Towards a Standardized Validation Procedure for UAV-Based Thermal Mapping in Agriculture Monitoring

The impacts of climate change significantly affect global agriculture, with viticulture being particularly susceptible to climate-driven extremes, which directly impact grape ripening, pest dynamics, and wine quality. Therefore, understanding both temporal and spatial variations in temperature is crucial for adaptive viticulture management. UAV-based 3D surveying techniques offer a flexible and cost-effective method for high-resolution, multi-temporal thermal analyses using Thermal InfraRed (TIR) sensors. This paper focuses on validating TIR sensor data, aiming to establish a standardized procedure for 3D surveying and processing thermal data. Field experiments were conducted both outdoors in vineyards and indoors under controlled conditions. The sensitivity of temperature measurements to various influencing parameters has been evaluated, as well as the repeatability and accuracy of absolute temperature values by comparing them with ground-truth data from thermocouple sensors. Reliable temperature measurements can enhance the utility of UAV-based thermal imaging not only in viticulture but also in broader precision agriculture applications. Future research will further refine validation processes and explore additional agricultural contexts.