Design and Field Test of a Low-cost Device for Real-time Livestock Tracking Using GPS/LoRa Communication

Abstract

Highlights Monitoring movement is crucial to improve livestock management. GPS livestock tracking method using LoRa with an effective medium access control mechanism. Adaptive data collection with near real-time monitoring. GPS data were collected for improving home-range management. Low implementation costs with increasing lifespan of the devices. Abstract. Extensive livestock grazing systems are in line with agroecological principles. However, these systems are particularly complex to manage. Developing accurate and reliable monitoring of livestock movements and activities is a promising tool to improve the global performances of these systems. Various livestock management systems have been developed over the past decades, culminating in sophisticated systems in intensive controlled environments that allow the real-time monitoring of movements, behaviors, health and production parameters for livestock individuals/herds (e.g. dairy cattle). However, extensive and semi-extensive systems for which the animals are ranging freely outdoors at least part of the time, are presenting specific challenges for combined tracking data acquisition and communication. In this article, we present a GPS livestock tracking method using LoRa communication with a new medium access control mechanism. The node lifespan and performance of the system were evaluated in real on-farm conditions in three different locations in Thailand and Vietnam. The results showed that our system performed adequately well in terms of position accuracy and timeliness. The accuracy of GPS data collected are compatible with their usage for improved rangeland management, monitoring livestock movements and impacts on the environment, and for back-tracking epidemiological movements and contacts of individuals/herds to control diseases outbreaks. The communication system via LoRa allowed to some extent real-time location of livestock herds by farmers due to instant position updates to the Internet, although the performance depended largely on the relief of the landscape surrounding the rangeland used. Finally, reducing costs and increasing the lifespan of the devices remain critical objectives to foster the adoption of such system by farmers and by certification groups to provide field-based evidence for the traceability and quality control of livestock and animal products raised under healthy and environmental-friendly productions systems. Our current design, if produced in a large quantity of at least 100 units, would cost approximately $65 USD per unit, with an average lifetime of 20 days. Keywords: Cattle, GPS, LoRa, Tracking system.