Lingnan scholar leads UAV project for smart agriculture given China Satellite Navigation and Positioning Innovation Application Platinum Award

An innovative project titled "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Navigation, Control, and Communication Integration Technology and Application" (the project) and led by Prof Yuan Weijie, Assistant Professor (Presidential Early Career Scholar) of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies of Lingnan University has recently received the prestigious Platinum Award for Satellite Navigation and Positioning Innovation Application in 2024 from the GNSS and LBS Association of China. This great accolade recognises Prof Yuan’s valuable contribution to advancing technological innovation in China's satellite navigation and positioning service industry. By integrating communication, navigation, and control systems, the project’s comprehensive solution augments the efficiency and precision of UAV technology in the agriculture sector, and addresses critical technical challenges faced by UAVs in smart agriculture.

Prof Yuan and his team have developed a communication system capable of reliably navigating and controlling multiple UAVs to fertilise and irrigate specific crop areas precisely. The project also enables UAVs equipped with sensors and cameras to collect data on crop growth, and provide real-time monitoring and analysis of farmland temperature fluctuations and soil conditions. This innovative approach improves crop management while significantly reducing fertiliser and water waste, contributing to sustainable development goals. Research shows that the system can boost planting efficiency by 15 per cent, making it one of the most advanced technologies of its kind. The system has already been adopted by companies and research institutions in several Chinese provinces, yielding substantial social and economic advantages. To date, over 200 million users nationwide have benefitted from automated agricultural services, saving approximately 50 million tons of agricultural water.

Prof Yuan noted that the new technology not only alleviates global challenges such as agricultural labour shortages and an ageing workforce, but also enables farmers to cultivate crops in more remote areas. "As artificial intelligence and industrial automation technologies continue to advance, innovations in smart agriculture not only support farmers by upgrading and transforming their operations, but also attract younger generations to the agricultural sector by fostering sustainable socio-economic development. Moreover, this technology assists farmers in remote regions by analysing local climate and soil changes, enabling the production of suitable crops, reducing costs from water wastage, and improving crop quality. This, in turn, enhances food security and stability. I believe this project will support the nation’s goals to build strong agricultural and transportation powerhouses, and focus on the evolving low-altitude economy."

The award-winning team consists of 15 experts from universities, research institutions, and industry partners, supported by national and provincial science and technology programmes. Experts from the China Air Transport Association have recognised its outstanding high-precision navigation and mapping technologies, further demonstrating the leading role UAVs can play in transforming smart agriculture and promoting sustainable development.

The project has also had a profound academic impact, with more than 80 papers published in renowned IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) journals, including twelve Essential Science Indicators Highly Cited Papers, which are among the top one per cent most cited papers globally in their academic fields over the past decade. The project also holds 25 national invention patents, and has won the Best Paper Awards at three IEEE international conferences.

The Platinum Award for Satellite Navigation and Positioning Innovation Application in 2024 was recently presented at the Conference on Beidou Navigation Satellite System Application, also known as the 13th GNSS and LBS Annual Conference, held in Wuhan. With the theme "Promoting Large-scale Application of Beidou, Empowering New Quality Productive force in Industries", the event promoted the recognition and application of scientific and technological achievements in the satellite navigation field, encouraging technological innovation and fostering the integration of Beidou technology with emerging technologies such as 5G, big data, AI, low-altitude UAVs, and integrated communication and sensing systems. This integration is intended to drive the development of new digital applications and the creation of intelligent products and services, accelerating advances in navigation and positioning technologies as well as the transformation of scientific achievements into practical applications.