"NASA's Aerial Surveillance Detects Grape Disease in Breakthrough Discovery"
Researchers using NASA's AVIRIS-NG camera have successfully detected the Grapevine Leafroll Virus in California grapes before it could be seen by the naked eye. The camera, installed in an airplane, used spectrometry to analyze light wavelengths and trained machine learning algorithms to differentiate between healthy and sick vines. The system had an 87% success rate in spotting hidden virus and an 85% success rate in identifying visibly sick vines. This breakthrough could lead to the use of satellite surveillance for large vineyards in the future, helping growers make data-driven crop management decisions and potentially increasing wine production.