for photosynthesis and reflects NIR light, leading to high NDVI values (nearing +1). In contrast, stressed
vegetation or bare soil reflects more red light and less NIR, resulting in lower NDVI values. Other significant
indices include the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), which is less likely to saturate over thick canopies, the Soil-
Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), which lessens the effect of the soil background, and the Normalized Difference
Water Index (NDWI), which is responsive to the water content in plant canopies. Land Surface Temperature
(LST) is calculated from measurements in the thermal infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. LST is a
crucial indicator of the surface energy balance and is very responsive to water availability. When plants have
enough water, they cool down through transpiration. When they are short of water, their stomata close to save
water, which makes their canopy temperature increase. Consequently, LST, especially when examined with VIs, is
a potent tool for tracking drought, evaluating crop water stress, and calculating evapotranspiration rates.
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3. The rise of artificial intelligence in agricultural analytics
3.1 Machine learning and deep learning: from prediction to prescription
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a wide-ranging area of computer science cantered on developing systems that can
carry out tasks that usually need human intelligence, like learning, reasoning, and solving problems. In this
domain, Machine Learning (ML) and its sophisticated subfield, Deep Learning (DL), have become the main
drivers of the data transformation in agriculture. Machine Learning (ML) is a part of AI that concentrates on
creating algorithms that can learn from and make forecasts on data without being specifically programmed for
a certain task.
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Instead of adhering to a strict set of rules, an ML model is "trained" on a vast dataset of past
examples. During this training, the algorithm finds underlying patterns and connections in the data. After training,
the model can use this acquired knowledge to make forecasts or classifications on new, unobserved data. This
capacity to generalize from previous experience makes ML highly suitable for agricultural uses, where
conditions are intricate and fluctuating.
Deep Learning (DL) is a more specialized area within ML that employs a particular kind of architecture known
as an artificial neural network. What makes DL "deep" is its use of several layers of connected nodes (or
"neurons"), which enables the model to learn features from the data in a structured way. For instance, when
looking at an image of a crop, the first layers of a deep neural network might learn to identify basic features like
edges and color. Later layers merge these basic features to learn more intricate patterns, such as textures and
shapes, and even deeper layers can learn to recognize whole objects, like a sick leaf or a certain kind of weed.
This ability for automatic and structured feature extraction makes DL especially effective for analyzing large,
unstructured datasets like remote sensing images, where the important patterns might be too faint or complex
for a person to define by hand.
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The main objective of using these AI technologies in agriculture is to shift from
conventional, uniform management methods to a data-informed, prescriptive strategy. The development of AI's
function can be viewed as a move from descriptive to predictive, and then to prescriptive analysis. At first, AI
models were employed for descriptive purposes like categorizing crop types or mapping soil differences.
[15]
The
subsequent stage was predictive, utilizing historical data to forecast future results like end-of-season yield.
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The current leading edge is prescriptive analytics, where AI systems not only foresee a problem but also suggest
a particular, optimized solution, such as creating a variable-rate fertilizer map or an automated irrigation
plan.
[10]
This change is expected to greatly improve operational effectiveness, boost profitability, and lessen the
environmental effects of farming activities.
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Nevertheless, for a farmer to rely on and follow a prescriptive
suggestion from an AI, a high level of trust in the model's logic is necessary, which emphasizes the increasing
significance of model transparency and clarity.
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3.2 Core AI applications: crop classification, yield forecasting, and stress detection
The use of AI in agriculture is extensive, but a few key areas have experienced the most notable progress and
influence. These applications directly tackle the main difficulties presented by climate change, such as managing
resources effectively, forecasting production results, and addressing environmental pressures.
• Crop management and recognition: A basic task in agricultural surveillance is to determine what is
being grown and where. AI models, especially DL classifiers, can examine satellite or aerial photos to
precisely map the spatial layout of various crop types over large areas. This data is crucial for national
and regional governments in agricultural planning, distributing resources, and guaranteeing food
security. At the farm level, AI aids in crop management by assisting in the choice of the most appropriate
crop varieties for particular environmental settings. By analyzing large datasets of genetic data, past
weather trends, and soil features, ML models can pinpoint crop varieties that are more likely to be
resistant to local diseases and resilient to expected climate challenges like drought or heat.
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• Yield prediction/forecasting: Accurately predicting crop yields before the harvest is one of the most
vital and beneficial uses of AI in agriculture. ML models are trained on historical data that encompasses
a broad spectrum of variables, such as weather trends (temperature, rainfall), soil characteristics,
management methods, and time-series of remote sensing data (e.g., vegetation indices). By
understanding the intricate, non-linear connections between these elements and past yield results, the