GPS/GIS and Remote Sensing Services

AAR continues to study and develop applications with digital spatial technologies, particularly in GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing and more recently, drones for oil palm research, management and diagnostics.

The GIS and Remote Sensing Services provided to our agronomists and Agronomic Advisory clients include:

  1. Basic digital mapping tailored toward enhancing the ability of users to retrieve relevant spatial data and information needed for planning, monitoring of agronomic and management quality and variability as well as ascertaining improvement required in a timely manner.
  2. Capturing high-resolution aerial images with drones, producing accurate digital field maps, performing semi-automated palm stands counting, pin-pointing palms with sub-optimal growth for correction, vacancies for supplying and crowded palms for thinning.
  3. On-demand services such as digital terrain/elevation modelling and retrieval of terrain data for planning and construction of roads, drainage scheme and planting terraces.

These geo-referenced image-data and digital maps enhance our ability to be site-specific in our approaches, optimise our agro-management inputs, maximise yields, profitability and labour productivity in environmentally friendly and sustainable manners. Within field variations in palm growth and yield are ascertained for ground checks and improvement over time can be practically assessed and quantified. Development is in progress to capture time series big spatial data with emerging technologies of IR 4.0. We are keen to work with individuals or organizations capable of developing artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and pattern-recognition based applications to identify trends and patterns and retrieve hidden information for decision-making.

Product samples of our customized services are illustrated below. Additional GIS and RS services and analyses or studies required are assessed individually and quoted separately by our team of RS experts and agronomists.

Example of a digitised estate map

Example of a digitised estate map

Geo-referenced maps and aerial images are used for field navigation and locate poorly grown palms for field inspection and growth correction

Geo-referenced maps and aerial images are used for field navigation and locate poorly grown palms for field inspection and growth correction

High-resolution digital terrain model is useful for planning and construction of roads and planting terraces

High-resolution digital terrain model is useful for planning and construction of roads and planting terraces

Digital terrain model for drainage planning

Digital terrain model for drainage planning

Counting of palm stands is much easier with drone images and the results are more accurate and verifiable

Counting of palm stands is much easier with drone images and the results are more accurate and verifiable

Drone images are used for quantifying palm growth (Canopy Size) and assessing planting pattern of oil palms

Drone images are used for quantifying palm growth (Canopy Size) and assessing planting pattern of oil palms