Qin Zhang – författare

Sea Ice Image Processing with MATLAB addresses the topic of image processing for the extraction of key sea ice characteristics from digital photography, which is of great relevance for Artic remote sensing and marine operations. This valuable guide provides tools for quantifying the ice environment that needs to be identified and reproduced for such testing. This includes fit-for-purpose studies of existing vessels, new-build conceptual design and detailed engineering design studies for new developments, and studies of demanding marine operations involving multiple vessels and operational scenarios in sea ice. A major contribution of this work is the development of automated computer algorithms for efficient image analysis. These are used to process individual sea-ice images and video streams of images to extract parameters such as ice floe size distribution, and ice types. Readers are supplied with Matlab source codes of the algorithms for the image processing methods discussed in the book made available as online material. FeaturesPresents the first systematic work using image processing techniques to identify ice floe size distribution from aerial imagesHelps identify individual ice floe and obtain floe size distributions for Arctic offshore operations and transportationExplains specific algorithms that can be combined to solve various problems during polar sea ice investigationsIncludes MATLAB® codes useful not only for academics, but for ice engineers and scientists to develop tools applicable in different areas such as sustainable arctic marine and coastal technology researchProvides image processing techniques applicable to other fields like biomedicine, material science, etc

Explores the Sustainable Development of Agriculture in TechnologyPrecision agriculture technology, when properly integrated into the crop production process, can greatly improve overall production and sustainability. Precision Agriculture Technology for Crop Farming focuses on the technology of site-specific crop management; detailing applications for sensing, data handling, modeling, and control. Written by experts who have contributed significantly to the development of precision agriculture technology, this book reviews its history—establishing background on the various processes and applications—describes the current status, and offers insight into the future technology of precision agriculture.Introducing processes and applications based on a global scale, the book reveals how precision agriculture can be used in large-scale agriculture, community agriculture, and diversified farming. It includes site-specific information from a variety of information sources for planning, planting, growing, and harvesting agricultural crops. It also presents a new concept based on the control system theory that can be used to formulate systematic methods for more effective precision crop production. In addition, this author: Describes yield monitors and guidance systems, GPS-based soil sampling, real-time crop and soil sensors, and remote sensingEvaluates a Japanese model of community-based precision agriculture aimed at high profitability and reliability under regional and environmental constraintsHighlights autonomous vehicles, field robots, and other intelligent machinery, emerging developments, and future technology in the field of production agriculture Precision Agriculture Technology for Crop Farming provides an overview of precision agriculture technology development, discusses current and future considerations, and aims to facilitate the successful integration of precision agriculture technology.

Sea Ice Image Processing with MATLAB addresses the topic of image processing for the extraction of key sea ice characteristics from digital photography, which is of great relevance for Artic remote sensing and marine operations. This valuable guide provides tools for quantifying the ice environment that needs to be identified and reproduced for such testing. This includes fit-for-purpose studies of existing vessels, new-build conceptual design and detailed engineering design studies for new developments, and studies of demanding marine operations involving multiple vessels and operational scenarios in sea ice. A major contribution of this work is the development of automated computer algorithms for efficient image analysis. These are used to process individual sea-ice images and video streams of images to extract parameters such as ice floe size distribution, and ice types. Readers are supplied with Matlab source codes of the algorithms for the image processing methods discussed in the book made available as online material. FeaturesPresents the first systematic work using image processing techniques to identify ice floe size distribution from aerial imagesHelps identify individual ice floe and obtain floe size distributions for Arctic offshore operations and transportationExplains specific algorithms that can be combined to solve various problems during polar sea ice investigationsIncludes MATLAB® codes useful not only for academics, but for ice engineers and scientists to develop tools applicable in different areas such as sustainable arctic marine and coastal technology researchProvides image processing techniques applicable to other fields like biomedicine, material science, etc

This textbook surveys hydraulics and fluid power systems technology, with new chapters on system modeling and hydraulic systems controls now included.The text presents topics in a systematic way, following the course of energy transmission in hydraulic power generation, distribution, deployment, modeling, and control in fluid power systems.

Agricultural automation is the core technology for computer-aided agricultural production management and implementation. An integration of equipment, infotronics, and precision farming technologies, it creates viable solutions for challenges facing the food, fiber, feed, and fuel needs of the human race now and into the future. Agricultural Automation: Fundamentals and Practices provides a comprehensive introduction of automation technologies for agriculture.From basics to applications, topics in this volume include:Agricultural vehicle robots and infotronic systems Precision agriculture, with its focus on efficiency and efficacy of agricultural inputs and the spatial and temporal management of agricultural systemsSpecific agricultural production systems, including those related to field crops, cotton, orchards and vineyards, and animal housing and productionAutomation relative to specific inputs in agricultural production systems, such as nutrition management and automation, automation of pesticide application systems, and automated irrigation management with soil and canopy sensingLiability issues with regard to surrounding awareness and worksite managementPostharvest automation—perhaps the most advanced component of agricultural production in terms of automation and an important factor in global agricultureAgricultural mechanization, one of the top ranked engineering accomplishments in the past century, has created revolutionary change in crop production technology and made it possible to harvest sufficient products to meet the population’s continuously growing needs. Continued progress is essential to the future of agriculture. This book provides an up-to-date overview of the current state of automated agriculture and important insight into its upcoming challenges.

Rapid developments in electronics over the past two decades have induced a move from purely mechanical vehicles to mechatronics design. Recent advances in computing, sensors, and information technology are pushing mobile equipment design to incorporate higher levels of automation under the novel concept of intelligent vehicles. Mechatronics and Intelligent Systems for Off-road Vehicles introduces this concept, and provides an overview of recent applications and future approaches within this field. Several case studies present real examples of vehicles designed to navigate in off-road environments typically encountered by agriculture, forestry, and construction machines. The examples analyzed describe and illustrate key features for agricultural robotics, such as automatic steering, safeguarding, mapping, and precision agriculture applications.The eight chapters include numerous figures, each designed to improve the reader’s comprehension of subjects such as:• automatic steering systems;• navigation systems;• vehicle architecture;• image processing and vision; and• three-dimensional perception and localization.Mechatronics and Intelligent Systems for Off-road Vehicles will be of great interest to professional engineers and researchers in vehicle automation, robotics, and the application of artificial intelligence to mobile equipment; as well as to graduate students of mechanical, electrical, and agricultural engineering.

Explores the Sustainable Development of Agriculture in TechnologyPrecision agriculture technology, when properly integrated into the crop production process, can greatly improve overall production and sustainability. Precision Agriculture Technology for Crop Farming focuses on the technology of site-specific crop management; detailing applications for sensing, data handling, modeling, and control. Written by experts who have contributed significantly to the development of precision agriculture technology, this book reviews its history—establishing background on the various processes and applications—describes the current status, and offers insight into the future technology of precision agriculture.Introducing processes and applications based on a global scale, the book reveals how precision agriculture can be used in large-scale agriculture, community agriculture, and diversified farming. It includes site-specific information from a variety of information sources for planning, planting, growing, and harvesting agricultural crops. It also presents a new concept based on the control system theory that can be used to formulate systematic methods for more effective precision crop production. In addition, this author: Describes yield monitors and guidance systems, GPS-based soil sampling, real-time crop and soil sensors, and remote sensingEvaluates a Japanese model of community-based precision agriculture aimed at high profitability and reliability under regional and environmental constraintsHighlights autonomous vehicles, field robots, and other intelligent machinery, emerging developments, and future technology in the field of production agriculturePrecision Agriculture Technology for Crop Farming provides an overview of precision agriculture technology development, discusses current and future considerations, and aims to facilitate the successful integration of precision agriculture technology.

Automation in agriculture is made possible by the integration of advanced agricultural technology and precision agriculture management. This book, uniquely, will focus on applications of automation to the important industry of tree fruit production. Written by experts in agricultural automation technology from around the world, chapters in this book cover topics such as automated tree fruit production systems, plant stress sensing and high-throughput phenotyping in precision horticulture, the economics of automation in tree fruit production, light interception sensing systems for canopy management, precision irrigation and water management, precision technologies for pest and disease management, opportunities for the application of robotics in tree fruit production, and the mechanical harvesting and handling of fruit crops. The book is a representative, concise overview of the variety of technologies currently being applied to tree fruit crops around the world and the challenges faced by engineers and farmers that these technologies raise. It is aimed at researchers and graduate students of agriculture systems, agricultural and biological engineering, crop and soil sciences, horticulture, precision agriculture, and other relevant disciplines. It will also be of use to agriculture consultants, engineers, and other professionals such as agricultural equipment manufacturers and management professionals who use precision agriculture technologies. Key Features: - Takes a systematic approach to how to apply precision and automation technologies to fruit production. - Combines the disciplines of economics, horticulture, and engineering. - Illustrated by case studies throughout describing actual applications of automation technology.

Rapid developments in electronics over the past two decades have induced a move from purely mechanical vehicles to mechatronics design. Recent advances in computing, sensors, and information technology are pushing mobile equipment design to incorporate higher levels of automation under the novel concept of intelligent vehicles. Mechatronics and Intelligent Systems for Off-road Vehicles introduces this concept, and provides an overview of recent applications and future approaches within this field. Several case studies present real examples of vehicles designed to navigate in off-road environments typically encountered by agriculture, forestry, and construction machines. The examples analyzed describe and illustrate key features for agricultural robotics, such as automatic steering, safeguarding, mapping, and precision agriculture applications.The eight chapters include numerous figures, each designed to improve the reader’s comprehension of subjects such as:• automatic steering systems;• navigation systems;• vehicle architecture;• image processing and vision; and• three-dimensional perception and localization.Mechatronics and Intelligent Systems for Off-road Vehicles will be of great interest to professional engineers and researchers in vehicle automation, robotics, and the application of artificial intelligence to mobile equipment; as well as to graduate students of mechanical, electrical, and agricultural engineering.

Internet of things (IoT) is a new type of network that combines communication technology, expanded applications, and physical devices. Among them, agriculture is one of the most important areas in the application of the IoT technology, which has its unique requirements and integration features. Compared to the information technology in traditional agriculture, the agricultural IoT mainly refers to industrialized production and sustainable development under relatively controllable conditions. Agricultural IoT applies sensors, RFID, visual capture terminals and other types of sensing devices to detect and collect site information, and with broad applications in field planting, facility horticulture, livestock and poultry breeding, aquaculture and agricultural product logistics. It utilizes multiple information transmission channels such as wireless sensor networks, telecommunications networks and the internet to achieve reliable transmission of agricultural information at multiple scales and intelligently processes the acquired, massive information. The goals are to achieve (i) optimal control of agricultural production process, (ii) intelligent electronic trading of agricultural products circulation, and (iii) management of systematic logistics, quality and safety traceability.This book focuses on three levels of agricultural IoT network: information perception technology, information transmission technology and application technology.

Internet of things (IoT) is a new type of network that combines communication technology, expanded applications, and physical devices. Among them, agriculture is one of the most important areas in the application of the IoT technology, which has its unique requirements and integration features. Compared to the information technology in traditional agriculture, the agricultural IoT mainly refers to industrialized production and sustainable development under relatively controllable conditions. Agricultural IoT applies sensors, RFID, visual capture terminals and other types of sensing devices to detect and collect site information, and with broad applications in field planting, facility horticulture, livestock and poultry breeding, aquaculture and agricultural product logistics. It utilizes multiple information transmission channels such as wireless sensor networks, telecommunications networks and the internet to achieve reliable transmission of agricultural information at multiple scales and intelligently processes the acquired, massive information. The goals are to achieve (i) optimal control of agricultural production process, (ii) intelligent electronic trading of agricultural products circulation, and (iii) management of systematic logistics, quality and safety traceability.This book focuses on three levels of agricultural IoT network: information perception technology, information transmission technology and application technology.

Over the past century, mechanization has been an important means for optimizing resource utilization, improving worker health and safety and reducing labor requirements in farming while increasing productivity and quality of 4F (Food, Fuel, Fiber, Feed). Recognizing this contribution, agricultural mechanization was considered as one of the top ten engineering achievements of 20th century by the National Academy of Engineering. Accordingly farming communities have adopted increasing level of automation and robotics to further improve the precision management of crops (including input resources), increase productivity and reduce farm labor beyond what has been possible with conventional mechanization technologies. It is more important than ever to continue to develop and adopt novel automation and robotic solutions into farming so that some of the most complex agricultural tasks, which require huge amount of seasonal labor such as fruit and vegetable harvesting, couldbe automated while meeting the rapidly increasing need for 4F. In addition, continual innovation in and adoption of agricultural automation and robotic technologies is essential to minimize the use of depleting resources including water, minerals and other chemicals so that sufficient amount of safe and healthy food can be produced for current generation while not compromising the potential for the future generation. This book aims at presenting the fundamental principles of various aspects of automation and robotics as they relate to production agriculture (the branch of agriculture dealing with farming operations from field preparation to seeding, to harvesting and field logistics). The building blocks of agricultural automation and robotics that are discussed in the book include sensing and machine vision, control, guidance, manipulation and end-effector technologies. The fundamentals and operating principles of these technologies are explained with examples from cutting-edge research and development currently going on around the word. This book brings together scientists, engineers, students and professionals working in these and related technologies to present their latest examples of agricultural automation and robotics research, innovation and development while explaining the fundamentals of the technology. The book, therefore, benefits those who wish to develop novel agricultural engineering solutions and/or to adopt them in the future.

Over the past century, mechanization has been an important means for optimizing resource utilization, improving worker health and safety and reducing labor requirements in farming while increasing productivity and quality of 4F (Food, Fuel, Fiber, Feed). Recognizing this contribution, agricultural mechanization was considered as one of the top ten engineering achievements of 20th century by the National Academy of Engineering. Accordingly farming communities have adopted increasing level of automation and robotics to further improve the precision management of crops (including input resources), increase productivity and reduce farm labor beyond what has been possible with conventional mechanization technologies. It is more important than ever to continue to develop and adopt novel automation and robotic solutions into farming so that some of the most complex agricultural tasks, which require huge amount of seasonal labor such as fruit and vegetable harvesting, couldbe automated while meeting the rapidly increasing need for 4F. In addition, continual innovation in and adoption of agricultural automation and robotic technologies is essential to minimize the use of depleting resources including water, minerals and other chemicals so that sufficient amount of safe and healthy food can be produced for current generation while not compromising the potential for the future generation. This book aims at presenting the fundamental principles of various aspects of automation and robotics as they relate to production agriculture (the branch of agriculture dealing with farming operations from field preparation to seeding, to harvesting and field logistics). The building blocks of agricultural automation and robotics that are discussed in the book include sensing and machine vision, control, guidance, manipulation and end-effector technologies. The fundamentals and operating principles of these technologies are explained with examples from cutting-edge research and development currently going on around the word. This book brings together scientists, engineers, students and professionals working in these and related technologies to present their latest examples of agricultural automation and robotics research, innovation and development while explaining the fundamentals of the technology. The book, therefore, benefits those who wish to develop novel agricultural engineering solutions and/or to adopt them in the future.

Soil and crop sensing is a fundamental component and the first important step in precision agriculture. Unless the level of soil and crop variability is known, appropriate management decisions cannot be made and implemented. In the last few decades, various ground-based sensors have been developed to measure spatial variability in soil properties and nutrients, crop growth and yield, and pest conditions. Remote sensing as an important data collection tool has been increasingly used to map soil and crop growth variability as spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions of image data have improved significantly in recent years. While identifying spatial variability of soil and crop growth within fields is an important first step towards precision management, using that variability to formulate variable rate application plans of farming inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides is another essential step in precision agriculture.The purpose of this book is to present the historical, current and future developments of soil and crop sensing technologies with fundamentals and practical examples. The first chapter gives an overview of soil and crop sensing technologies for precision crop production. The next six chapters provide details on theories, methods, practical applications, as well as challenges and future research needs for all aspects of soil and crop sensing. The last two chapters show how soil and crop sensing technologies can be used for plant phenotyping and precision fertilization. The chapters are written by some of the world’s leading experts who have contributed significantly to the developments of precision agriculture technologies, especially in the area of soil and crop sensing. They use their knowledge, experiences, and successful stories to present informative and up-to-date information on relevant topics. Therefore, this book is an invaluable addition to the literature and can be used as a reference by scientists, engineers, practitioners, and college students for the dissemination and advancement of precision agriculture technologies for practical applications.

Soil and crop sensing is a fundamental component and the first important step in precision agriculture. Unless the level of soil and crop variability is known, appropriate management decisions cannot be made and implemented. In the last few decades, various ground-based sensors have been developed to measure spatial variability in soil properties and nutrients, crop growth and yield, and pest conditions. Remote sensing as an important data collection tool has been increasingly used to map soil and crop growth variability as spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions of image data have improved significantly in recent years. While identifying spatial variability of soil and crop growth within fields is an important first step towards precision management, using that variability to formulate variable rate application plans of farming inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides is another essential step in precision agriculture.The purpose of this book is to present the historical, current and future developments of soil and crop sensing technologies with fundamentals and practical examples. The first chapter gives an overview of soil and crop sensing technologies for precision crop production. The next six chapters provide details on theories, methods, practical applications, as well as challenges and future research needs for all aspects of soil and crop sensing. The last two chapters show how soil and crop sensing technologies can be used for plant phenotyping and precision fertilization. The chapters are written by some of the world’s leading experts who have contributed significantly to the developments of precision agriculture technologies, especially in the area of soil and crop sensing. They use their knowledge, experiences, and successful stories to present informative and up-to-date information on relevant topics. Therefore, this book is an invaluable addition to the literature and can be used as a reference by scientists, engineers, practitioners, and college students for the dissemination and advancement of precision agriculture technologies for practical applications.

Agricultural systems are uniquely complex systems, given that agricultural systems are parts of natural and ecological systems. Those aspects bring in a substantial degree of uncertainty in system operation. Also, impact factors, such as weather factors, are critical in agricultural systems but these factors are uncontrollable in system management. Modern agriculture has been evolving through precision agriculture beginning in the late 1980s and biotechnological innovations in the early 2000s. Precision agriculture implements site-specific crop production management by integrating agricultural mechanization and information technology in geographic information system (GIS), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and remote sensing. Now, precision agriculture is set to evolve into smart agriculture with advanced systematization, informatization, intelligence and automation. From precision agriculture to smart agriculture, there is a substantial amount of specific control and communication problems that have been investigated and will continue to be studied.In this book, the core ideas and methods from control problems in agricultural production systems are extracted, and a system view of agricultural production is formulated for the analysis and design of management strategies to control and optimize agricultural production systems while exploiting the intrinsic feedback information-exchanging mechanisms. On this basis, the theoretical framework of agricultural cybernetics is established to predict and control the behavior of agricultural production systems through control theory.

Agricultural systems are uniquely complex systems, given that agricultural systems are parts of natural and ecological systems. Those aspects bring in a substantial degree of uncertainty in system operation. Also, impact factors, such as weather factors, are critical in agricultural systems but these factors are uncontrollable in system management. Modern agriculture has been evolving through precision agriculture beginning in the late 1980s and biotechnological innovations in the early 2000s. Precision agriculture implements site-specific crop production management by integrating agricultural mechanization and information technology in geographic information system (GIS), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and remote sensing. Now, precision agriculture is set to evolve into smart agriculture with advanced systematization, informatization, intelligence and automation. From precision agriculture to smart agriculture, there is a substantial amount of specific control and communication problems that have been investigated and will continue to be studied.In this book, the core ideas and methods from control problems in agricultural production systems are extracted, and a system view of agricultural production is formulated for the analysis and design of management strategies to control and optimize agricultural production systems while exploiting the intrinsic feedback information-exchanging mechanisms. On this basis, the theoretical framework of agricultural cybernetics is established to predict and control the behavior of agricultural production systems through control theory.

Digital agriculture is an emerging concept of modern farming that refers to managing farms using modern Engineering, Information and Communication Technologies (EICT) aiming at increasing the overall efficiency of agricultural production, improving the quantity and quality of products, and optimizing the human labor required and natural resource consumption in operations. This encyclopedia is designed to collect the summaries of knowledge on as many as subjects or aspects relevant to ECIT for digital agriculture, present such knowledge in entries, and arrange them alphabetically by articles titles.Springer Major Reference Works platform offers Live Update capability. Our reference work takes full advantage of this feature, which allows for continuous improvement or revision of published content electronically.The Editorial BoardDr. Irwin R. Donis-Gonzalez, University of California Davis, Dept. Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Davis, USA (Section:Postharvest Technologies)Prof. Paul Heinemann, Pennsylvania State University, Department Head of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, PA, USA (Section: Technologies for Crop Production)Prof. Manoj Karkee, Washington State University, Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, Washington, USA (Section: Robotics and Automation Technologies)Prof. Minzan Li, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China (Section: Precision Agricultural Technologies)Prof. Dikai Liu, University of Technology Sydney (UTS),Faculty of Engineering & Information Technologies, Broadway NSW, Australia (Section: AI, Information and Communication Technologies)Prof. Tomas Norton, University of Leuven, Dept. of Biosystems, Heverlee Leuven, Belgium (Section: Technologies for Animal and Aquatic Production)Dr. Manuela Zude-Sasse, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB),Precision Horticulture, Potsdam, Germany (Section: Engineering and Mechanization Technologies)

Modern tree fruit orchards and vineyards constitute complex production systems that are exposed to highly dynamic and stochastic natural, financial and societal forces, and face demands for increased production using fewer resources, with reduced environmental impact. Successful operation of orchards and vineyards under these conditions is practically impossible without careful and extensive use of state-of-the-art automation technologies and careful planning of future operations (e.g., training systems when replanting) that can be enabled by knowledge of emerging technologies and future trends. Also, improvement of existing automation technologies and development of novel future systems cannot be accomplished without a working understanding of the tree and vine biological production systems, their management needs, and the capabilities and limitations of existing automation systems. The book aims to provide the necessary knowledge to achieve the above goals in a way that can engage readers without engineering or horticultural backgrounds.