A multispectral camera in the VIS-NIR equipped with thermal imaging and environmental sensors for non invasive analysis in precision agriculture

MSX a modular and low-cost solution for a multispectral camera in the VIS-NIR
range equipped with a thermographic camera and a set of environmental sensors. Its design is based on the use of a
monochromatic and RGB CMOS sensors combined with a rotating wheel of interchangeable band-pass optical filters and
a compact LWIR sensor (microbolometer). The technology and the measurement processes were experimentally
validated in laboratory and in open field. The major difference with respect to the available MSI cameras for agriculture,
mounted on UAV, is the integrated imaging in both the reflectance band (VIS-NIR) and the thermal emissive (LWIR)
band in a close-up imaging setup, together with the use of environmental sensors. By multispectral imaging, various
vegetation indices such as NDVI, NDRE, VI, etc. can be calculated, indicating the health status of each plant. At the
same time, thermal data can identify uneven watering areas and the early stage of disease development in the plants.