This book provides an overview of infrared thermal imaging as an advanced, non-contact, and non-destructive tool in biosystems engineering. It covers the principles, systems, and methods of thermal imaging, and explores how infrared technology can be used to assess surface temperature and material properties with high precision and efficiency. Insights into image acquisition techniques, thermal data processing, and interpretation using statistical and artificial intelligence-based tools are also provided. This book further highlights real-world applications across agriculture, natural resources, and food systems — ranging from monitoring soil, plant, and animal conditions to quality control in food processing and preservation of different ecosystems. With its interdisciplinary approach, this book bridges engineering with biological systems, helping researchers, students, and professionals harness thermal imaging for improving productivity, reducing environmental impacts, and developing sustainable innovation. Suitable as a practical reference, it is an essential guide for biosystems engineers, agronomists and other agricultural professionals, food technologists, environmental scientists, and industry practitioners seeking to adopt cutting-edge imaging techniques in their work.
About the Author :
Dr. Digvir S. Jayas is the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. He is also Vice-President (Research and International) Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He was educated at the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India; the University of Manitoba; and the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to his current role, he served in several senior administrative roles for over 25 years at the University of Manitoba, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) and TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator center. He is a Registered Professional Engineer. Dr. Jayas is a former Tier I (Senior) Canada Research Chair in Stored-Grain Ecosystems. He has authored or co-authored over 1000 technical articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings, and books related to drying, handling, and storing cereal grains, pulses, and oilseeds; and digital image processing for grading and processing operations in the Agri-Food industry. He has collaborated with researchers in several countries and has had significant impact on the development of efficient grain storage, handling, and drying systems around the globe.
Dr. Kamran Kheiralipour is currently serving as faculty member in Mechanical Engineering of Biosystems Department, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran. He completed his bachelor's degree from Ilam University, Ilam, Iran, and obtained his master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tehran, Iran. He has worked on thermal, hyperspectral, and visible imaging during his doctorate and later in collaboration with different researches and published several papers on the field of applications of imaging in biosystems engineering. He has served as General Manager of Student Affair in 2013, Dean of the Technical, Engineering, and Agricultural Junior College (Dehloran Campus) in 2017-2022, and Research Deputy of Agricultural Faculty in 2023-2025. Dr. Kheiralipour has over 250 national and international publications including articles in scientific journals and conferences, authorial and edited books, and book chapters.
