGIS plug-in) down the road a bit ($3500 for pro license)
What do you guys think?
I Googled up Agrisoft and came up with nada. Now AGISOFT, I know about. That's the company that produces Photoscan...and I LOVE Photoscan!
Mosaic Mill is good stuff, but seems a little pricey to me. Camera calibration is an interesting feature, though. Having a photogrammetrically correct camera seems like it would add to accuracy in mosaics and DTMs. I took a course in photogrammetry about a year ago and it was VERY interesting. The devil is in the details there for certain!
Now THIS is pretty cool, but it incorporates features that are available in AgPixel, ArcGIS, and Global Mapper.
http://www.agleader.com/products/sms-software/advanced/
The stuff in the "here" link posted above looks promising indeed and it's all open source!!! That's a plus indeed!
I use ArcGIS. It is what I am most familiar with. It is easy enough to calculate NDVI or other indices with the image analysis tools. I have calculated NDVI using my own IR images from a modified Canon and they work pretty well.
ArcGIS has a pretty good NDVI tool. Some of the other raster analysis stuff is decent too. As for 3D stuff, it ain't all that great. The biggest problem with ArcGIS is the PRICE TAG! I guess what I am asking is what analysis packet do you guys think is the best all-around for precision ag?
I'm just getting into precision ag and was wondering the same thing. I haven't downloaded the free trial yet until i can get some better images to run thru it.
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