SiT, advances with Industrial Drones to uplift Agriculture
Backed by over 20 years of experience the organization has now ventured further paving the way to provide feasible and efficient solutions for agriculture in Sri Lanka.
SiT initiated Global Positioning Systems through hand held devices in 1994 and since then has evolved exponentially, specializing and providing enterprise-level Global Positioning Systems, Geographic Information Systems and Communication solutions to Government Agencies and other leading business organizations in the country. The SiT team works meticulously striving to create applications that meet the overall strategy of their clients.
Having entered into a partnership in 2017 with Dà-Jiāng Innovations (better known as DJI), the world’s leading drone manufacturer in China, SiT and Retail IT (a supporting arm of Sumathi Holdings) were able to further enhance their geographic information solutions (GIS).
Infusing technology to local industries like agriculture will immensely contribute towards industrial development as well as community development in Sri Lanka by uplifting farmers wellbeing brought about by effective time and crop management.
The use of drone technology in the agriculture sector will vastly benefit the industry by enabling treatment from above for crops as high as 30 meters or even for infant and maturing crops at ground level. The footage will provide high quality zone maps for future reference and crop planning.
Remote monitoring of crops and livestock plus targeted nutrient or pesticide applications with the generation of variable rate prescriptions will help to decrease inputs and maximize profits. The health of the crops can be assessed accurately using NDVI technology developed by NASA to process photos in a way that helps the human eye better visualize plant health. This will eliminate False-Colour mapping and reduce wastage.
Executive Director of Sumathi Information Technologies, Chadu Sumathipala stated, “Times have changed drastically over the last decade and we need to look at embracing new technologies to strategically drive our industries to achieve maximum output. The use of drone technology will help to increase productivity and utilize resources in an effective manner to yield higher profits.”
Through the introduction of new technology, SiT will be able to provide many cutting-edge services to a wide array of businesses and service sectors. Organizations can utilize drones for the transportation of essential documents between harbor offices and ships as well as deliver blood samples, medical reports, emergency medicines between hospitals, laboratories and main pharmacies.
In the Construction and Engineering sector, the progress of construction sites can be monitored with real time videos. Drones can be utilized for management of wildlife and forestry with increased efficiency and minimal errors and risks.