Our new ADC – Filter Experimentation System (ADC – FX) is an invaluable tool for correlating  specific wavelengths of visible and NIR radiation with plant canopy chemistry.  

Like our standard ADC system, the ADC-FX contains a single image sensor.  This system differs from the ADC in that its sensor is the same as the sensor used in a Mini-MCA unit.  Consequently, the radiation applied to the ADC-FX is passed through a single user-selected optical filter rather than the Bayer pattern filter mosic present in other ADC systems. 

Like the Mini-MCA, the narrow band optical filters used with the ADC – FX are field replaceable. This allows users to capture multiple images of a single subject with different filters and then merge these with the accompanying PixelWrench2 software. With its merged channels, the multispectral image may then be processed by PixelWrench2 to derive common vegetation indices such as NDVI. In this way, the ADC – FX system may be used as a test bed for evaluating individual narrow band filters and their impact on vegetation indicesor on their ability to accentuate specific compounds of interest in the image.  More information about the ADC – FX system is available in ourProducts section.

As a limited-time, introductory offer, we are including four optical filters free with the purchase of any ADC-FX.  The filters included with this system are:

470 nm – 470FS10 – (Blue)

550 nm – 550FS10 – (Green)

660 nm – 660FS10 – (Red)

810 nm – 810FS10 – (NIR)

These filters allow users to derive the following:

NDVI:  Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

RVI:  Ratio Vegetation INdex

GVI:  Greeness Index (all TM channels)

SAVI:  Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index

SIPI: Structure Independent Pigment Index

Red Edge

Carotinoid Composite

For more information on this special limited-time offer, please contact our

Sales and Marketing Dept.

For multispectral cameras, unmanned aerial vehicles provide ideal vantage points from which to view the ground below.  Capturing quality multispectral images from the air, however, is not an easy task.  To do so requires the aircraft and the camera to operate as a single integrated unit.  This requires either a single company to provide both systems or for the camera and the UAV supplier to coordinate their efforts for their common customer. Tetracam manufactures and markets its own unmanned parafoil.  We distribute unmanned fixed wing aircraft for light- and moderate-duty imaging tasks and we work with a network of UAV suppliers around the world who integrate our cameras with their own UAVs to meet a full spectrum of performance and budgetary requirements.

Rotomotion SR100 & Tetracam MCA4

UAV choices comprise electric and gas-powered unmanned aircraft systems that range in price from under $10K to over $200K (for US purchases).  Please call for international prices on any of these integrated solutions.  For detailed specifications on any of the UAVs listed below, please click on the UAV’s name shown in red.

Efficient sUAS/Camera Bundles For Research, Education and Use on Small Farms

The use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) is a relatively new concept in precision agriculture.  Their use has become possible due to the development of lightweight, rugged materials and high-power, longer-life batteries.  The low cost, safety, and ease of storage, transportation and operation of sUAS uniquely qualify them for use by individuals working with small plots of land (<10 acres).  Currently, Tetracam provides two integrated systems that are ideal for such applications.  For information on any of our Unmanned Aircraft/Camera Bundles, current pricing, and information on the lead time required to fulfill orders, please contact our Sales and Marketing Dept.
Tetracam’s Hawkeye parafoil (shown at right) is an electric-powered vehicle with a minimum payload capacity of three lbs.  The Hawkeye can carry larger payloads with larger chutes.  This craft is able to carry any or our ADC cameras and most of our Mini-MCA configurations.  The Hawkeye can stay aloft for up to thirty minutes depending on payload and weather conditions.  Click on the photo at right to view the Hawkeye in flight.
Operators, new to flying UAVs, can master flying the Hawkeye in a few short trials.  With its parachute constantly deployed, if a malfunction does occur while the craft is airborne, the Hawkeye simply floats to the ground protecting the craft and its payload from damage.  The Hawkeye sells for $12,995 (USD).
The Robota Triton XL (shown at right) is an electric-powered fixed-wing UAV specially designed to carry our ADC-Lite camera aloft for 60 minutes with the seleced extended length battery (providing the Triton its XL label).  The standard Triton payload capacity is 7 to 9 ounces.  The Triton is packed with features that enable it to deliver superior imaging performance.  Click on the product’s name shown in red above for detailed specifications.  Click on the photo at right to view the Triton in flight.
The Triton airframe is equipped with an autopilot, GPS, airborne radio with antenna, a remote control unit for manual override and a battery.  Connections available in the airframe include Power and Camera Trigger for the ADC-Lite.The Triton’s airframe is designed along the lines of a breakaway chassis in a race car. If the craft should crash, it is the airframe that is the most likely component to sustain damage. The airframe is also extremely inexpensive to repair or replace.  The airframe holds and safeguards its electronic and optical contents.  If the craft should experience a malfunction in flight and control cannot be restored via the ground control station or the craft’s remote manual controller, the airframe is an excellent glider and will simply float to the ground.  If the craft should lose communication with ground control, it is designed to fly to a pre-programmed home position. The Triton’s ground equipment include instructions, a battery charger, a ground station radio with antenna and ground control station software.   Users need to provide their own windows-based laptop to run the ground control software. The Triton’s GCS range is 1.5 miles.  This can be extended to over four miles with addition of the system’s long range radio option (priced at $750 USD). The manual control range extends to line-of-sight (800 yards).  Other options include a Triton spares kit (with extra propellers, wing and tail) and a parachute deployment system for situations in which a belly-landing of the craft is not possible. The Triton’s GCS software enables users to plan the mission’s flight path, identify camera trigger points and monitor the craft as it moves along the pre-planned path.   If live video from the craft is desired, users need to provide their own video transmitter.  Click here to see photos of the Triton executing a flight plan to image conifers in the desert.  The resultant image mosaic was created by Field of View LLC using Autopano Pro software and geo-referenced using Google Earth. The list price of the Triton XL is $4995.  This brings the price of the Triton/ADC Lite bundle to under $9000.  A complete list of Triton XL components is shown here
Craft and Camera Bundles from Tetracam IntegratorsTetracam works with UAV manufacturers around the world who integrate our products with their own to enable users to better address their multispectral imaging needs.   Please contact these individual integrators for prices and additional information on their current systems. Unmanned Aircraft Systems from Guided Systems Technologies
		SiCX 300V (pictured at left) is a gas powered VTOL fixed wing UAV that carries a payload of 5 lbs (2.25 kg).  The craft is able to stay aloft more than five hours.  Like all of GSTs UAVs, this craft is equipped with an autopilot able to guide the craft to each waypoint autonomously.
		SiCX 250 (at left) is a manned gas powered helicopter converted to a fully autonomous UAV.  The craft carries a payload of 250 lbs with an endurance of 1-2 hours,  The system is equipped with a Picolo II autopilot.
		SiCX 45T(at left) is a sleek UAV helicopter made of composite carbon fiber and aluminum.  This craft has a payload capacity of up 45 lbs and is equipped with a standard parachute recovery system.
		SiCX 25 (at left) is a gas powered UAV helicopter that will lift up to a 25 lb payload and fly for 50 plus minutes..  This craft is equipped with a Piccolo LT autopilot.
		SiCX 10-E Avenger (at left) is an electric powered UAV helicopter that has a payload capacity of 10 lbs and an endurance time that is extended by a battery design that allows quick battery changes.  The system is guided by a Piccolo SL autopilot.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems from Rotomotion
		SR5 (at left) is an electric-powered UAV helicopter with a payload capacity of two lbs.  The SR5 can stay aloft approximately twenty minutes depending on weather conditions and its flight mode.  Like all of Rotomotion’s UAVs, this craft is equipped with an autopilot able to guide the craft to each waypoint autonomously.
		SR20 (at left) is an electric-powered unmanned helicopter with a payload capacity of eight lbs with one battery set or 3 1/2 lbs with two.  The SR20′s endurance time is about 25 minutes with one battery set and approximately 50 minutes with two.
		SR30 (at left) is a gas-powered VTOL UAV equipped with battery back-up.  This craft has a payload capacity of up to ten lbs. and a standard endurance time in excess of 1.5 hours.
		SR100 (at left) is able to run on gasoline, diesel, alcohol or electric power.  This craft has a payload capacity of 18 lbs and, with its long-endurance fuel tanks, is able to stay aloft for up to two hours.
		SR200 (at left) comes with a 121 cc 8.7 HP gasoline 2-stroke engine. This craft carries a payload of fifty lbs.  Configured with its long-endurance fuel tanks, this craft is capable of 4 hours of sustained flight.
		SR500 (at left) has a 313 cc 28 HP gasoline, fuel-injected 2-stroke engine. It carries a payload up to 100 lbs.  Configured with its long-endurance fuel tanks, like the SR200,this craft is capable of 4 hours of sustained flight.

Tetracam Can Integrate Our Camera System with Your UAS

If you already have an unmanned aircraft system that you would like to use with one of our cameras, please also contact us.  We will be happy to examine your system to see what it will take to integrate our camera with your craft to obtain superior multi-spectral imaging results.

The same Tetracam imaging systems in use in farmers’ fields are also in use daily in the fields of biology, forestry, mining, oil and gas exploration, surveillance, and infrastructure inspection.  Indeed, to date we have sold nearly one million imaging systems.  We continue to work in the background providing imaging expertise for some of the foremost manufacturers of scientific and monitoring equipment in the world.

Tetracam serves an international base of customers ranging in size from individuals to multi-national corporations, and our diverse portfolio of capabilities ranges from clean sheet designs to low cost high volume manufacturing.  We look forward to working with you and thank you for taking the time to visit our site and learn more about our company and our products.

Precision agricultures

Now farmers are keeping busy at the computer. They are now using global positioning systems to do the precision part in Precision agriculture. This new trend in agriculture is very important in the concept of farming management as it is based on the response to the intra field variations.

Tetracam monitors the visible and near infrared radiation that plants reflect. This enables the farmers to capture the data that they need in order to react to the problems caused by the extreme climate change; diseases, pests, and weeds; improper irrigation; over planting; poor drainage; inconsistent application of fertilizers; and other problems that causes problems with the health of every crop. Tetracam produces the world’s most economical and most efficient multi spectral cameras and there is software required to interpret the images they capture.

On farms, the Tetracam systems monitor the subtle changes in the visible and near infrared radiation that plant reflects. Farmers are then able to use the data to see the dangers to their crops. Changes in the infrared indicate the factors that can threaten the plants long before any indications appear in the visible spectrum. Agricultural Surveys show that Tetracam can be helpful in precision agriculture since it can give accurate information on the conditions of the crop specifically the measurement of crop health. With the Tetracam application, farmers are now able to identify if the crop is healthy or not. By monitoring it, farmers are able to find the solution, thus there is possible highest economic profit in the end.

Topcon Precision Agriculture

Topcon Precision Agriculture is a business unit of TPS that designs and manufactures precise positioning products and solutions for farming. Actually the Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. ( TPS ) has designed software for the professional farmer. Topcon Positioning Systems has been supplying the agricultural market with the positioning software and hardware technology in the areas of precision land leveling, mapping, water use management, and machine control. This is another step filling in the Topcon farming product portfolio so to offer a complete solution for precision farming. Precision farming is not only thought as yield mapping and variable rate fertilizer application and then evaluated on only either. The precision farming technologies affect the entire production function of the farm. This sort of farming allows for improved economic analyses. This makes farm planning more complicated and easier. There’s much more map date in order to utilize long term cropping plans, salinity controls, and erosion controls. But those farmers who are implementing precision farming are likely working closer with the execs in the GPS, rural, and computing sciences. Precision farming doesn’t happen as fast as the farmers get a GPS unit or a yield monitor. It happens as the famer adopts the new level of management power on the rice farm. This includes a deeper understanding on the kinds of soils, micro-climates, hydrology, and the aerial photography. The famer should identify first the variance of factors in the rice fields that impact on the crop yield before the yield map is bought.

During the last decades, bigger and quicker farm machines have delivered the capacity of the farmers to control the ever-expanding farms. Farmers have the most part to continue to treat the big fields into uniform elements. Precision agriculture is essentially a cyclic process but a farmer can get started on express site farming at roughly any time of year. Routinely, farmers need to perform the yearly planning, analyzing steps to complete the precision, and info collection. Yield monitoring is possibly the most important foundation of the precision farming. The modern yield monitor uses sensors in fusion of the constant log grain flow rate during the harvest period. The collected information is then used to precisely evaluate the ideal sowing density, to more meticulously envision crop yields, and to guesstimate fertilizers and other needed inputs. This assists in avoiding unwanted practices to the crop irrespective of the local conditions such that it decreases water, labor, pesticides, fertilizers, etc, and rather significantly to assure the quality of the rice.

earth movements

Precision farming should not only be thought of as a yield mapping and variable rate fertilizer application. Precision farming technologies will really affect the whole production of the farm. The management needs to adopt these things for a new and improved technology. One of the benefits to the farmers is to help them establish a history on their farm practices and results along with the assisted decision making and traceability requirements.

Not long ago, the concept of a tractor or combine application rig steering itself across the field was not much more than a curiosity. Now, the GPS steering is taking the precision agriculture community. The popularity of the auto steering is catching on just like the first phase of the manual guidance. Auto steering will be the standard equipment on many of the farm vehicles and an option of many farmers. Of course the economic payback is critical through field efficiency but there are lots of other benefits that the auto steering is bringing to the farmers. The auto steering can work day and night, allowing safer, faster, and more accurate field operations even if the visibility is low. This allows the farmer to get in the field whenever it is convenient or to work even around light conditions that would be impossible in the traditional guidance. And because the steering can take care of itself, the farmer can watch other important operations like monitor feedback, crop condition, and any obstacles in the field. The auto steering can also reduce the fatigue of the operators since they do not have to turn or hold the line with the steering wheel, nor manually correct the steering with the use of a light bar.

The Coalition for African Rice Development has been instrumental in nurturing the national development strategies for the increase in the productivity and the production of the African rice. This step is very important towards the significant boosting of the rice production by the African smallholder farmers which will reduce the cost for their food imports and move over the continent towards food security. This group is working with the 21 African countries in order to strengthen their ability in producing this valuable commodity. Rice is indeed quickly becoming a major food for rural and urban consumers. The African production increases which have been achieved by expanding the area devoted only to rice but they are not keeping the pace with the demand. The Coalition for African Rice Development is also aiming to improve the rice productivity by promoting changes on both small scale farms as well as the off farm by advocating harvest value improvements and promoting the enabling policies.

GPS land level

The rice production situated in Africa mirrors the challenges of the general food that the country is facing right now. And the AGRA goals is to transform smallholder agriculture to development and widespread use of such modern farming technologies like GPS land leveling and modern methods like precision Agriculture, large scale changes in the soil management, and promotion of the appropriate policy for the environment. Achieving that new transformation of the African rice farming will definitely require a large number of dynamic and innovative partnerships and an increased financial support for the African agriculture.  

In fact the sectors of the South African economy and agriculture can benefit from introducing another crop grain. This is a positive development for the country since there are a lot of farmers who are interested in growing rice. As rice is a cereal grain summer crop, more grain farmers would be interested in growing rice as means to the diversity of their farming operations. The local production will also reduce the reliance of the country on importing rice. As a matter of fact South Africa is importing almost 2 million tons of staple every year.

The devastating famines of the 1970’s and 1980’s that devastated the West Africa prompted large governmental investments into an irrigation schemes that are intended for food assurance security during the droughts. The architects of the West Africa’s irrigation scheme were all willing to sacrifice the sustainability in favor of the productivity. Following the agricultural development, modern farming techniques based on the use of Earth Moving as the key to cultivation on the Africa’s bas-fond areas.

In other areas where the crop was in booting or early flowering stage, a bacterial blight suspected to be Burkholderia spp. damaged panicles and yields significantly, some areas producion is down over 30%. In the last days farmers are reporting a rise in yield, due to harvest of non affected areas.