Complementary Use of Ground-Based Proximal Sensing and Airborne/Spaceborne Remote Sensing Techniques in Precision Agriculture: A Systematic Review

Abstract

As the global population continues to increase, projected to reach an estimated 9.7 billion people by 2050, there will be a growing demand for food production and agricultural resources. Transition toward Agriculture 4.0 is expected to enhance agricultural productivity through the integration of advanced technologies, increase resource efficiency, ensure long-term food security by applying more sustainable farming practices, and enhance resilience and climate change adaptation. By integrating technologies such as ground IoT sensing and remote sensing, via both satellite and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and exploiting data fusion and data analytics, farming can make the transition to a more efficient, productive, and sustainable paradigm. The present work performs a systematic literature review (SLR), identifying the challenges associated with UAV, Satellite, and Ground Sensing in their application in agriculture, comparing them and discussing their complementary use to facilitate Precision Agriculture (PA) and transition to Agriculture 4.0.

Comparing Remote and Proximal Sensing of Agrometeorological Parameters across Different Agricultural Regions in Croatia: A Case Study Using ERA5-Land, Agri4Cast, and In Situ Stations during the Period 2019–2021

“…Researchers have recently pointed out the challenges and limitations associated with both remote and proximal sensing [4]. On the one hand, global coverage and cost-effectiveness are identified as the main advantages of remote sensing, while it has limitations in terms of spatial and temporal resolution.…”

“…The major difference compared to the classical approach to agricultural production is that PA allows decisions to be made quickly and at different levels of spatial granularity, ranging from an entire field to a square meter of field, to account for the spatial variability of crops. Such decisions are facilitated by monitoring both crops and fields through different sensing technologies applied either in close proximity to the crops (proximal groundbased sensing) or remotely from the air/sky (remote air-or space-borne sensing) [4].…”

“…Remote space-borne sensing involves using satellites to collect data about crops and fields from space, while airborne sensing utilizes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for mobile monitoring at much shorter distances. Both UAVs and satellites typically use cameras (RGB, multispectral or hyperspectral) to intermittently collect the images required to determine vegetation indices to assess the physiological state of crops or the characteristics of soil [4]. The largest difference between these three sensing options is in the effort required to deploy the sensors and to start collecting data.…”

Remote Sensing Extraction of Crown Planar Area and Plant Number of Papayas Using UAV Images with Very High Spatial Resolution

“…As a type of near-ground remote sensing platform, drones can quickly obtain high-resolution images of large orchards. Through processing and analyzing digital images, comprehensive and multi-angle monitoring of fruit tree growth can be achieved, providing a scientific basis for the precise management of orchards [7].…”

Vineyard Microclimatic Zoning as a Tool to Promote Sustainable Viticulture under Climate Change

“…Using microclimatic zoning allows the identification of environmental variations in vineyards, yielding valuable information on the climatic factors that impact the growth of grapevines [27,28]. However, we also recognise the potential of sensor technologies and drones to augment our understanding of microclimatic variations [29][30][31][32][33]. Despite the higher costs associated with sensors, their ability to collect real-time data provides invaluable insights into local environmental conditions.…”