Maharashtra, which has been witnessing a dip in its water resources for the last many years, have come up with drone mapping of its water bodies and agriculture lands. The government has decided to upgrade its decades old agriculture map using aerial survey with the help of drones.
The government had roped in Terra Drone India, which is a subsidiary of Terra Drone Corporation of Japan. Terra Drone authorities said that they have completed survey of 4,200 square kilometre of agri land for the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation. The aerial survey has given a clear picture of the land mass, water bodies and the type of crop grown here.
The Terra drone authorities said that 1,085 villages were surveyed using drones. They said that they surveyed 120 square kilometre area each day. They said the pictures from the drones when superimposed with the decade old maps had shown a clear picture of the present situation of the land mass. Some places that were earlier shown as un-irrigated lands were now being used for irrigation and the places which were once fertile lands were now human settlements.
With aerial picturing of the area, the officials said that the survey had taken only half the time of the traditional survey. The present survey using drones had taken only two months for the entire 4,200 square kilometre.
The officials said that the drone aerial survey method could be adopted not only for surveying agriculture lands but for forest as well as residential areas. The aerial survey is fast and also more accurate than the traditional method, an official said.
