We are part of an international collaboration enabling wide area, persistent remote sensing to be used in agriculture by developing and coordinating multiple heterogeneous (diverse) platforms. This is focused on agriculture and the environment in China but will have a number of other applications with a global reach

At a glance

  • DatesMay 2016 start (three years)
  • SponsorScience and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Newton Fund
  • Funded£1.015 million
  • PartnersLed by Loughborough University, the UK consortium also involves the University of Manchester. Two Chinese universities, Beihang University and Beijing Aerospace Automatic Control Institute, are also involved

This Anglo-Chinese collaboration aims to develop wide area, persistent remote sensing capability for agriculture applications by developing and coordinating a number of sensing platforms such as satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), airships, and even ground unmanned vehicles.

Agriculture is currently facing serious challenges in securing the food supply for a growing and ageing global population. This especially applies to the sustainability of intensive farming in rapidly-developing countries like China.

Our work should enable a wide range of applications for remote sensing technologies such as better crop health monitoring, early detection of pests and disease, and provision of information for better farm management including targeted intervention/treatment.