First-ever drone flight calculator launched

Measure, a leading operator of drones, released the Drone

Flight Calculator to help farmers assess the value of using drones in their agriculture operations. The web-based application is the direct result of a study and flight operations conducted with the American Farm Bureau Federation in 2015. Available free of charge at www.measure.aero, the Drone

Flight Calculator allows farmers to input data such as fertilizer use, farm size, and crop type to see how drones can improve operations and cut costs.

"The Drone

Flight Calculator allows farmers to easily determine if drone technology can improve their operations," said Measure CEO Brandon Torres Declet. "While drones have been marketed to farmers, until today no tool existed to help growers quickly and easily calculate the benefits of drones."

The American Farm Bureau Federation recognized early that precision agriculture and drones in particular are

important to the future of farming, but the relevant data has not been available until now. The Drone

Flight Calculator quantifies the economic benefits of Drone as a Service for any type of scouting including crops such as soy, corn, or grapes. Once farm-specific data is entered, the Calculator provides economic returns on a per acre and per growing season basis. Farmers can also learn how much they can expect to save on inputs such as fertilizer and irrigation.

In July 2015, Measure and the American Farm Bureau Federation released a study identifying the broader benefits of drone technology in precision agriculture. The study highlighted the best use cases for drones such as field scouting, 3D terrain mapping, and crop insurance. The study was sponsored by a number of industry leading companies such as PepsiCo, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Richardson International, and Lockheed Martin.