GPS Guidance System for Right-of-Way Aerial Spraying of Phytocides

Jean Domingue and Jean Turbide

Vegetation control in remote powerline rights-of-way of northeastern Québec requires innovative methods that need to be efficient and environmentally sound. To fulfill these needs, a herbicide spraying technique was developed using high technologies such as GPS positioning, computer assisted photogrammetry, telemetry and computer assisted drawing. The use of a GPS guidance system in conjunction with a delay calculation module to open and close nozzles significantly increased the ground precision of the spray. In field conditions on a rugged terrain, the spray beyond the buffer zones was 8 m or less in 92% of the time and was less than 14 m in 99% of the time (n = 148 buffer zones). This technology appears promising and proves to be an efficient technique for vegetation control in powerline rights-of-way.

Keywords: Aerial spraying, automatic nozzles, GPS guidance system, Québec, right-of-way, Tordon 101