A Combined Offline and Online Algorithm for Real-Time and Long-Term Classification of Sheep Behaviour: Novel Approach for Precision Livestock Farming

Vázquez-Diosdado, Jorge A.; Paul, Veronica; Ellis, Keith A; Coates, David; Loomba, Radhika; Kaler, Jasmeet

Abstract

Real-time and long-term behavioural monitoring systems in precision livestock farming have huge potential to improve welfare and productivity for the better health of farm animals. However, some of the biggest challenges for long-term monitoring systems relate to “concept drift”, which occurs when systems are presented with challenging new or changing conditions, and/or in scenarios where training data is not accurately reflective of live sensed data. This study presents a combined offline algorithm and online learning algorithm which deals with concept drift and is deemed by the authors as a useful mechanism for long-term in-the-field monitoring systems. The proposed algorithm classifies three relevant sheep behaviours using information from an embedded edge device that includes tri-axial accelerometer and tri-axial gyroscope sensors. The proposed approach is for the first time reported in precision livestock behavior monitoring and demonstrates improvement in classifying relevant behaviour in sheep, in real-time, under dynamically changing conditions.

Citation

Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Paul, V., Ellis, K. A., Coates, D., Loomba, R., & Kaler, J. (2019). A Combined Offline and Online Algorithm for Real-Time and Long-Term Classification of Sheep Behaviour: Novel Approach for Precision Livestock Farming. Sensors, 19(14), Article 3201. https://doi.org/10.3390/s19143201

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 18, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jul 20, 2019
• Publication Date: Jul 20, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jul 31, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 31, 2019
• Journal: Sensors
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 14
• Article Number: 3201
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s19143201
• Keywords: Sensors , Precision Livestock Farming, Animal welfare
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2360904
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/14/3201