This case study illustrates how a drone equipped with lights can be used after a storm to assess a farm's damage quickly. In just a few minutes, a farmer or landowner can determine the extent of damages from a storm and make faster decisions on the next steps.

SCENARIO

A strong storm hits an 80-acre farm with high winds and heavy rain and hail. From experience, the farmer knows that the farm roads are probably impassable due to thick mud and large ruts caused by the heavy rain. He is concerned about the greenhouses and outbuildings. Most importantly, he's concerned about the welfare of his crops. 

The farmer deploys a drone to quickly assess the damage on crops, roads, and structures. Using a drone equipped with lights, the farmer can fly across a multi-acre farm and quickly understand what needs to be done immediately.

Tools

• DJI Inspire
• 2 Rugo R1S lights

The drone inspects the roads on the property severely rutted from rain runoff and are impassable with farm vehicles.

Visit our Complete Guide to Drone Lights to learn more!

The drone inspects the greenhouses to reveal that the plastic walls have been torn apart, exposing the starter crops inside to the frigid wind.

A low-level pass over various crops exposes some damage to the crops.  The farmer determines that he will need to harvest immediately to avoid crop loss.  

This scenario illustrates how a farmer can use a drone equipped with lights to assess the damage from a storm in a fraction of the time and hassle then it would take by driving or walking the property.

In some cases, the farmer may not travel over roads that are too damaged or flooded from water. This flight to make these inspections was approximately 15 minutes. He can immediately schedule repairs or harvesting labor that evening to avoid loss of crops.