Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology can be used to assess canopy height in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), but standardized data acquisition and processing guidelines are lacking. Accurate canopy height estimation is crucial in cotton for optimizing growth regulator application and maximi...

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Main Authors: Bhattarai, Anish, Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel, Jakhar, Amrinder, Porter, Wesley, Hand, Lavesta C., Snider, John L., Bastos, Leonardo M.
Format: Artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: MDPI 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22159
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/9/1504
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17091504
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author Bhattarai, Anish
Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel
Jakhar, Amrinder
Porter, Wesley
Hand, Lavesta C.
Snider, John L.
Bastos, Leonardo M.
author_browse Bastos, Leonardo M.
Bhattarai, Anish
Hand, Lavesta C.
Jakhar, Amrinder
Porter, Wesley
Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel
Snider, John L.
author_facet Bhattarai, Anish
Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel
Jakhar, Amrinder
Porter, Wesley
Hand, Lavesta C.
Snider, John L.
Bastos, Leonardo M.
author_sort Bhattarai, Anish
collection INTA Digital
description Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology can be used to assess canopy height in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), but standardized data acquisition and processing guidelines are lacking. Accurate canopy height estimation is crucial in cotton for optimizing growth regulator application and maximizing yield. The main goal of this study was to determine the optimal unmanned aerial vehicle flight settings—altitude and speed—and assess specific processing parameters’ impact on data accuracy, processing time, and file size. Nine flight settings comprising three altitudes (12.2 m, 24.4 m, and 48.8 m) and three speeds (4.8 km/h, 9.6 km/h, and 14.4 km/h) were tested. LiDAR data were processed using DJI Terra software (v. 4.1.0), where two user-defined processing steps were examined: point-cloud thinning via grid size sub-sampling (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm) and slope classification (flat, gentle, and steep). The optimal flight altitude was 24.4 m, with no effect of flight speed. Grid sub-sampling up to 20 cm produced balanced accuracy, processing time, and file size. The choice of slope category had no significant effect on LiDAR-derived canopy height. These findings contribute to the development of standardized LiDAR data acquisition and processing guidelines for cotton to support crop management decision.
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institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
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spelling INTA221592025-05-05T13:54:23Z Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing Bhattarai, Anish Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel Jakhar, Amrinder Porter, Wesley Hand, Lavesta C. Snider, John L. Bastos, Leonardo M. Teledetección Algodón Sistema Lidar Procesamiento de Datos Colección de Datos Vehículo Aéreo No Tripulado Remote Sensing Cotton Gossypium hirsutum LIDAR Data Processing Data Collection Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Light Detection and Ranging Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology can be used to assess canopy height in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), but standardized data acquisition and processing guidelines are lacking. Accurate canopy height estimation is crucial in cotton for optimizing growth regulator application and maximizing yield. The main goal of this study was to determine the optimal unmanned aerial vehicle flight settings—altitude and speed—and assess specific processing parameters’ impact on data accuracy, processing time, and file size. Nine flight settings comprising three altitudes (12.2 m, 24.4 m, and 48.8 m) and three speeds (4.8 km/h, 9.6 km/h, and 14.4 km/h) were tested. LiDAR data were processed using DJI Terra software (v. 4.1.0), where two user-defined processing steps were examined: point-cloud thinning via grid size sub-sampling (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm) and slope classification (flat, gentle, and steep). The optimal flight altitude was 24.4 m, with no effect of flight speed. Grid sub-sampling up to 20 cm produced balanced accuracy, processing time, and file size. The choice of slope category had no significant effect on LiDAR-derived canopy height. These findings contribute to the development of standardized LiDAR data acquisition and processing guidelines for cotton to support crop management decision. EEA Reconquista Fil: Bhattarai, Anish. University of Georgia. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel. University of Georgia. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; Argentina Fil: Jakhar, Amrinder. University of Georgia. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Porter, Wesley. University of Georgia. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Hand, Lavesta C. University of Georgia. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Snider, John L. University of Georgia. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Estados Unidos Fil: Bastos, Leonardo M. University of Georgia. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Estados Unidos 2025-05-05T13:52:02Z 2025-05-05T13:52:02Z 2025-05 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22159 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/9/1504 2072-4292 https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17091504 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf MDPI Remote Sensing 17 (9) : 1504. (May 2025)
spellingShingle Teledetección
Algodón
Sistema Lidar
Procesamiento de Datos
Colección de Datos
Vehículo Aéreo No Tripulado
Remote Sensing
Cotton
Gossypium hirsutum
LIDAR
Data Processing
Data Collection
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Light Detection and Ranging
Bhattarai, Anish
Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel
Jakhar, Amrinder
Porter, Wesley
Hand, Lavesta C.
Snider, John L.
Bastos, Leonardo M.
Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing
title Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing
title_full Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing
title_fullStr Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing
title_full_unstemmed Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing
title_short Optimizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR Data Collection in Cotton Through Flight Settings and Data Processing
title_sort optimizing unmanned aerial vehicle lidar data collection in cotton through flight settings and data processing
topic Teledetección
Algodón
Sistema Lidar
Procesamiento de Datos
Colección de Datos
Vehículo Aéreo No Tripulado
Remote Sensing
Cotton
Gossypium hirsutum
LIDAR
Data Processing
Data Collection
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Light Detection and Ranging
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/22159
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/9/1504
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17091504
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