Progeny Drone teams up with leading agricultural research software company on integrating outputs from its unique UAS image stitching and data extraction app
To most effectively leverage aerial imagery from the field in plant breeding and agronomic research the data must be stored, analyzed, and evaluated alongside more traditional phenotypic and genetic information. Today, Canada-based Agronomix Software and Purdue University-affiliated startup, Progeny Drone, announce a strategic alliance focused on data integration for their
mutual clients.
Drones have long been hyped as a revolutionary tool to enhance agronomic research and supplant laborious manual data collection tasks in small plot field trials. However, the capability to extract actionable data lagged far behind developments in UAS hardware. "In many cases disillusioned early adopters now have drones gathering dust, only used to capture bird’s eye views for cover photos on reports," states Edwin Reidel, Progeny Drone Business Development Director.
In order to use UAS-derived data most effectively, it must be integrated seamlessly into existing databases. Although outputs from Plot Phenix by Progeny drone are compatible with any software, the alliance with Agronomix seeks to add enhanced value for mutual clients of the two companies. “We are frequently asked about drones and how to process the images” says Agronomix President Christopher Leonard, “Working with Progeny is a logical step to offer our clients even greater value than they get with Genovix already. Both companies have unique offerings to plant breeders and agronomists. Strategically coming together can only be positive for our clients.”.
In the coming months, Agronomix will announce enhancements to its category-leading Genovix platform to import Plot Phenix outputs seamlessly, including original images, Plot Clips™, and all metrics including stand counts, canopy cover, row length under vegetation, and RGB/multispectral canopy analyses.
In addition, Agronomix will make the UAS outputs fully compatible with its relational database of genotypic, phenotypic, and agronomic data. Linking enables researchers to graph and visualize data from numerous perspectives. For example, stand counts from Plot Phenix can be related to soil type for powerful spatial analyses (view a recording of our joint webinar). Furthermore, the Plot Phenix outputs can be analyzed alongside all traits in Genovix using the embedded R statistical tools.
After meeting at multiple trade shows, Agronomix’s Dieter Mulitze and Progeny CEO Anthony Hearst realized that their companies are philosophically aligned in terms of bringing consistent innovation and thought leadership in Agricultural Research Management technologies. “As a standalone app, Plot Phenix offers unbeatable power, flexibility, and value to researchers, says Progeny CEO Anthony Hearst. “For larger clients collecting data from multiple sources, our mutual customers will benefit from the power of Genovix to deliver integration and further analyses,” he adds.
More about Agronomix: https://www.agronomix.com/