3-D GIS Map Generation Using a Robot Tractor with a Laser Scanner

Abstract

3-D GIS Map Generation is necessary for applying precision agriculture to acquire theinformation of field environment. This research allows the autonomous robot tractor to gathersurrounding spatial information in a field. For instance, soil moisture content and soil organic matterstrongly affect crop growth and yield. Thus, it is important to understanding the variability in the fieldto be able to promote precision agriculture. In this study, a laser scanner, attached with inclination tothe roof of the tractor, acquires the 3-D information by scanning in a plane. It was able to detectobjects within 80 m radius during tractors navigation. In addition, a RTK-GPS measured vehicle position while a posture sensor determined azimuth. This sensing system was able to map in UTM coordinate system the terrain and surrounding components including trees and buildings; moreover it automatically generated a field topography map. This system is promised to be an important tool for future decision makers in agriculture.