About

Gender

Male


Location

Manhattan, KS


About Me:

Kansas State University


Please tell us a bit about your UAV interest

Agricultural applications


Hometown:

Manhattan


Activity Feed

Deon van der Merwe commented on Ellen Zhu's blog post Skywalker EVE 2000 2240mm Twin Motor FPV Plane
"I've assembled and flown the plug and play version. Here is a video with my first impressions:
https://youtu.be/rzpThK-drbA"
Dec 11, 2016
Deon van der Merwe commented on Greg Crutsinger's blog post King Clone: Mapping ancient desert shrubs using Parrot Sequoia
"Greg, thanks for sharing these results. Very interesting indeed!

Another application of your data that could be interesting is to examine the spatial distribution of creosote plants. Based on a calculation of average distance between individuals…"
Aug 3, 2016
Deon van der Merwe replied to Todd's discussion New GoPro Lens vs Cannon CHDK for mapping in IRIS
"I also use a Sony RX100 without gimbal on the Iris+ (I use a Canon s100 in the same way). I made a simple interface plate out of thin plywood that allows the camera to be mounted with the top facing forward. The interface plate is attached with…"
Feb 20, 2016
Deon van der Merwe replied to Pat Randall's discussion Business Opportunites for Drones in Agriculture in Agricultural UAVs
"Having been in the field for a few years now my perspective has changed somewhat. Many folks, including myself, over-estimated the rate of adoption by farmers. I think it can be attributed to a belief that aerial imagery would be a clear benefit in…"
Jan 3, 2016
Deon van der Merwe replied to Matt Gunn's discussion Let's talk Canon cameras
"We are now using the Sony a5100 for most projects (RGB and NDVI). It has a 24MP sensor with excellent dynamic range. It is also light weight and small enough for easy installation when used with the Sony 16mm or 20mm E-mount lenses."
Jan 1, 2016
Deon van der Merwe replied to Global_Saffer's discussion Basic mapping with Iris+ Canon S100
"I've had several MaxMax-converted cameras. Never had a problem, so I'm surprised to hear about Michal's issue, but they are pricey.
Event38 has a filter that is not quite equivalent to the MaxMax filters, but still useful.
A potential new option,…"
Apr 7, 2015
Deon van der Merwe replied to zk876's discussion Experimenting with NDVI , fiji + photoscan in Agricultural UAVs
"The effect you are seeing is likely due to bidirectional reflectance artifacts."
Feb 18, 2015
Deon van der Merwe replied to zk876's discussion Experimenting with NDVI , fiji + photoscan in Agricultural UAVs
"I will be happy to take a crack at processing your images if you'd like, but the Dropbox link does not appear to be working anymore."
Feb 18, 2015
Deon van der Merwe left a comment for Marino Ramirez
"Hi Marino, good luck with your Zephyr XL. The default parameter values are good to start with, but I have found that I need to increase the pitch P parameter a bit on my Zephyrs.

Deon"
Dec 31, 2014
Deon van der Merwe replied to Benjamin Meltzer's discussion NDVI NGB Modified Camera Configuration in Agricultural UAVs
"It is possible to use two cameras. We started with that method. However, it is a challenge to obtain precise synchronization between the cameras, it makes data processing more difficult, and it is not a complete solution in terms of band selectivity…"
Dec 11, 2014
Deon van der Merwe replied to Benjamin Meltzer's discussion NDVI NGB Modified Camera Configuration in Agricultural UAVs
"Benji,
You are seeing some of the complexities associated with using converted "NDVI" cameras. It does not make the data useless, but you have to take the limitations into consideration. One of the important factors to realize is that the data…"
Dec 11, 2014
Deon van der Merwe replied to Benjamin Meltzer's discussion NIR Camera vs RGB Camera Conversion in Agricultural UAVs
"It was unclear from the way you asked the question whether or not you were aware that you need a visible AND a NIR band to calculate NDVI. Having both on one sensor makes image processing much easier. Be careful of "IR" conversions that only take…"
Oct 26, 2014
Deon van der Merwe replied to Phil Ellerbroek's discussion New Exclusive 70" 2.0 Density Foam Flying Wing by RoboFlight in Agricultural UAVs
"My first attempts at laminating bubbled as well. The trick is to prepare the surface with something that the laminate adheres to well. There are a couple of options.
 
I'm looking forward to seeing what you have on the way. Best wishes, D"
Aug 27, 2014
Deon van der Merwe replied to Phil Ellerbroek's discussion New Exclusive 70" 2.0 Density Foam Flying Wing by RoboFlight in Agricultural UAVs
"The RF70 is superb. I want one please. Well done to you guys at RoboFlight!
However, dishing the Z3 is not necessary.  I think both are excellent platforms if used appropriately. The Z3 sure is a nice hobby/FPV plane, but it is definitely not…"
Aug 27, 2014
Deon van der Merwe commented on Chris Anderson's blog post FAA vs Search-and-Rescue drones
"Something that I fail to comprehend (maybe because it is incomprehensible), is why the FAA is concerned about commercial vs recreational use of model aircraft, when the FAAs reason for existence is to keep the NAS safe. Getting paid for a flight…"
Apr 12, 2014
Deon van der Merwe replied to Kim Faber's discussion What software are people using to stitch photos together? in Agricultural UAVs
"The macros from MaxMax are scripts that plug into a free software called ImageJ. It is very limited, and takes a LOOOOOOOOOONG time to process images."
Mar 6, 2014
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