Valmie Resources Inc., a technology solutions company, says it has signed a letter of intent with Monitoreo Especializado Agricola de Jalisco SA (MEA) to collaborate on drone technology for agribusiness.
Jalisco, Mexico-based MEA provides crop monitoring and data collection services to megafarms located primarily in Central and South America.
Using Valmie’s drone hardware and autonomous intelligence for mobile devices (AIMD) software platform, the companies will collaborate to develop a customized system to expand Valmie’s technology for agricultural applications.
As part of the agreement, Valmie will supply unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fully integrated ground control software and cloud services customized for MEA’s customer base.
“Enhancing the global food supply is high priority for Valmie as well as for the global market,” says Gerald B. Hammack, president and CEO of Valmie. “We expect Valmie’s technology will allow growers to improve the oversight of millions of acres in rural areas and save big money at the same time.”
MEA will use the UAVs, equipped with cameras and other sensors, to survey crops, monitor for plant diseases, and precision-spray pesticides and fertilizers.
Offering a bird’s-eye view of the fields’ overall condition, the drone technology will help boost crop health, improve field management practices, reduce costs and improve yields.
Valmie’s Software as a Service AIMD platform will collect and send data from the UAVs’ independent controller units back to a cloud-based modular resource network for aggregation and analysis.
The AIMD platform will determine intervention thresholds, quickly route predetermined responses, communicate critical information to the operator and, in some cases, deploy solutions in real time.
