Abstract. Microsoft Excel is not considered a typical software for digital image processing and analysis. However, based on its large data handling and graphing capabilities, as well as its widespread usage, it presents a good opportunity for use as a tool for teaching image data processing or use in demonstrations requiring little training. It also lends itself well as a potentially useful research tool that can benefit a wide range of users including those with little or no computer programming knowledge. This article demonstrates a new method which can be adopted for teaching concepts of image processing and analysis, consisting of systematic procedures for implementing typical operations in Excel. Categories of operations demonstrated using this method include image preprocessing, image enhancement, image classification, analysis of change over time, and image data fusion. Examples of outputs resulting from using this new method are discussed in the article. The success of this proposed method is hinged on the availability of the required image data, based on which a simple graphical user interface (GUI) application was developed in MATLAB. That application, RGBExcel or the later RGB2X, extracts RGB image data from image files of any format and file size, and exports to Excel for processing. Deployed as standalone applications, both versions can be installed on a 64-bit windows computer and run without MATLAB. Keywords: Color images, Multispectral imagery, Remote sensing, RGB image data, RGB2X, RGBExcel.
Unmanaged spray drift from orchard pesticide application contributes to environmental contamination and causes significant danger to farmworkers, nearby residential areas, and neighbors’ crops. Most drift control approaches do not guarantee adequate and uniform canopy spray coverage. Our goal was to develop a spray backstop system that could block drifting from the top without any negative impact on spray coverage and on-target deposition. The design included a foldable mast and a shade structure that covered the trees from the top. We used a continuous loop sampling to assess and quantify the effectiveness of spray backstop on drift potential reduction. We also collected leaf samples from different sections of trees to compare on-target deposition and coverage. The results showed that the spray backstop system could significantly (p-Value < 0.01) reduce drift potential from the top (78% on average). While we did not find any statistical difference in overall canopy deposition with and without the backstop system, we observed some improvement in treetops deposition. This experiment’s output suggests that growers may be able to adjust their air-assist sprayers for a more uniform spray coverage without concern about the off-target movement of spray droplets when they employ the spray backstop system.
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