Glossary of Common Terms for Agricultural Drone Pilots

Technology, like farming, uses many unique terms or phrases. This can cause confusion to new users. I am providing this list of common terms used by Ag Drone Pilots to help avoid that confusion. Let me know if there is a word or phrase that should be added!

• ADS‑B – Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast system that transmits an aircraft’s position and identification to improve traffic awareness and airspace integration.
• Ag drone – Drone configured specifically for farming tasks such as spraying, mapping, seeding, or scouting; built for agricultural payloads and rugged field workflows.
• Agrifuture – Vendor term for operational services that scale ag‑drone fleets, including service networks, operator training, and fleet integration.
• AgroSol – Hylio’s ground control and fleet management software for mission planning, logging, and coordinated operations.
• Agras series – DJI’s family of agricultural platforms (e.g., T100, T70P, T25P, T50) designed for precision spraying, seeding, and SmartFarm integration.
• AGL (Above Ground Level) – Altitude measured relative to the ground directly beneath the aircraft rather than sea level.
• Altitude hold – Flight mode that automatically maintains a set altitude using sensor feedback.
• Altimeter – Instrument that reports altitude using barometric pressure or GNSS data.
• Autonomy – Capability of a drone to perform missions with minimal or no human intervention, including navigation and decision making.
• Autopilot – Onboard hardware and firmware that controls attitude, navigation, and mission execution.
• Battery management – Systems and software that monitor, protect, and optimize battery health, state of charge, and power delivery. See my article.
• Blade connector (battery) – Rugged quick‑swap battery connector style used on large ag drones for fast battery changes and secure power transfer.
• Boom controllers – Devices that regulate pressure and flow across sprayer booms to ensure uniform application.
• BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) – Operations where the drone flies outside the pilot’s unaided visual range, often requiring extra safety systems and approvals.
• CCMS nozzle – Vendor nozzle design engineered for fine, uniform atomization with adjustable droplet sizes to improve canopy penetration.
• Charged nozzles – Nozzles that impart an electrostatic charge to droplets to improve deposition and reduce drift.
• Clustering algorithms – Statistical or machine‑learning methods that group similar field areas into management zones.
• Coaxial dual rotors – Rotor configuration with stacked contra‑rotating rotors on the same axis to increase lift in a compact footprint.
• Correction networks – Services (e.g., NTRIP/RTK networks) that provide GNSS correction data to improve positioning accuracy in real time.
• Crop mapping – Producing georeferenced orthomosaics and elevation models from aerial imagery to visualize field variability.
• Crop scouting – Aerial inspection of fields to detect pests, disease, nutrient stress, or irrigation issues; enables targeted interventions. See my article.
• CTB shell (battery) – Vendor term for a rugged, modular battery housing designed for high ambient temperatures and fast charging.
• DaaS (Drone‑as‑a‑service) – Commercial model where operators provide drone flights, data collection, and analysis to farmers on contract or subscription.
• Drone mission planners – Software tools used to design flight paths, set waypoints, configure sensors, and schedule automated missions.
• Drone swarming – Coordinated operation of multiple drones working together to cover large areas or perform synchronized tasks.
• Electrostatic spraying – Spraying technique that charges droplets to improve canopy coverage and reduce off‑target drift.
• ESCs / Motor controllers – Electronic Speed Controllers and motor control hardware that regulate motor RPM per flight controller commands.
• FlyCart / DeliveryHub – Product family names for ground logistics and delivery integration paired with aerial platforms.
• Flow meters – Devices that measure liquid flow rate in spray systems to ensure correct application volumes.
• Flight controller – Central onboard computer that reads sensors, runs stabilization and navigation algorithms, and issues motor commands.
• GCPs (Ground Control Points) – Precisely surveyed markers used to georeference aerial imagery and improve absolute map accuracy.
• Geofencing – Virtual geographic boundaries programmed into a drone or GCS to prevent entry into restricted areas.
• GIS (Geographic Information System) – Software for capturing, storing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial farm data.
• GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) – Satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou) that provide positioning and timing.
• GCS (Ground Control Station) – Hardware and software interface used by pilots to plan missions, monitor telemetry, and control drones.
• GroundLink – Integrated ground station hardware that pairs with fleet software for mission control and multi‑drone management.
• Ground receivers – Hardware that receives telemetry, video, and positioning data from the UAV for monitoring and logging.
• GroundStation Launch Kit – Packaged set of ground equipment (tablet, RC, chargers, spare batteries, trailer gear) for field operations.
• Gyros / Accelerometers (IMU components) – Individual sensors inside the IMU that measure rotational rates and linear acceleration for attitude estimation.
• Hover – Ability of a multirotor drone to maintain a fixed position and altitude in the air.
• IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) – Sensor package containing gyroscopes and accelerometers used for motion and rotation measurement.
• Intelligent Flight Batteries – Vendor term for batteries with integrated management features (fast‑charge, thermal management, modular repairability).
• Intelligent LiPo / 18S battery – High‑voltage LiPo packs with integrated thermal management and fast‑charge profiles for high‑tempo sorties.
• LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging sensor that emits laser pulses and measures return times to create precise 3D point clouds of terrain, canopy structure, and obstacles.
• LiDAR + millimeter‑wave radar – Combined sensing suite that uses LiDAR and mm‑wave radar to maintain terrain following and detect obstacles even in spray or fog.
• Lidar‑enabled terrain following – Capability where LiDAR actively senses terrain and adjusts flight altitude to keep nozzle/boom height consistent.
• MAP61 / RGB61 – Payload model names for multispectral (MAP61) and high‑resolution RGB (RGB61) sensors used on mapping platforms.
• Mesh communications – Network topology that allows drones and ground nodes to relay data among multiple devices for robust connectivity.
• Mist nozzles – Fine‑atomization nozzles that produce very small droplets for specific application needs; often adjustable.
• Multispectral imaging – Cameras that capture discrete spectral bands beyond visible light to reveal plant physiology and stress. See my article.
• NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) – Vegetation index computed from NIR and red reflectance to indicate plant vigor and biomass. See my article.
• Nozzle – Component at the end of a spray line that shapes droplets and controls spray pattern for accurate application.
• No‑fly zone databases – Curated datasets of restricted airspace and temporary flight restrictions used to warn or block flights.
• Obstacle avoidance – Systems combining sensors and algorithms that detect obstacles and automatically alter flight to prevent collisions.
• Onboard AI – Embedded algorithms and processors that interpret sensor data in real time to enable autonomy tasks such as obstacle avoidance and target detection.
• Orthomosaic software – Tools that stitch overlapping images into a single, georeferenced, scale‑accurate map.
• OSD (On‑Screen Display) – Overlay that shows telemetry (altitude, speed, battery, GPS) on video feeds for situational awareness.
• Payload – Equipment carried by the drone (sprayer, camera, LiDAR, sensors); payload capacity affects endurance and performance.
• Photogrammetry – Science and techniques of making measurements and maps from overlapping photographs to reconstruct 2D and 3D models.
• Point‑cloud processors – Software that cleans, classifies, and converts LiDAR or photogrammetric point clouds into usable models and metrics.
• PPK (Post‑Processed Kinematic) – GNSS correction method applied after flight to improve positional accuracy of imagery and survey data.
• Precision agriculture – Farming approach that uses spatial and temporal data to optimize inputs and improve yields while reducing waste.
• Prescription maps – Spatial files that specify variable application rates or treatment zones across a field. See my article.
• Pumps / Smart Liquid Tank – Tank and pump systems with integrated sensors and flow control to manage liquid application and refills.
• Rapid charge infrastructure – High‑power charging systems and generator requirements vendors specify to sustain continuous operations.
• Radar – Radio Detection and Ranging system that uses radio waves to detect objects, measure distance and relative speed, and penetrate dust, fog, or spray plumes for robust obstacle detection.
• Relay / Relay station – Ground communications node that extends telemetry and control range by relaying signals between drone and GCS.
• Relative speed of obstacle avoidance – Vendor spec describing the maximum closure speed at which obstacle‑avoidance sensors can reliably react.
• RTK (Real‑Time Kinematic) – GNSS correction technique that provides centimeter‑level positioning in real time using a base station or network.
• RTK base stations – Local GNSS reference units that broadcast correction data to nearby rovers for RTK positioning.
• RTH (Return‑to‑home) – Automated safety function that commands the drone to return to launch or a predefined safe location.
• Rotary atomizer – High‑throughput atomizer used on large spray drones to produce controlled droplet spectra for canopy penetration.
• Rotorcraft – Aircraft that generate lift through rotating blades (rotors), including multirotors used for vertical takeoff and hovering.
• Seeding / Spreading systems (integrated) – Modular systems that allow rapid role changes between spraying, seeding, and granular spreading on the same airframe.
• Service infrastructure (fleet ops) – Local service networks, operator training, spare parts, and uptime standards vendors provide to support production operations.
• Sensor fusion – Process of combining data from multiple sensors (IMU, GNSS, camera, LiDAR) to produce a reliable estimate of state and environment.
• Sensor fusion algorithms (Kalman filters) – Mathematical methods used to combine noisy sensor inputs into stable estimates of position, velocity, and attitude.
• SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) – Technique using onboard sensors to build a map and localize the vehicle in GPS‑challenged areas.
• SmartFarm (app / web) – Integrated farm management platform for scheduling missions, managing fleets, and aggregating application and mapping data.
• Smart Liquid Tank – Branded tank system with integrated level sensors, flow control, and telemetry for application management.
• Spreader tank with material sensor – Spreading module that monitors material level and agitates granular product to ensure uniform flow.
• Sprayer boom – Structural arm that carries multiple nozzles to distribute spray evenly across a swath.
• Spray drift – Unintended movement of spray droplets away from the target area due to wind, evaporation, or droplet size.
• Stereo vision – Depth‑sensing technique using two or more cameras spaced apart to compute disparity and generate real‑time depth maps for obstacle detection and terrain profiling.
• Swarm‑enabled operations – Capability to coordinate multiple drones from a single ground station for parallelized coverage.
• Telemetry – Real‑time transmission of flight, sensor, and payload data from the drone to the ground control station.
• Telemetry radios / LTE/5G links – Short‑range radios (900 MHz / 2.4 GHz) for local command and cellular options (LTE/5G) for long‑range telemetry.
• Terrain following (LiDAR + autonomy) – Automated altitude control using LiDAR and autonomy to maintain consistent application height over uneven ground.
• Ultra‑high coverage metrics (acres/day) – Manufacturer performance claims for operational throughput that vary by model, payload, and conditions.
• UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) – Complete system including UAV, ground control, data links, batteries, and support equipment.
• UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) – The aircraft component of a UAS that carries payloads and performs flight operations.
• VRA (Variable Rate Application) – Technique and systems that vary input rates across a field based on spatial prescriptions.
• VRA controllers – Hardware that modulates application rates in real time according to prescription maps and flow feedback.
• VLOS (Visual Line of Sight) – Operation where the pilot maintains unaided visual contact with the drone at all times.
• Waypoint – Programmed GPS coordinate or navigation point the drone follows during an automated mission.
• Yield mapping – Spatial recording of harvest data (yield, moisture) across a field to analyze productivity patterns.
• Zero‑turn logistics – Operational concept describing tightly choreographed ground workflows (battery swap, refill, rearm) that minimize drone downtime.
• Zoning – Dividing a field into management zones based on imagery, soil, or yield data so inputs can be targeted where most needed.