​HiView and FutureWater Provide Flying Sensor Acquisition and Training in Mozambique

HiView and FutureWater will provide the Agência de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Zambeze (ADVZ) in Mozambique with a dozen of new ‘Rapid Eye XS’ drone systems, as well as DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise NDVI systems. These will be used for extension services to farmers in the Zambezi Valley. Also, FutureWater and HiView will provide a two-week in-depth training to the staff of ADVZ on the use of both systems, including image processing and interpretation. This training will take place in May 2023.

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From our years of experience in Africa we have learned about the real existing needs of small commercial farmers in the region. The potential of crop fields in many regions is not fully exploited. Flying sensors (drones) have proved to be an ideal tool for monitoring crops and analyzing crop stress factors. However, the equipment costs (and therefore the service costs) are often too high for the African agricultural market. While 5 years ago, drone-based, precise high-resolution information was only available for large commercial enterprises (app. 20,000 dollar for drone-equipment alone), FutureWater and HiView invented a way to reduce these costs by developing a low-cost agricultural drone technology for farmers. This so called ‘flying sensor’ has a cost price of 3,000 USD per drone kit, which is disrupting innovation for the applicability of geo-information services in developing country. By means of the flying sensor service successful local enterprises were established that provide a low-cost drone service to small- and largescale farmers, both in Mozambique and Kenya.

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Over the years, we developed a new vision to make flying sensors even more affordable, reliable and fast. In 2022 we managed to develop a revolutionary new drone, called the ‘Rapid Eye XS‘, which costs less than 500 USD. It can process NDVI imagery on-board, and is very easy to use. First testing in Africa was very promising, which led to the further development of the system over the past months. Now, the Agência de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Zambeze (ADVZ) in Mozambique ordered a dozen Rapid Eye XS as well as DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise NDVI systems, which will be used for extension services to farmers in the Zambezi Valley. Also, FutureWater and HiView will provide a two-week in-depth training to the staff of ADVZ on the use of both systems, including image processing and interpretation. This training will take place in May 2023.

Learn more about the Rapid Eye XS drone: