Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/591609
28 WINES&VINES November 2015 GROUNDED GRAPEGROWING infrared photography and any other spatial data. Sensors are placed both in representative areas and areas that have different growth patterns that require extra monitoring. The Fruition Sciences software is basically a platform to integrate all of the data growers need to monitor when, what, how and where during the course of the growing season. It can track a wide array of data including evapo- transpiration information (sourced from either in-vineyard systems, private networks or California Ir- rigation Management Information System (CIMIS), phenological events (bud break, bloom, véraison, harvest), irrigation applications, soil moisture data and any other information that needs to be re- corded. Fruition Sciences' services contract also includes extensive grower training for the software. When the system is used over time, it greatly helps the vineyard owner understand the relationships be- tween soil, climate, variety, root- stock and wine. It is quite a sophisticated system compared to simpler approaches such as soil moisture monitoring. Aerial vehicles and visual imaging This technology is still in its in- fancy, but there are many ap- proaches for using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) to asses a vineyard with infrared, NDVI or other techniques that might spot problem areas quickly and inexpensively. At the moment, the Federal Aviation Administra- tion is proposing rules that aircraft under 55 pounds could be used commercially only if flown in "line of sight" by the operator (it has to be seen by the person flying it), limited to flying only 500 feet above the ground and away from any other manned aircraft or airports. One interesting company cur- rently in the research and develop- ment phase is Kextrel of Monterey, Calif. Partners Iain Butler and Steve Allot envision a relatively inexpensive fixed-wing UAV that could be owned by the grower or consultant and flown on a weekly basis to do NDVI, infrared or other remote sensing. The UAV can gen- erate aerial maps in 3-D, two di- mensions and interface with other geographic information system (GIS) layers, and with relatively affordable technology be accurate to within several centimeters (maps generated by Google Earth and other satellite flyovers are typically accurate to meters only). Working with Josh Metz of Ge- oVine, another company that spe- c i a l i z e s i n r e m o t e s e n s i n g mapping of vineyards, they are trying to develop a useful and ac- curate inexpensive remote sens- ing system that integrates existing GIS layers with imagery gener- ated by the UAV. I witnessed a demonstration in which Butler and Allot hand launched a relatively small fixed- wing UAV that then flew to preset way points (places to turn with GPS settings) aerially surveying close to 25 acres of vineyard within 10 minutes. The UAV safely landed itself at our feet on the edge of the vineyard (very impres- sive). The data was then pro- cessed to generate a 3-D map and an infrared image of the vineyard. The entire operation was run from a small computer, but Butler now has software that operates the UAV from an iPhone 6. He can preprogram the flight waypoints at home, connect to software on the web through his phone hotspot and control his drone in the field. When the flight is done, he can download the images from each pass and "stitch" them together to quickly generate a map as a PDF file and instantly provide a perma- nent record of the flight. Infrared and NDVI can quickly show you if there are stressed vines that you then can assess with other technologies to see whether your irrigation system is working properly, or if you need to change irrigation scheduling. It also can show areas that are stressed for other reasons such as pests, nematodes or viruses. But- ler believes that the UAV, sensors and software can be packaged for around $5,000 per unit, making it an affordable tool for consul- tants or larger growers to use on a regular basis. There are other uses for such a machine in con- struction, search and rescue and real estate mapping. Tel : 800 577 1220 Our portfolio of services and supplies VA Reduction* 4EP/4EG Reduction* Lo-Crossflow Filtration Smoke Taint Reduction* Alcohol Reduction Equipment Manufacture Micro-Ox - Barrelmate Wine pH Reduction without acid addition Oenological Products Yeasts, Tannins, nutrients, etc Trials available Juice/Must Concentration FOSMOS Forward Osmosis pouches Large scale service available Ultrafiltration Heavy press color removal Bitter tannin reduction Lees Filtration Sweetspotter Rental and sales TCA/TBA Removal Ion exchange *US Patent 7651616 & 7828977 bryan@vafiltration.com www.vafiltration.com