The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada has given $25,000 to TÉLUQ University, in partnership with Groupe DDM to fund drone research on forestry microsite planting.
Under the Engage Grant partner program for universities, the grant will fund the project: Using drone computer vision to estimate the number of planting microsites.
“Thanks to research, drones are being used more and more in applications with a real impact on the economy, society, and the environment,” said TÉLUQ director general Martin Noël. “This project is yet another great example that will allow our researchers to develop artificial intelligence technologies for the forest industry. I am very pleased that our university is a pioneer in this field.”
Professor Wassim Bouachir of TÉLUQ University’s Department of Science and Technology, a researcher at LICEF research center and the project leader, adds that the project “will lead to innovative drone imaging solutions. This work is now possible thanks to the infrastructure of SmartForests Canada, a pan-Canadian initiative recently funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and in which TÉLUQ University plays a key role.”
Project researchers main objective will be to use drones to develop computer image recognition technology for managing the forest floor.
Computer vision techniques will allow forest workers to determine the required number of plants more quickly and efficiently, reducing human intervention and associated costs.
(Université TÉLUQ)
