Vegetation Index Calculation Using Height Distribution Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vegetation index calculation methods, such as NDVI, are unreliable due to the inclusion of weed vegetation, leading to a decrease in predictive accuracy of crop yields, as they do not effectively distinguish between crop and non-crop plants.
Innovation Solution
A vegetation index calculation apparatus and method that utilize height distribution data from aerial images to specify the region of the target crop within a field, allowing for accurate calculation of the vegetation index by comparing actual plant heights with predicted crop heights, and subsequently calculating indices like NDVI, SAVI, WDVI, and NDRE.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If satellite data is used to calculate NDVI for the entire field, then the calculation covers all vegetation in the field, but the reliability decreases because it includes weed vegetation along with crop vegetation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the field into crop regions and non-crop regions by comparing actual plant height distribution with predicted crop height data. This segmentation allows the vegetation index calculation to be applied only to the crop region, excluding weeds and other non-crop vegetation, thereby improving reliability without losing relevant crop information
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing approaches to different regions of the field. By identifying the crop region through height comparison and applying the vegetation index calculation specifically to this localized area, the system ensures that the quality and accuracy of the vegetation index are optimized for crop monitoring while excluding irrelevant non-crop areas
2Measurement precision
If the vegetation index includes all plants in the field, then the calculation is simple and covers the entire area, but the predictive accuracy of crop yields drops markedly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by comparing actual plant height distribution with predicted crop height data before calculating the vegetation index. This pre-processing step identifies and delimits the crop region, ensuring that subsequent vegetation index calculations are precisely targeted to crop areas, thereby improving measurement precision while managing complexity through automated height-based segmentation
3Reliability
If NDVI is calculated without distinguishing crop from non-crop plants, then the calculation method remains simple, but the reliability of the vegetation index becomes low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter used for plant identification from spectral characteristics alone to a combination of height information and spectral data. By utilizing height distribution comparison with predicted crop heights, the system creates a new discriminative parameter that effectively distinguishes crop plants from non-crop vegetation, thereby improving reliability while keeping the detection method manageable
Data Source
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AI summary
A vegetation index calculation apparatus (10) is provided with a specification unit (11) that collates height distribution data indicating a distribution of the height of plants that exist in a target region with predicted height data of a crop targeted for calculation of a vegetation index, and specifies a region where the crop exists within the target region, and a vegetation index calculation unit (12) that calculates the vegetation index of the crop that exists in the region specified by the specification unit (11).