University of California, Davis

University of California, Davis

Core member

About 75 percent of precipitation in California falls between November and April, so most land is irrigated. The severe drought from 2012-2016 has focused attention on more precise water management, which also requires more precise application of agricultural chemicals (fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, etc.). There is considerable interest in the use of drones for agricultural management, but farmers do not understand what type of UAS would best suit their applications, what remote measurements they need, how to collect them, or how to analyze the data to retrieve the information they need. Faculty, Agricultural Extension Agents, and Farm Advisors are working with farmers to address these problems and help them find solutions that improve the management of their crops.

University of California Davis is part of a group called the ASSURE, that is advising the Federal Aviation Administration on rules and policies for unmanned systems.

For More Information | Contact:

Susan Ustin 
Professor of Environmental Resource Science, Dept of Land, Air and Water Resources, Director of Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing

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