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The Micasense Altum-PT gives agronomists and precision-agriculture consultants a single payload that captures calibrated multispectral, thermal, and high-resolution panchromatic data on every flight. That combination lets you map crop vigour, detect water stress before it shows up visually, and pan-sharpen index maps to centimetre-scale detail. This guide explains how to translate that imagery into vegetation indices, irrigation decisions, and variable-rate management plans that protect yield.
One sensor, three data layers for whole-field agronomy
The Micasense Altum-PT integrates five discrete multispectral bands, a calibrated thermal sensor, and a 12.4 MP panchromatic band into a single rig. For agronomists, that means you no longer have to choose between vegetation chemistry and canopy temperature, or fly two missions to get both. A single pass produces co-registered layers you can stack, index, and pan-sharpen, so a vigour map, a stress map, and a high-resolution reference image all describe the same crop at the same moment.
The Altum-PT is part of the broader Micasense sensor lineup and one of the most capable options in our agriculture drone collection. For a wider view of where it sits in precision-ag workflows, see our pillar guide on precision agriculture and forestry with Micasense.
The multispectral bands behind every vegetation index
The Altum-PT captures five calibrated narrowband channels, each chosen to isolate a part of the spectrum that vegetation responds to:
| Band | Center wavelength | Bandwidth | Primary agronomic use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 475 nm | 32 nm | Chlorophyll absorption, water/turbidity |
| Green | 560 nm | 27 nm | Peak healthy-canopy reflectance, vigour |
| Red | 668 nm | 14 nm | Chlorophyll absorption, biomass |
| Red edge | 717 nm | 12 nm | Early stress, nitrogen status, senescence |
| Near-IR | 842 nm | 57 nm | Cell-structure reflectance, canopy density |
Because the bands are narrow and discrete rather than broadband RGB, you get clean separation between the red absorption trough and the near-IR plateau, which is exactly what robust index math depends on.
NDVI and the indices that matter in the field
The classic NDVI — (NIR − Red) / (NIR + Red) — uses the 842 nm and 668 nm bands to score canopy vigour and biomass across the field. But NDVI saturates in dense, high-biomass crops, which is where the red-edge band earns its place. Indices such as NDRE (NIR and red edge) and the Chlorophyll Index stay sensitive deeper into the season and respond to nitrogen status before NDVI flattens out. Green-based indices like GNDVI add another lens on chlorophyll and early stress. Running several indices on the same calibrated dataset lets you cross-check a problem zone instead of acting on a single number.
Why the panchromatic band matters
The 12.4 MP panchromatic band is the detail engine. Pan-sharpening fuses the high-resolution panchromatic image with the lower-resolution multispectral layers, producing index maps at roughly 1.25 cm per pixel at 60 m / 200 ft altitude. For agronomists, that resolution is the difference between seeing "this strip looks off" and resolving individual plant rows, skips, weed escapes, and the precise boundary of a stress zone — detail that makes scouting routes and treatment maps far more actionable.
Thermal imaging for water-stress detection and irrigation
The Altum-PT carries a calibrated 320 x 256 FLIR Boson thermal sensor that maps canopy temperature across the field, resolving roughly 17 cm / 6.7 in per pixel from 60 m / 200 ft. Canopy temperature is one of the earliest physiological signals of water stress: as plants close stomata and transpiration drops, leaf temperature rises relative to well-watered neighbours. A thermal map therefore flags moisture-limited zones often before any visible wilting or NDVI decline appears.
Used together, thermal and multispectral layers separate causes that look similar from the ground. A patch that is both hot and low-NDVI points to genuine water or root limitation; a cool patch with low NDVI more likely indicates a nutrient or establishment issue, not drought. That distinction drives smarter irrigation scheduling, helps you locate failing emitters or pivot dry spots, and supports variable-rate irrigation prescriptions tied to where the crop is actually stressed.
Calibrated data you can trust season to season
Index values are only useful if they are comparable across flights, fields, and seasons. The Altum-PT ships with the DLS2 downwelling light sensor, which measures ambient light and sun angle for each of the five multispectral bands during flight, plus a CRP2 calibration reflectance panel for radiometric calibration on the ground. Together they convert raw pixel values into calibrated reflectance, so an NDVI of 0.7 in June means the same thing as an NDVI of 0.7 in August. A global shutter keeps geometry clean for mapping, and capture rates of up to two images per second to fast CFexpress storage let you cover large blocks efficiently.
Turning imagery into management decisions
Raw orthomosaics are not the deliverable — decisions are. A typical workflow stitches the calibrated bands into reflectance orthomosaics, generates NDVI, NDRE, and thermal layers, and then defines management zones from the patterns. Those zones feed variable-rate nitrogen prescriptions, targeted scouting routes, irrigation adjustments, and replant or write-off decisions. For the processing side, see our guide on processing multispectral drone data for actionable insights, and for a grounded example of the payback, our case study on improving fertilizer efficiency in Canadian farming.
The Altum-PT mounts on the DJI M300 RTK via its dedicated SkyPort interface, and its open API supports integration with a range of other platforms — our guide on integrating Micasense sensors with DJI Enterprise drones covers mounting and workflow. If your work leans more toward research-grade multispectral than thermal, compare options in Altum-PT vs. RedEdge-P Dual and our overview of high-resolution environmental monitoring with the RedEdge-P Dual. When you are ready to spec a package for your operation, contact our team and we will help match the sensor and airframe to your acreage.
Key Takeaways
- The Altum-PT captures five calibrated multispectral bands, a thermal sensor, and a 12.4 MP panchromatic band in a single flight.
- Narrow blue, green, red, red-edge, and near-IR bands support NDVI, NDRE, GNDVI, and chlorophyll indices for vigour and nitrogen status.
- The red-edge band stays sensitive in dense canopies where NDVI saturates, catching stress earlier in the season.
- The 320 x 256 thermal sensor maps canopy temperature to flag water stress before visible wilting appears.
- Pan-sharpening with the panchromatic band yields index maps near 1.25 cm per pixel at 60 m for row-level detail.
- The DLS2 light sensor and CRP2 panel deliver calibrated reflectance that is comparable across flights and seasons.
- Combining thermal and multispectral layers distinguishes water stress from nutrient or establishment problems.
