We have developed a simple photogrammetric method to identify heterogeneous areas of irrigated olive groves and vineyard crops using a commercial multispectral camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). By comparing NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, and NDRE vegetation indices, we find that the latter shows irrigation irregularities in an olive grove not discernible with the other indices. This may render the NDRE as particularly useful to identify growth inhomogeneities in crops. Given the fact that few satellite detectors are sensible in the rededge (RE) band and none with the spatial resolution offered by UAVs, this finding has the potential of turning UAVs into a local farmer's favourite aid tool.

EMIR, currently entering into its fabrication and AIV phase, will be one of the first common user instruments for the GTC, the 10 meter telescope under construction by GRANTECAN at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Canary Islands, Spain). EMIR is being built by a Consortium of Spanish and French institutes led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). EMIR is designed to realize one of the central goals of 10m class telescopes, allowing observers to obtain spectra for large numbers of faint sources in an time-efficient manner. EMIR is primarily designed to be operated as a MOS in the K band, but offers a wide range of observing modes, including imaging and spectroscopy, both long slit and multiobject, in the wavelength range 0.9 to 2.5 µm. It is equipped with two innovative subsystems: a robotic reconfigurable multislit mask and disperssive elements formed by the combination of high quality difracction grating and conventional prisms, both at the heart of the instrument. The present status of development, expected performances, schedule and plans for scientific exploitation are described and discussed. The development and fabrication of EMIR is funded by GRANTECAN and the Plan Nacional de Astronomía y Astrofísica (National Plan for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Spain).