The view from above - Unmanned aerial systems and remote scouting for insects

Remote sensing of insects has been researched and applied for many years, but recent advances in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and remote sensors has resulted in an unprecedented interest in adapting these technologies to applied entomology.  The flexibility of their deployment and increasing affordability of the data acquisition has resulted in expanding commercial application of these systems.  However, much of the underlying research required to identify insect damage and differentiate it from other stressors is still needed.  We will report on the growing potential to use these systems to remotely scout for insect populations, discuss current ongoing research and limitations to the technology’s application.