KDOT hosts webinar on agriculture and drones

(Courtesy of the KDOT)

The Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Division of Aviation will host a webinar, “Drones in Ag: Harvesting Drone Data to Improve Performance,” on Tuesday, March 26, at 10:30 a.m.

The webinar is co-hosted by Kansas Farm Bureau and will feature two presentations – the first from Microsoft FarmBeats hardware researcher Zerina Kapetanovic detailing the FarmBeats system and the artificial intelligence challenges associated with agriculture, and the second from Kansas State University associate professor Ignacio Ciampitti on applications of UAVs in precision agriculture. It will also include a brief overview of the Kansas Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) from KDOT Director of Aviation Bob Brock.

Individuals or teams interested in participating should RSVP at www.ippkansas.org/events. Space is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis. Participants will receive a link to the webinar upon registration.

The Kansas UAS IPP is led by KDOT Aviation as one of 10 national leaders conducting advanced UAS operations to guide future rule-making that will result in access to new technologies for the nation. IPP will help tackle the most significant challenges to integrating drones into the national airspace and will reduce risks to public safety and security. The Kansas team is focused on efforts in Long Line Linear Infrastructure Inspection (i.e. highways, railroads, energy distribution lines, etc.) and Precision Agriculture.