How to Choose the Best Multispectral Sensor for Drones
- Anvita Shrivastava
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
Multispectral sensors have evolved into critical components for drones used in agriculture, environmental monitoring, mapping & inspection of infrastructure. Selecting the right multispectral sensor could be instrumental in determining how well your data will perform, so it’s important to understand how to select and position the correct multispectral sensor based on your aerial services needs.
This informational guide will describe multispectral sensors and their critical specifications to ensure that you determine which multispectral sensor is best suited for your specific applications.
What Is a Multispectral Sensor?
A multispectral sensor captures image data across multiple specific wavelength bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically including:
Blue
Green
Red
Red Edge
Near-Infrared (NIR)
These bands enable advanced analysis such as vegetation indices (e.g., NDVI, NDRE), water stress detection, crop health assessment, and land cover classification.
Why Choosing the Right Multispectral Sensor Matters
The quality of multispectral data directly affects:
Accuracy of vegetation indices
Consistency across flights
Regulatory and research-grade analysis
Decision-making in precision agriculture and mapping
A poorly matched sensor can lead to inaccurate insights, data misalignment, and wasted resources.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Multispectral Sensor
Application Requirements
Start by clearly defining your use case:
Application | Recommended Sensor Features |
Precision agriculture | Red Edge + NIR bands, radiometric calibration |
Crop research | Narrow spectral bands, high radiometric resolution |
Environmental monitoring | Stable calibration, wide dynamic range |
Mapping & GIS | Global shutter, accurate band alignment |
Water analysis | Coastal blue and green bands |
Spectral Bands and Wavelength Accuracy
Not all multispectral sensors capture the same bands. High-quality sensors provide:
Precisely defined wavelength centers
Narrow bandwidths for better discrimination
Support for advanced vegetation indices
For agriculture, sensors with Red Edge and NIR bands are critical for detecting plant stress earlier than visible RGB data.
Radiometric Resolution and Calibration
The quality of the sensor's radiometric resolution (ability to detect subtle differences in reflectance) is important for the accurate measurement of objects with varying amounts of reflected light through each band.
The following are features of a high-quality radiometric resolution sensor:
10 to 12 or more bits of radiometric depth
Have a process to calibrate radiometrically.
Have reflective panels and solar sensors that can be used along with the sensor
The repeated use of calibrated radiometric sensors will yield reliable and repeatable derived data over time.
Sensor Integration and Compatibility with Drones
Make sure that the sensor is compatible with your drone system to:
Know the payload weight that is required on the drone.
Support the mounting of the sensor on the drone.
Provide adequate power for the sensor.
Support data interfaces (USB, SD Carbon, and onboard processing) for the sensor.
Some sensors are built to be directly compatible with popular drone systems, whereas other sensors require the use of custom-built systems for attaching and powering the sensors.
Alignment of Images and Global Shutter for Multispectral Sensors
Multispectral Sensors use multiple lenses, but will have pixel misalignments if they are not aligned well.
When selecting a multispectral sensor, look for one that has:
Factory Calibrated Band Alignments
A Global Shutter — which will eliminate motion distortion
A Minimal Parallax Error
The above is very important if you will be using it in high-speed flight or during mapping missions.
The Favourable Software and Data Processing Workflows
A strong software ecosystem will save time and reduce errors.
When considering the ecosystem, consider the following;
Compatibility with Photogrammetry software (Pix4D, Agisoft, DroneDeploy)
Availability of SDKs or API's
Automated Indexing (NDVI, GNDVI, NDRE, etc.)
End-to-end Workflow support will be critical for the ability to scale your operation.
Light Variable and Environmental Neutralisation
Outdoor Drone Missions are subject to changing lighting conditions.
When searching for sensors, look for:
Downwelling Light Sensor
Automatic Exposure Control
Cloud and Sun Angle Compensation
These features will help increase the consistency of data over multiple flight times or weather conditions.
Budget and Total Cost of Ownership
Multispectral sensor prices vary widely.
Consider:
Sensor cost
Calibration accessories
Software licenses
Training and maintenance
The cheapest sensor may not deliver the data quality needed for professional or research-grade applications.
Common Applications for Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Systems
Agriculture: Identify Crop Health and Nutritional Needs
Forestry: Assess Tree Coverage, Diversity, and Species Type
Environmental Monitoring: Evaluate Wetland Sustainability
Scientific Studies: Conduct Experimental Trials and Time-Series Analysis
Selecting the appropriate Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing System for use on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) requires consideration of the specific applications of interest, quality of data required, compatibility with existing UAS, as well as budget constraints. To obtain the most useful and reliable data for informed decision making, focus your selection of multispectral sensors on the manufacturer's stated spectral fidelity, calibration, integration capability, and data processing/analysis software support.
For more information or any questions regarding the multispectral sensor, please don't hesitate to contact us at:
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