Analysis of images of soil aggregates and development of a mobile application to quantify the structural state of the soil

Description

The analysis of images of soil aggregates with a mobile application would facilitate the field assessment of the structural state of the soil or its physical quality depending on the soil type. The physical (porosity, size, angle, color) and geometric characteristics of the soil aggregates photographed as part of the Study of the state of health of agricultural soils in Quebec (EESSAQ) will first be identified to reveal the state structural of soils. The other physical properties and characteristics measured in the laboratory as well as the morphological descriptions of the soil profile reported by the sampling team will be used as training variables to develop an artificial intelligence image recognition model. In parallel and prior to this work, a monitoring committee including various expertise from MAPAQ and AAC will be consulted to supervise the work and define the scope of the application. An analysis of similar or complementary tools will also be carried out to optimize the reach of the mobile application developed.

Objective(s)

Using available AI tools, this project will explore the potential of images of disintegrated soil to reveal its structural state or physical quality to ultimately develop a smartphone application capable of analyzing and evaluating in the field the physical quality of a soil profile.

The project aims more specifically to:

1. Identify the physical and geometric characteristics of soil aggregates allowing the structural state of the soil to be judged.
2. Develop a free mobile application allowing agricultural producers and advisors to identify, quickly and easily during field visits, the nature and physical condition of their soils.