Sony Electronics is adding four ag tech providers to its newly enhanced Smart Agriculture Solution ecosystem. By integrating with innovations from Drones Made Easy,BirdsEyeView Aerobotics,RantizoandProgeny Drone Inc., the ecosystem will now support day-to-day crop management by collecting and analyzing data on plant growth and health status.

Sony plans to host a webinar with Drones Made Easy on March 31, 2020, at 1 p.m. EST to share how the companys Fast Field Analyzer softwarewith stand count featurequickly lets users review an entire field to evaluate replanting needs. Registerhere.

Our team thoroughly researched the various needs for a drone-based remote sensing solution with some of the top agriculture companies, researchers and universities, says Theresa Alesso, pro division president at Sony Electronics. That feedback was incorporated into the recent upgrade of Sonys Smart Agriculture Solution and is the basis for the providers selected thus far for this expanded ecosystem. These integrations provide comprehensive, new ways of working for todays growers that will increase yield with far greater efficiency.

Designed to allow growers to precisely and easily analyze large areas, Version 2.0 includes Sonys imaging and artificial intelligence-based technology for stand counting. This equips growers with the tool to assess plant establishment, so they can make replanting decisions earlier and with greater accuracy. Included in the enhanced solution is a drone-mounted multi-spectral sensing unit and Fast Field Analyzer image analytics software for crop management, monitoring and insights.

Based in San Diego, Drones Made Easy has developed Map Pilot, a flight planning software and Map Pilot AG, a photogrammetry data collection app. The new app collects data that is optimized for Sony's MSZ-2100G multispectral camera to getthe most accurate results possible.

Prior to the introduction of Sonys Smart Agriculture Solution, no system existed with multi-spectral cameras and analytics software thatworked with a small unmanned aerial system and could process data easily at the edge of a field. With our new brackets for mounting on to DJI aircraft and our Map Pilot AG software integrated with Sonys technology, we have a turnkey solution, explained Tudor Thomas, chief technology officer, Drones Made Easy.

New Hampshire-based BirdsEyeView Aerobotics is a drone manufacturer whoseFireFLY6 PROis known for its flight time and speed. The vertical take-off and landing drone can cover up to 600 acres in one flight. It can be launchedquickly from anywhere. Itlands accurately and gracefully, which eliminatesthe crash-landpitfalls of a fixed-wing platform.Sony's Smart Agriculture Solution has been seamlessly integrated into the FireFLY6 PRO with custom, vibration-isolated mounts for Sonys MSZ-2100G multispectral camera. This provides drone operators with the benefit of Sonys advanced real-time vegetation analytics.

Rantizo, which is based in Iowa,uses drones to deliver agriculture inputs when and where they are needed.Rantizos Fly & Apply System combinesDJIdrones, Rantizo hardware and software, as well as proprietary software in an integrated solution that identifies in-field anomalies with autonomous, targeted drone-based agricultural spraying.Sony's Smart Agriculture Solution provides the imagery on areas in need of spraying, and the Rantizo system sprays only the designated areas.

Faster processing leads to nimble systems that can adapt to the ever-changing agricultural environment," says Michael Ott, CEO, Rantizo. "With our combined expertise, Rantizo and Sony can determine field issues and deploy the necessary ag inputs to treat problems and maximize yield."

Progeny Drone Inc., which is a Purdue University-affiliated start-up,has created Plot Phenix software that converts raw drone imagery of outdoor small plot research trialsinto custom-labeled, plot-level metrics of plant growth and health atthe field's edge without internet. By integratingSonys Smart Agriculture Solution with Plot Phenix,agronomists can collect metrics with streamlined operation.

"We have worked with many different types of cameras on drones over the last few years, says Anthony Hearst, PhD, CEO, Progeny Drone Inc. Many of them are poorly designed and dont produce accurate measurements. We are thrilled to partner with Sony on their new Smart Agriculture Solution. Sony knows how to properly design and build an affordable camera for a specific purpose thats easy to use for collecting and processing imagery. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Sony because we believe they will continue to deliver cameras that get agronomists the metrics they need to move agriculture forward."

In an effort to continouslymove the ag industry forward, Sony is in active discussions with other leading ag tech companies to add to its integratednetwork.

The Version 2.0 updateof Sony'sFast Field Analyzer software with stand count feature will be released onMarch 30, 2020.Current Smart Agriculture Solution users who have a valid subscription plan will be able to automatically download the free upgrade at the Sony license web store.

To learn more about Sonys Smart Agriculture Solution, visitpro.sony/agriculture.

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Sony expands its Smart Agriculture Solution ecosystem - Successful Farming