Drone-based hyperspectral mapping of agricultural crop fields in California's Central Valley

In August 2023, the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) participated in a collaborative field campaign to collect remote sensing data over agricultural crop fields in California's Central Valley. Hyperspectral satellites were commissioned in coordination with uncrewed aircraft system (UAS, also known as drone) flights at an altitude of 300 feet above ground level. USGS NUSO collected hyperspectral UAS data over a variety of crop fields: cotton, almond, pistachio, grape, rice, and corn to support agricultural remote sensing research led by researchers Dr. Itiya Aneece and Dr. Prasad Thenkabail of the USGS Western Geographic Science Center.

00:05 - 00:23 Close-up shots of almond, cotton, and grape plants. 

00:24 - 00:30 USGS remote pilot begins a hyperspectral mapping flight, initiating drone takeoff in a grape vineyard. 

00:31 - 00:53 Drone-collected GoPro footage captured during a hyperspectral mapping flight over grape vineyards. The gimbal-stabilized hyperspectral sensor is visible in the lower right corner of the video. It appears to shake because the GoPro is also applying its own independent stabilization during the flight. 

00:54 - 01:47 Drone footage of a corn field and, across the road, zooming in over patterns in a rice field. 

01:48 - 02:36 Drone footage of a calibration tarp and rows of cotton plants. 

02:37 - 03:17 Drone footage of an almond field and neighboring pistachio field with younger, smaller trees.

03:18 - 04:07 USGS UAS personnel bring a drone in for landing after completing a hyperspectral mapping flight over a cotton field.