CATERPILLAR2 - Development and implementation of algortimes for detection and tracking of caterpilla and wasp nests

CATERPILLAR-2 is a one-year research project requested by a Catalan small and medium enterprise (SME), and it was about the automatic detection of caterpillar nests from drone imagery. The processionary caterpillar pest is an environmental problem affecting pine forests as they make their nests in trees and feed on their needles and shoots. This pest is capable of completely exfoliating a pine tree and spreads rapidly through forests. The aim of a product developed by this SME is to control these pests by eliminating the caterpillars by targeting the problem and attacking only their nests, while respecting the affected trees. Currently, the procedure is based on mass spraying, which causes great ecological impact. In this way, the aim is to cut the evolutionary and reproductive cycle and thus reduce the proliferation of the processionary pest, using a more environmentally friendly procedure. This project was a continuation of the predecessor CATERPILLAR project. Based on that, the CATERPILLAR2 project aimed to develop and implement algorithms for the detection and tracking of caterpillar nests within the framework of the development of a pre-commercial prototype of an autonomous drone navigation aid system for the application of phytosanitary product injection in caterpillar nests.