Design of an agricultural runoff monitoring and reward system for the upper Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay currently suffers pollution due to excess nitrogen and phosphorus coming from agricultural runoff. To reduce agricultural runoff, systems must be introduced to monitor nutrient levels on farmland and incentivize farmers to adopt best management practices (BMPs). This project uses the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland as a case study. Results indicate that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a multispectral imagery subsystem would offer the greatest balance of cost and utility for monitoring farmland. However, because commercial-use of UAVs are not currently illegal, a manned aircraft is recommended to test the proof of concept. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving toward allowing commercial UAV-use for agricultural applications. If the proof of concept is successful, it is recommended to move to a UAV platform for sustained operations once UAV laws are established. To encourage increased utilization of BMPs, a classification system is proposed in which farmers have access to incentive options based on the nutrient concentration on their farm. By measuring progress with a monitoring system and tying that in with an incentive system, environmental organizations can track progress in cleaning up our waters while rewarding actors contributing to that cause.