📋 Tender Overview
After undergoing training on the use of drones in the inspection, employees of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) of the State of Sao Paulo began to adopt field technology. The first operation took place this week, when an unmanned aircraft flew over and mapped experimental areas of genetically modified sugarcane. The product is not yet released for commercial use and this restriction is controlled by the map.
Drone surveillance makes work more agile and reduces the exposure of servers to adverse conditions - to the field, as well as minimizing travel.
The data and images captured by the aircraft allow you to perform measurements, comparing what is in the field with the data presented by the supervised company. While one server checks the documentary part, another commands the flights.
All rehearsals involving genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are regulated and strictly thorough, and biosafety measures approved by the National Biosafety Technical Commission, such as delimitation and sizing of cultivation areas, should be respected. The high resolution image allows you to verify details of the cultivated area, calculate the size and number of plants in place. Prior to the use of technology, the inspector would have to manually measure the area and mark the points of latitude and longitude, among other information.
Three servers followed the first operation in Sao Paulo, which took place in the Campinas region. The Map Regional Head, Patricia Schober, said she considered it important to incorporate the Ministrys actions the technologies that contribute to technically support the work of tax auditors. The use of drones in OGM supervision makes the action more agile and effective, as well as allowing important records for this type of inspection. As the Map in the State of Sao Paulo has an expert on the subject and the available equipment, it would be a mistake not to incorporate technology into this type of action, she said.
The ministry has trained Sao Paulo State servants to use drones in their activities. The training content included from legislation to the practical part of flight, obtaining and processing images. All flights, even in an inspection, were authorized by the Airspace Control Department (Decea), the body responsible for the control of airspace in Brazil. The aircraft used is duly registered with the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), which is critical for the data generated by the aircraft to be used legally.
The intention is to increasingly use this tool in the inspections in 2025. The Superintendence of Agriculture and Livestock in Sao Paulo (SFA-SP), which represents the map in the state, will soon receive two more unmanned aircraft of the state-of-the-art ministry. One has a thermal sensor, a technology that allows you to detect temperature variations and visualize the heat emitted by objects. This aircraft may be used in night operations or under low visibility conditions.
