What is the purpose of a multispectral sensor?
Mainly used in the field of agriculture and most often used with a drone, the multispectral sensor is a very specific camera that can obtain orthomosaic maps by photogrammetry. The multispectral sensor is a decision-making tool that captures very specific information on the health of the plantations, the vigor of the plants and to identify areas affected by disease, in order to optimize fertilizer application and reduce treatments for example.
It can also capture data that are absolutely imperceptible to the human eye, especially in the infrared range. The MicaSense RedEdge-P camera is part of these bands, in this range we also find the Altum-PT and the Dual Camera.
The RedEdge-P sensor
It is an optimal solution for high resolution RGB and multispectral data. The RedEdge-P is a robust, powerful and high quality multispectral sensor. It features a 5.1 MP panchromatic imager for output resolutions ranging from 2 cm to 60 m. This camera captures calibrated multispectral and RGB images at high resolution, with an optimized FOV and capture rate for efficient flights. The spectral resolution of this sensor measures light in five different bands: red, blue, green, red edge and near infrared.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the different applications of the RedEdge-P sensor:
- Plant count;
- Plant Health Mapping;
- Fertilizer management;
- Disease Identification;
- Weed Detection;
- High resolution 3D point cloud.
The SkyPort version
The Skyport version is simply an adapter that allows the camera to use a standard camera port on the Matrix 300. This allows it to draw its power directly from the drone. Another feature of this version is to use the Micasense camera specifications when planning a mission on DJI Pilot instead of entering this information manually.
The price
To know the price of this sensor, you can go here.
L’Altum-PT
The Altum-PT sensor is a 3-in-1 solution optimized for advanced remote sensing and agricultural research. This solution integrates a 12 MP ultra-high resolution panchromatic imager, an integrated radiometric thermal imager, and five spectral bands to provide synchronized results such as RGB color, crop vigor, heat maps, and high resolution panchromatics in one flight. This higher resolution also provides a greater capacity for analysis and applications: discerning problems at the plant level, even in the early stages of growth, for example.
The SkyPort version
The Skyport version is simply an adapter that allows the camera to use a standard camera port on the Matrix 300. This allows it to draw its power directly from the drone. Another feature of this version is to use the Micasense camera specifications when planning a mission on DJI Pilot instead of entering this information manually.
The price
Pour connaître le prix de ce capteur, vous pouvez vous rendre ici.
The Dual Camera
By adding 5 additional multispectral bands (rededge-blue), this allows for more latitude in the crossing of data and for the generation of vegetation indices. Micasense presents this solution as a mini hyperspectral.
The price
To know the price of this sensor, you can go here.
The comparison
To conclude, here is the comparison of the RedEdge-P, Altum-PT, Dual Camera.
| Caractéristiques principales | RedEdge-P | Altum-PT | Dual Camera |
| Spectral bands | Blue 475(32) Green 560(27) Red 668(14) Red edge 717(12) NIR 842(57) | Blue 475(32) Green 560(27) Red 668(14) Red edge 717(12) NIR 842(57) | Blue edge 444(28)* Blue 475(32) Green 531(14)* Green 560(27) Red 650(16)* Red 668(14) Red edge 705(10)* Red edge 717(12) Red Edge 740(18)* NIR 842(57) |
| RGB output | 5.1 MP | 12.4 MP | 3.6 MP (global shutter, aligned with all bands) |
| Sensor resolution | 1456 x 1088 (1.6MP per multispectral band) 2464 x 2056 (5.1MP per panchromatic band) | 2064 x 1544 (3.2MP per multispectral band) 4112 x 3008 (12MP per panchromatic band) 320 × 256 thermal infrared | 1280 x 960 (1.2 MP per EO band) |
| Fields of view | 50° HFOV x 38° VFOV (multispectral) 44° HFOV x 38° VFOV (PAN) | 50° HFOV x 38° VFOV (multispectral) 46° HFOV x 35° VFOV (panchromatic) 48º x 39º (thermal) | 47.2° HFOV |