China's first domestically developed integrated sky-ground intelligent monitoring and early warning system for vegetation pests and diseases, known as "Smart Eye", was officially launched on October 19, according to the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This marks a major advancement in digital and intelligent plant protection in the country, establishing a strong foundation of homegrown technology for precise monitoring of vegetation pests and diseases.

The "Smart Eye" system integrates several advanced technologies, including intelligent ground-level in-situ detection, low-altitude remote sensing, and large-scale smart monitoring and early warning capabilities.

The system, jointly developed by AIR, Hangzhou Dianzi University, the Hangzhou Zhongke Digital Aerospace Research Institute, and Anhui University, addresses longstanding challenges in field survey identification, low precision in low-altitude monitoring, and weak regional early warning capabilities.

At the ground level, "Smart Eye" uses a chip-based pest and disease detection device that combines spectral information with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms, enabling fast and accurate detection tailored to real-world plant protection needs. At the plot scale, the system employs a custom-designed low-altitude drone solution for dynamic and efficient monitoring of pest and disease outbreaks.

The system integrates multi-scale monitoring and early warning technologies, and can cover areas from global and continental scale to national and hotspot regions. This allows for real-time monitoring and early warning of more than 20 major agricultural, forestry, and grassland pests, offering strong scientific support for proactive global pest and disease prevention.

The development and deployment of "Smart Eye" marks a significant breakthrough in plant protection by harnessing the power of AI and aerospace information technology, according to Professor HUANG Wenjiang from AIR.

By integrating intelligent hardware, advanced algorithms, and comprehensive system design, this innovation brings digital intelligence to the traditionally labor-intensive tasks of pest and disease monitoring.

This transformation is set to gradually reshape the way we monitor and control pests and diseases. "We are now capable of dynamic, multi-scale monitoring and early warning of major pests and diseases, which will greatly enhance large-scale precision and eco-friendly pest and disease management," said Professor HUANG.

The interface of "Smart Eye" Sky-Ground Integrated Intelligent Monitoring and Early Warning System for Vegetation Pests and Diseases. (Image by AIR)