Proximal Sensing With Rotating Panoramic Field Cameras: An Open-Source Platform for Remote Sensing Validation

Abstract

Proximal sensing systems provide high-resolution, continuous observations that are essential for environmental monitoring and for validating space- and airborne remote sensing products. However, conventional field cameras typically have limited fields of view, which reduces their spatial representativeness. To address this limitation, we developed VegTrack360, an open-source, modular two-axis rotating camera prototype system that generates full 360° panoramic imagery from a single narrow-field-of-view sensor. VegTrack360 was field-tested using an RGB camera to validate the panoramic acquisition concept at agricultural and mixed-use sites in the Netherlands. Although the system is designed for flexible integration of interchangeable RGB, thermal infrared, or multispectral sensors, this study focuses on an RGB-based proof-of-concept evaluation. VegTrack360 was benchmarked against a commercial panoramic camera, a stationary PhenoCam, and drone/uncrewed aerial system (UAS)-based RGB orthomosaics. The results demonstrate high color fidelity (histogram correlation r $\ge 0.99$ ) and good radiometric stability. Greenness time series derived from two VegTrack360 observation positions showed strong agreement with the co-located PhenoCam (r = 0.92 and r = 0.72), while differences with UAS products mainly reflected contrasting viewing geometries. Overall, VegTrack360 complements existing proximal and airborne sensing approaches by providing an open-source, sensor-interchangeable platform for 360° panoramic vegetation monitoring.