Software

Installing the OWL software is straightforward and can be automated for a simple, two-step install. Alternatively, you can take the step-by-step alternative to see what is happening under the hood.

Both begin by flashing the latest Raspbian operating system to an SD card and booting up a Raspberry Pi.

Installation Options

Method

Time

Best For

Two-Step Install

~10 mins

Quick setup, production use

Detailed Install

~60 mins

Learning, customisation, troubleshooting

Supported Platforms

The project supports the following Raspberry Pi models:

  • Raspberry Pi 5 - Full support

  • Raspberry Pi 4B - Full support

  • Raspberry Pi 3B+ - Full support

Important Software Changes

08/05/2024 - OWL transitioned from picamera to picamera2 support. The v1.0.0 disk image (Buster) does not support picamera2 and will not work on the Raspberry Pi 5 nor with recent camera releases. We strongly recommend using the most up to date version of Raspbian with the latest OWL software.

17/03/2023 - Running of the OWL changed from using greenonbrown.py to owl.py. This ensures better cross compatibility with GoG algorithms and improves the modularity of the system.

Quick Navigation

Two-Step Install

Automated setup — download the repo and run the installer. Up and running in ~10 minutes.

Two-Step Install
Detailed Install

Step-by-step manual installation. Learn what happens under the hood (~60 minutes).

Detailed Installation
Configuration

Adjust detection sensitivity, relay timing, and other parameters.

Configuration Guide
Green-on-Green

In-crop weed detection using YOLO object detection models.

Green-on-Green Detection
AI Assistant

Control OWL through natural language with an AI chat assistant.

AI Assistant
Development Setup

Run OWL software on your laptop/desktop for testing and development.

Development Setup