SPADE reported its first drone flight in the Balearic Islands on 4 August 2023. Partners included Any Solution, Cooperativa Agrícola de Sóller and Mallorcan New Potatoes, linking the technology work with agricultural organisations in the region.
The initial activity concentrated on getting participants familiar with the aircraft, remote-control equipment and user interfaces. The team also checked whether the expected RGB and vegetation-index images were produced and displayed correctly. Longer-term aims included mapping crops and supporting earlier recognition of pest and disease problems. The announcement described a commissioning and learning step, not a controlled comparison proving that the system could diagnose particular crop conditions. Its value was establishing the workflow and practical user experience needed before more demanding monitoring tasks could be evaluated.
