MicaSense RedEdge-MX Multispectral Sensor

Professional Five-Band Multispectral Imaging for Precision Agriculture and Environmental Monitoring

The MicaSense RedEdge-MX is a professional multispectral imaging sensor designed for precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, research, forestry, and UAV-based data collection. The sensor captures five dedicated multispectral bands in a single flight, providing detailed data for vegetation analysis, crop monitoring, and field assessment.

Featuring a global shutter, the RedEdge-MX captures every pixel at the same moment, helping reduce image distortion caused by aircraft movement. This supports accurate image alignment, photogrammetric processing, mapping, and repeatable data collection during drone operations.

The RedEdge-MX captures Blue, Green, Red, Red Edge, and Near-Infrared wavelengths specifically selected for vegetation analysis. The resulting imagery can be used to generate vegetation indices such as NDVI and NDRE, as well as support chlorophyll estimation, crop vigor mapping, plant stress detection, and other agricultural analytics.

The sensor works with the DLS2 Downwelling Light Sensor to measure changing illumination conditions during flight. The included CRP2 Calibrated Reflectance Panel provides an on-the-ground reference for radiometric calibration, helping support consistent and comparable datasets over time.

Key Features

• Professional five-band multispectral imaging sensor
• Designed for precision agriculture and environmental monitoring
• Blue, Green, Red, Red Edge, and Near-Infrared spectral bands
• Global shutter for reduced image distortion
• 8 cm ground sampling distance at 120 m / 400 ft
• Supports vegetation indices including NDVI and NDRE
• Supports chlorophyll estimation and crop vigor mapping
• Supports plant stress and disease detection
• Radiometric calibration capabilities
• DLS2 Downwelling Light Sensor support
• CRP2 Calibrated Reflectance Panel included
• Supports consistent data collection over time
• Compatible with mapping and photogrammetry workflows
• Modular payload design for UAV integration

Why Choose MicaSense RedEdge-MX?

• Capture five vegetation-focused spectral bands in a single flight
• Generate detailed multispectral data for crop and vegetation analysis
• Reduce image distortion with global shutter technology
• Support NDVI, NDRE, chlorophyll, stress, and crop vigor analysis
• Improve data consistency with radiometric calibration tools
• Monitor crop and vegetation conditions across large areas efficiently
• Support repeatable data collection for seasonal and time-series analysis
• Integrate with established mapping and photogrammetry workflows
  

USE CASES AND APPLICATIONS

Providing a comprehensive view into crop health

1. Phenotyping

Manually measuring plant characteristics is time-consuming. RedEdge-MX captures more data in less time, allowing researchers to understand how different breeds react to certain environments and modify desirable traits in order to improve yield.

2. Crop scouting

Quickly identify crop variability, pest damage, and other field conditions to support targeted field inspections and management decisions.

3. Fertilizer and irrigation planning

Assess crop vigor and field variability to optimize fertilizer application and irrigation strategies, improving resource efficiency and crop performance.

4. Disease, pest and nutrient deficiency detection

Detect disease across large areas, enabling timely intervention and reducing the risk of yield losses.

5. Plant stress detection at zone level

Identify zones affected by water, nutrient, pest, or environmental stress to prioritize corrective actions and improve crop health.

6. Seasonal trend analysis

Monitor crop development throughout the growing season to evaluate growth patterns, compare performance over time, and support agronomic decision-making.
 

7. Revegetation and land restoration monitoring

Track vegetation establishment, ground cover, and ecosystem recovery in restoration projects to measure progress and assess long-term success.

8. Leak scouting

By measuring reflectance in the red edge band, the RedEdge-MX can detect irrigation leaks. Excessively irrigated areas often exhibit higher NDRE values, causing plants to appear healthier than those in the surrounding field and making irrigation anomalies easier to identify.

Ideal Applications

• Precision agriculture
• Crop scouting
• Crop health monitoring
• Plant phenotyping
• Plant stress detection
• Disease and pest detection
• Nutrient deficiency detection
• Fertilizer and irrigation planning
• Seasonal crop monitoring
• Vegetation analysis
• Environmental monitoring
• Forestry and land management
• Revegetation and land restoration monitoring
• Water-body vegetation analysis
• Research and education

Calibration & Data Consistency

The RedEdge-MX works with the DLS2 Downwelling Light Sensor, which measures ambient light and sun angle across the five multispectral bands. This information helps account for changing illumination conditions during flight.

The included CRP2 Calibrated Reflectance Panel provides known reflectance values across the visible and near-infrared spectrum. Capturing the panel before and after flights provides a reference for radiometric calibration and helps support accurate, repeatable datasets.

What's Included

• RedEdge-MX Multispectral Sensor
• DLS2 Light Sensor with Embedded GPS
• CRP2 Calibrated Reflectance Panel
• USB Wi-Fi Dongle
• CFexpress Card
• CFexpress Card Reader
• Assorted Mounting Hardware
• Lens Cover
• Integration Cables
• Start Guide
• Sensor Case