Site-Specific Fertilizer Recommendation Using Time-Adjusted Remote Imagery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining fertilizer recommendations based on remote imagery are hindered by cloud occurrence and revisit time limitations, leading to suboptimal and computationally intensive cloud-compensating methods, which affect the accuracy and availability of crop nutrient status data.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing outdate remote image data to determine crop nutrient status by evaluating the rate of change in vegetation indexes, adjusting for time differences, and incorporating weather data and agronomic parameters to generate a site-specific fertilizer recommendation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cloud-compensating methods are used to correct cloudy and hazy pixels in remote imagery, then the accuracy of crop nutrient status data is improved, but the computational effort and processing complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the clear, cloud-free pixels from remote imagery for analysis, rather than attempting to correct all pixels. By selecting only valid clear pixels that meet quality thresholds, the system avoids the computationally intensive cloud-compensating methods while maintaining accurate crop nutrient status data from the usable portion of the imagery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the approach from correcting pixel values through complex computational methods to filtering and selecting pixels based on quality parameters. By evaluating pixel quality metrics and selecting only those meeting predetermined thresholds, the patent achieves accurate data without the heavy computational burden of traditional cloud compensation.
2Ease of operation
If remote imagery is used to determine crop nitrogen levels, then the need for in-field inspection is eliminated, but the availability of sufficient quality images is reduced due to cloud occurrence and revisit time limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using only the portion of remote imagery that is clear and cloud-free, rather than requiring complete coverage. By accepting and processing only the available clear pixels within the imagery, the system maintains ease of remote operation while reliably determining crop nutrient status without being blocked by clouds or revisit time limitations.
3Reliability
If outdate remote image data is used to determine crop nutrient status, then the availability of data is improved, but the accuracy of current crop status assessment deteriorates due to time gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary selection and validation of clear pixels from available remote imagery before using them for crop assessment. By pre-filtering and quality-assuring the available outdate image data, the system maximizes data availability while maintaining sufficient accuracy for fertilizer recommendations, accepting that the assessment reflects crop status at the time of imaging rather than current moment.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for providing a site-specific variable fertilizer recommendation for a crop at a given point in time, the method comprising the steps of: a. determining (1000) at least one agricultural field (1) comprising at least one crop; b. scheduling (1100) a fertilization application for the at least one agricultural field; c. determining (1200) a crop nutrient status of the at least one agricultural field (1), wherein determining a crop nutrient status of the at least one agricultural field (1) comprises: i. receiving remote data, the remote data comprising image data of the at least one agricultural field (1) and a time stamp indicative of when the image data was taken; ii. generating at least one vegetation index indicative of a crop nutrient status based on the image data; iii. determining a crop nutrient status based on the at least one vegetation index; d. adjusting (1300) the crop nutrient status based on the time difference between the time stamp of the image data and the scheduled fertilizer application; e. determining (1500) a variable fertilizer recommendation for the at least one agricultural field based on the adjusted crop nutrient status.