A.U.G. Signals Ltd. has partnered with the Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) to conduct field data collection across the 2026 and 2027 growing seasons. Funded in part by the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) and PrairiesCan, this collaborative project gathers critical agronomical and environmental data to support the development of an advanced algorithm to analyze soil moisture and detect drought conditions for wheat and canola crops.
OCCI staff and student interns are executing field-level monitoring, high-precision drone flights and environmental tracking to provide high-quality datasets for algorithm calibration and validation.
Project goals and activities
- Environmental Monitoring: Installation, maintenance and daily tracking of five specialized weather stations across wheat (100 acres) and canola (200 acres) fields to measure soil moisture, canopy and air temperature, leaf wetness, VPD, atmospheric pressure and solar radiation.
- Multispectral Drone Imagery: 10-band multispectral imagery capture at critical crop water-demand growth stages using a Micasense RedEdge-MX Dual drone. Captured imagery is processed into orthomosaics, radiometrically calibrated and atmospherically corrected to surface reflectance.
- Field Scouting and Crop Physiology: Weekly field observations across established field points tracking crop growth stages (BBCH scale), crop health and stomata conductance measurements during key development phases.
- Water Stress Analysis: Daily calculation and weekly reporting of the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI).
Partners/Funders: A.U.G Signals Ltd., CAAIN, PrairiesCan
