The oil palm industry is a vital sector, providing one of the world’s most widely used vegetable oils. It encompasses the cultivation, harvesting, and processing of oil palm fruit to produce palm oil for various applications. Efficient estate monitoring is crucial for ensuring productivity, detecting threats, and optimizing resources. However, traditional ground-based monitoring presents challenges in accessibility, efficiency, and labor dependency. The DJI Dock 2, integrated with the Matrice 3TD drone and Flighthub 2 software, offers an autonomous, real-time monitoring solution to enhance plantation management.

Challenges in Oil Palm Estate Surveillance

1. Limited Viewing Access: Ground-based monitoring has restricted visibility, making it difficult to cover vast plantation areas effectively.
   
2. Time-Consuming Monitoring: Manual inspections require significant time and resources, leading to inefficiencies in identifying threats.
3. Slow Threat Detection: Delayed identification of unauthorized activities or environmental hazards can impact productivity and security.
4. High Labor Dependency: Extensive manpower is required for surveillance, estate analysis, and incident response.
   

Hardware and Software Specifications

Software Tools

Mission Planning

Key surveillance points within the plantation include:

• Unauthorized Vehicles: Monitoring entrance and exit activities to prevent unauthorized access.
• Wildlife Monitoring: Tracking wildlife movements and potential interactions with crops.
• Human Activities: Observing labor activities to ensure operational efficiency and security.
• Nursery Surveillance: Monitoring the oil palm nursery area for potential disturbances or threats.
  

• Altitude: 150 meters
• Speed: 15 m/s
• Front Overlap: 80%
• Side Overlap: 70%
• Flight Time: 16 minutes per mission

Data Acquisition

• Automated Surveillance:
  • The Matrice 3TD executes scheduled waypoints to systematically monitor the plantation.
  • Cloud reconstruction is performed to update environmental conditions before flight execution.
• Real-Time Monitoring via FlightHub 2:
  • Provides livestreaming for remote assessment of surveillance operations.
  • Enables manual control over the drone during inspections for enhanced accuracy.
  • Displays real-time drone telemetry, including satellite signals, battery levels, and wind speed.
    

Data Analysis and Reporting

1. 1. Unauthorized Vehicle Detection:
      • Monitors estate gates to track vehicle movements, ensuring only authorized access.
   2. Wildlife Monitoring:
      • Observes animal migration patterns to prevent habitat disruption and potential threats to crops.
   3. Human Activity Analysis:
      • Identifies labor movements for improved workforce management.
   4. Nursery Protection:
      • Detects suspicious activity to prevent damage to young oil palm plants.
   5. Cloud-Based Monthly Tracking:
      • FlightHub 2 generates monthly cloud reconstructions to track plantation progress and landscape changes.
   6. Tree Census and Pest Control Planning:
      • Airamap Desktop processes orthophoto maps for tree counting and flight route optimization for pest mitigation.

Benefits

1. Extended Viewing Access:
   • Overcomes the limitations of ground-based surveillance with aerial monitoring.
2. Autonomous Monitoring & Reduced Labor Dependency:
   • DJI Dock 2 enables scheduled, routine inspections without manual intervention.
   • Significantly reduces labor requirements for estate monitoring.
3. Real-Time Threat Detection & Response:
   • Live streaming and remote access allow for immediate assessment of threats and operational issues.
4. Enhanced Plantation Management:
   • Airamap Desktop supports advanced data analysis for tree census, pest control, and environmental assessments.

Conclusion

The DJI Dock 2, Matrice 3TD drone, and Flighthub 2 software provide an innovative solution for oil palm estate monitoring. By automating surveillance, reducing labor dependency, and offering real-time insights, this technology enhances operational efficiency, security, and estate management. With cloud-based mapping, scheduled flights, and advanced analytics, plantation operators can improve productivity while minimizing risks.