Flying Sensor Workshop for Egyptian Water Management Professionals

Egyptian water specialists explore flying sensors for climate-smart agriculture

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On 23 September, HiView and our partner FutureWater welcomed six Egyptian water management professionals to the FutureWater office in Wageningen for a hands-on workshop on climate-smart agriculture with drone-based sensors.

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The group represented several departments of Egypt’s water management administration: the Strategic Management Sector, the Minister’s Office, the Nile Water Affairs Sector and the Groundwater Sector.

The workshop was led by Martijn de Klerk (FutureWater) and Jan van Til (HiView), combining theory with practical demonstrations. The morning started with a one-hour presentation on HiView and FutureWater, the use of flying sensors in climate-smart agriculture, and the technical capabilities of different sensor platforms. We focused on high-resolution imagery and vegetation indices such as NDVI, which help farmers and water managers monitor crop health, identify water stress and irrigate more efficiently.

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After the presentation, the group went to the Wageningen floodplains for a two-hour field demonstration of:

• eBee fixed-wing: high-resolution mapping and monitoring of larger areas

• Quadcopter: flexible, detailed aerial observations

• Rapid Eye XS: our own affordable multispectral camera, developed for rapid vegetation monitoring and NDVI analysis. We showed it mounted under a drone and on the 12-metre HiPole, which covers locations where drone flights are not practical.

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The day ended with a joint lunch at the FutureWater office, giving participants the chance to share experiences and discuss how these technologies could be applied in Egypt.

HiView thanks the Egyptian delegation for their enthusiasm and engaging discussions, and FutureWater for hosting the day.