APPLICATION OF LIDAR TECHNOLOGY IN CATTLE GRAZING AREAS

Abstract

Precision farming technologies increasingly appear in the livestock sector. The most precision animal husbandry innovations are in the precision breeding and nutrition, but nowadays, different robots (e.g. robotic milking systems, robotic barn cleaners, etc.) can help for effective animal production, mainly in barn. The number of such innovative solutions in field is less. In order to collect spatial information about the ethology of animals, grazing dairy cattle are survey by LiDAR sensor. The focus area is a pasture near Nyírbátor (BÁTORTRADE Trade and Services Ltd., North Trans Tisza Region, Hungary). Application of LiDAR terrain characteristic, topography, vegetation status (e.g. the qualitative and quantitative characteristic of vegetation) and grazing cattle in the pasture can be detected. The main goal of our study was to detect grazing cattle on field by ALS system. LiDAR data was useful for animal detection, and based on the spatial data lying and standing animals were identified distinguishing from each other. In order to examine the statically position of cattle, digital elevation model was created based on the high precision spatial data. Based on the distribution and behaviour of the animals, different problems (e.g. environmental stress) in animal husbandry could be concluded. Multispectral image pattern and monitoring the spatial distribution of cattle’s movement, wet locations can be identified on the pasture. Using LiDAR data seems a promising opportunity to optimize land use and livestock size.