Half of Denmark's agricultural land is artificially drained with buried drainage pipes, which quickly transport water and nutrients from the fields to the surrounding aquatic environment. To reduce nutrient leaching and support the green transition in agriculture, it is crucial to know the precise location of these drainage systems.

Through controlled experiments at plot and field levels, the MapTile project will investigate how different climatic conditions, soil moisture content, and soil types affect the ability of sensors and cameras to map drainage pipes. Using advanced image processing techniques and neural networks, researchers will test the possibilities for automating the detection of drainage pipes.

The project's ultimate goal is to develop recommendations for the optimal conditions under which the various sensors and cameras function best. This will improve the understanding of nutrient leaching from agricultural areas and support the development of more effective drainage measures, such as constructed mini-wetlands.

The MapTile project is part of the thematic research under DFF's Free Green Research 2024 and supports the goals of the agreement on the green transition of agriculture.

More Information

Project Name: Framework for Mapping Agricultural Subsurface Drainage Systems Using Proximal and Remote Sensors (MapTile)
Funding: DFF-Research Project 1 (thematic research) - Thematic "Free Green Research 2024"
Grant Recipient: Bo Vangsø Iversen - Aarhus University
Granted Amount: DKK 3,160,440
Contact: Bo Vangsø Iversen, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. Tel.: +45 93 50 80 45 or mail: bo.v.iversen@agro.au.dk