Private beta will showcase cost-effective in-field mosaic insights

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentera and the OpenDroneMap project are collaborating to bring free, local image stitching to AgVault™ users. OpenDroneMap creates fully-stitched image mosaics using data from Sentera's most popular sensors, including visual-band, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and normalized difference red edge (NDRE) imagery. The process is silently and automatically managed from within the AgVault Desktop application. All mosaics created locally with OpenDroneMap are free. OpenDroneMap integration for AgVault will be available in October to select partners through a private beta.

"Making local stitching free and simple for our desktop customers helps them better leverage near real-time data. Customers can shift resources and attention towards downstream higher-value activities using our visualization, analytics, and digital platform integration tools and APIs," said Eric Taipale, Sentera's CEO.

Seamless Integration; Expanded Insights
All OpenDroneMap image processing happens locally, on the user's computer. Imagery and mosaics are synchronized to the cloud using AgVault Desktop. Sentera analytics and value-added functionality like the NDVI Toolbox™ are fully compatible with OpenDroneMap mosaics, without restriction.

Free local stitching will allow users to develop new workflows using Sentera sensors. "OpenDroneMap integration allows for unlimited mosaic generation, without having to sacrifice image resolution. This expands the ways in which subscribers can leverage in-field data," explains Taipale. "We're excited to bring this free feature to the community and can't wait to see what our users accomplish."

"We're very excited to collaborate with Sentera," said Piero Toffanin, software consultant for the OpenDroneMap project. "We look forward to helping facilitate ODM's integration and to improve its capabilities."

A Foundational Capability
Simple, free access to high-quality stitched image data contributes to the success of an agronomy, crop consulting, advising, or growing operation. The OpenDroneMap project's members and contributors have developed and brought together an amazing set of tools for building high-quality stitched imagery. Now, Sentera's collaboration with OpenDroneMap means that any AgVault subscriber will have the option to locally produce high-quality NDVI, NDRE, and RGB mosaics without any additional costs or subscriptions. Sentera will continue to offer its commercial cloud-based stitching products for multispectral data, large datasets, or customers who simply prefer not to use local stitching.

Growing Value
"Thanks to the incredible efforts of the open source community, stitching drone imagery has become an accessible, widely-available commodity service. It's now just a matter of providing sufficient computing resources," remarked Reid Plumbo, director, product management for Sentera. "Sentera has always focused on the data products that show economic returns. Providing every user with free access to highly-accurate stitched products will only amplify their value."

Compatibility
Sentera supports OpenDroneMap integration with AgVault for Sentera Single, Sentera Double 4K, and selected DJI visual-band sensors for NDVI, NDRE, and RGB mosaics. Additional sensors will be integrated in the future.

What's next?
Sentera will open a private beta for this feature in October, a public beta mid-winter, and plans to release the free-stitching product in time for the 2018 North American growing season.

For more information about the private beta, visit http://sentera.com/freestitching
For more information about OpenDroneMap, visit http://opendronemap.org/

About Sentera
Sentera is a leading supplier of integrated remote sensing, analytics, and IoT solutions to the agriculture industry, making it easy for users integrate on-field real-time data into digital platforms. Sentera equipment has flown tens of millions of acres all over the world. For more information, visit www.sentera.com.