Sensing

Sensing

This Learning Object is part of Master AGRITECH EU – Digital Agriculture for Sustainable Development, an Italian one-year specialisation programme organised by University of Pisa, University of Macerata, National Research Council (CNR) and Quinn Consortium (Consorzio Quinn)

For more information about the programme and to enroll here

It is possible to enroll for the whole programme or for the single Learning Object (Module) you are interested in

Module details

The module explores sensing technologies applied to the agricultural context, with a focus on Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber-physical systems, including their energy aspects. It also covers RFID technologies, rain sensing, and the use of both airborne and ground-based drones as tools for distributed field data collection.


Proposer: University of Pisa (UNIPI)

Organization: University of Pisa (UNIPI), National Reasearch Council (CNR), University of Macerata (UNIMC)

Duration: 64h

ECTS: 5

Shortcut access code: No

Year of pubblication: 2026

Topics

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Subject areas: ,

Delivery methods: On Line

Teaching methods: Lectures, Working Group

Languages:

Learning objectives
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • use of aerial and ground-based drones
  • energy aspects of the IoT
  • cyber-physical systems
  • rain sensing
  • RFID technologies
     
  • Architectures for sensing

    Architectures for data collection and monitoring activities


    Description: Overview of the technologies employed in smart agritech in order to improve the efficiency of the work
    Duration: 4h
    Teacher: Costa (DII - Department of Information Engineering)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Cyber physical systems

    Architectures for data collection and cyber-physical systems to support sensing activities


    Description: This unit introduces cyber-physical systems as integrated frameworks where physical agricultural processes are continuously monitored, controlled, and optimized through embedded computing and communication technologies.
    Duration: 4h
    Teacher: Giordano (DII - Department of Information Engineering)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Robotics

    Presentation of Robotic solutions for agro-food sector, including testimonials from experts and companies


    Description: An overview of the use of robotics in agriculture, with a focus on perception aspects and harvesting. Robotic havesting,usage of robotic hands and sensor for this purpose. Different types of robotic hands. Not only autonomous robots but also robots that can share informations with a remote human operator who is controlling the robot.
    Duration: 6h
    Teacher: Bianchi (DII - Department of Information Engineering)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Integrated communications and sensing

    Precipitation measurement by using the downlink of communication satellites as opportunity signals


    Description: This unit explores how integrated communication and sensing technologies work together to enable real-time data acquisition and transmission across agricultural environments, supporting more responsive and connected farming systems
    Duration: 6h
    Teacher: Giannetti (DII - Department of Information Engineering)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Sensors for Precision Agricolture

    How a sensor works and how we can develop a sensor for agriculture


    Description: What is a sensor,how it works and how we can develop sensors for precision agriculture.Focus on artificial versus natural sensors, sensor’s parameters, physical sensors, chemical sensors
    Duration: 4h
    Teacher: Barillaro (DII - Department of Information Engineering)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • RFID technology

    RFID technologies and applications


    Description: This unit introduces RFID technology and its applications in agriculture, covering the principles of radio-frequency identification and its use in livestock tracking, supply chain management, and asset monitoring.
    Duration: 4h
    Teacher: Costa (DII - Department of Information Engineering)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • IoT – energy considerations

    Energy aspects related to IOT communication technologies


    Description: Energy aspects related to the IOT communication technologies,no details on energy consumption of specific sensors/devices but more focused on the communication systems
    Duration: 4h
    Teacher: Garroppo (DII - Department of Information Engineering)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Imaging Sensors in Agritech

    Overview of imaging sensors and their applications


    Description: Overview of imaging sensors,light and sensor physics,NDVI and thermal imaging cases.Multicamera system and multispectral reconstruction,the full pipeline: connecting AUVs surveys to variable rate systems and final reflections and future trends
    Duration: 10h
    Teacher: Moroni (CNR)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Introduction to UAVs in Agriculture

    History and development of UAV technology;Use cases in precision and sustainable agriculture


    Description: This unit introduces Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and their growing role in agriculture, exploring how drones are deployed for crop monitoring, precision spraying, and large-scale field data collection.
    Duration: 6h
    Teacher: Berton, Ercolini (CNR)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Fundamentals of Photogrammetry

    Principles of photogrammetry;Planning a photogrammetric survey;Hands-on


    Description: An Introduction to Photogrammetry and why it is useful in Agricultural Technology,basic facts,shooting and reconstruction data for precision agriculture, application examples
    Duration: 8h
    Teacher: Pascali (CNR)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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  • Advanced Photogrammetry and Sensors

    Advanced techniques in photogrammetry;Calibration of imaging sensors for optimal data quality;Integration of handheld devices and UAV-acquired data


    Description: This unit covers advanced photogrammetry techniques and sensor technologies — including multispectral, thermal system — and their application to high-resolution mapping and crop analysis in precision agriculture.
    Duration: 8h
    Teacher: Pascali (CNR)
    Delivery method: On Line
    Teaching method: Lectures, Working Group

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