Got approached by a precision ag company wanting NDVI and crop health maps. I have zero experience with multispectral imaging.
Looking at the MicaSense RedEdge-P and the DJI P1 + NDVI filter approach. Very different price points but I don't know enough to evaluate them.
Is multispectral worth investing in or is it a niche market that's hard to sustain?
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Sign inThe MicaSense RedEdge-P is the industry standard for ag work. 5 discrete bands, proper calibration workflow with reflectance panels, and every processing software supports it. The DJI filter approach is a shortcut that won't give you calibrated results.
Market-wise: precision ag is growing fast but seasonal. Spring through fall is busy, winter is dead. Consider it as a complementary service to your survey work, not a standalone business.
We added multispectral to our services 2 years ago. Revenue from ag work is about 25% of our total. Good margin but the clients expect fast turnaround - they need actionable data during the growing season.
Calibration is everything. If you don't understand radiometric calibration, the data is meaningless. Take a course before investing in hardware.