Two students from the University of North Georgia recently held a drone demonstration at UNG's Gainesville Campus.
Wyn Huey and Michael McGee hosted the demonstration on Oct. 18 for Jane Hemmer, a Hall County Soil and Water Conservation District board member and UNG Foundation trustee; other board members; students; and community members.
"It's just another way in which the University of North Georgia is growing and adapting to the needs of this community," Hemmer said.
Huey, a Buford native, started his time as a UNG student in 2017 and is a senior pursuing a degree in environmental spatial analysis.
He gained inspiration from his "remote sensing of the environment" class with Dr. Amber Ignatius, last year before launching Spearhead Agriculture to mobilize drones in precision agriculture.
"Without this kind of degree, it would be extremely difficult. It's not just picking up a controller and flying it around. There's a lot that goes into the actual application of chemicals and everything else," Huey said. "The ability to give back has always been something I've enjoyed doing and take great pride in. To be able to offer this as a service to farmers and the community, I love it. It's amazing."
"Geospatial science is inherently technological, fast-changing and an innovative discipline," Ignatius said. "The recent advancements in precision agriculture showcase one way geospatial technology can be used to improve efficiency for people and the environment."
McGee, a native of Cumming, began his higher education at Kennesaw State University before leaving to become an automotive mechanic.
After receiving some certifications in that industry, he then came to UNG and is currently pursuing a degree in environmental spatial analysis.
"When you actually get on your feet in terms of understanding the knowledge and interpreting the data, that's when it really gets interesting. At that point, you start to really see the potential of this technology," McGee said. "The beautiful thing about it is the Earth is always changing. There's always something new to measure and look at. There's no way you would ever have a repetitive day at work."
Huey and McGee are partnering on research with UNG's Dr. Sudhanshu Panda and Fort Valley State University faculty, as well as faculty from universities in South Africa and Ireland.
Panda and the other researchers have a $750,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant that runs from 2022-25.
Panda's USDA-NIFA grant research has two main elements: a cellphone app that detects sick animals so treatment can start sooner and the precision agriculture use of drones to give farmers the proper data to best care for their fields.
"At heart, all of us are really more interested in the science. That's what backs up the practical application of anything," McGee said. "If we can find a way to roll the knowledge we get through this program and hone it by working more closely with this field through research assistant positions, we can see where the agriculture industry could be going in the future."
