ThirdEye is a company initiative by FutureWater and HiView, initially created with the support of USAID in the Securing Water for Food program. ThirdEye’s low-cost Flying Sensors (drones) have cameras which can measure the reflection of near-infrared and visual light. These parameters are used to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). NDVI values give an indication of crop stress and support management decisions regarding the application of resources such as water, seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and manpower. Since near-infrared light is not visible to the human eye, it can provide information on the status of crops about ten days before the human eye can see this. This can be caused by a lack or excess of water, deficiency of fertilizer, pests or abundancy of weeds.

FutureWater is a research and consulting organization that works throughout the world to combine scientific research with practical solutions for water management. FutureWater works with partners at global, national and local levels in the topics of: water for food, irrigation, water excess, water shortage, climate change, and river basin management.