Sinclair and Aker Partner to Use UAS Technology for Crop Management

Sinclair College’s National UAS Training and Certification Center along with Aker, a nationally recognized industry leader in providing in-season crop protection data for farm operations, have created a new partnership to leverage unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology to monitor crops for disease, insects, and other stresses.

“The Agriculture sector is the number one industry in the Midwest region," said Jeffrey A. Miller, Chief Operating Officer, Unmanned Aerial Systems at Sinclair College. “ We are excited to collaborate with a nationally recognized company like Aker to provide flight support and data analytics, accelerating their expansion in the Midwest region, while giving our students the opportunity for additional real-world experience in this important market segment.”

“The advancement of UAS technology, coupled with regulatory developments, have been critical enabling factors for us to showcase the true value of the timely application of UAS based remote sensing and data analysis in support of the agricultural industry,” said Orlando Saez, co-founder and CEO of Aker. “Sinclair is an excellent partner for Aker because they remain at the cutting-edge of UAS technology with the tools and technical capabilities necessary to help advance our capabilities while serving our clients around the Midwest region.”

Sinclair will leverage its UAS, sensors, ground support equipment, and expert flight crews to enable rapid expansion of Aker services in Ohio and the broader Midwest, while enabling students to gain invaluable real-world experience in support of precision agriculture missions.

Sinclair College’s National UAS Training and Certification Center sits at the forefront of UAS innovation, creating partnerships, developing leading curriculum, and investing significantly to establish a nationally prominent program dedicated to meeting the workforce needs of the growing UAS industry. Sinclair’s UAS program supports applied research and development, consulting, and training leveraging leading expertise and advanced unmanned and manned simulation, indoor flight facilities, aircraft, sensors, avionics, maintenance labs, additive and traditional manufacturing labs, data analytics software, and a wind tunnel lab. For more information, visit uas.sinclair.edu.

Aker serves an international client base advancing crop diagnostics with practical technology tools and services to improve the profitability and sustainability of every farm operation.  Aker services have become the backbone of many precision farming teams serving as the in-season customer service platform for chemical suppliers, agriculture retailers and consultants to help their growers. Their portfolio of services include crop scouting tools, imagery and analytics, as well as pest detection.