Suitability Evaluation of Multipoint Simultaneous CO2 Sampling Wireless Sensors for Livestock Buildings

[EN] The environment in livestock buildings must be controlled to ensure the health and welfare of both workers and animals, as well as to restrict the emission of pollutants to the atmosphere. Among the pollutants generated inside these premises, carbon dioxide (CO2) is of great interest in terms of animal welfare and ventilation control. The use of inexpensive sensors means that complete systems can be designed with a number of sensors located around the building. This paper describes a study of the suitability of multipoint simultaneous CO2 sensors operating in a wireless sensor network, which was found to operate satisfactorily under laboratory conditions and was found to be the best alternative for these applications. The sensors showed a highly linear response to CO2 concentrations, ranging from 500 to 5000 ppm. However, individual sensor response was found to differ, which made it necessary to calibrate each one separately. Sensor precision ranged between 80 and 110 ppm CO2, and sensor response to register a 95% change in concentration was estimated at around 5 min. These features mean this type of sensor network can be used to monitor animal welfare and also for environmental control in poorly ventilated livestock premises. According to the tests conducted in this study, a temporal drift may occur and therefore a regular calibration of sensors would be needed.This project was supported by the Vicerrectorado de Investigacion of the UPV (Programa de Apoyo a la Investigacion y Desarrollo, PAID-06-11 Program, Project No. 2843) and the Spanish Government under Projects CTM2011-29691-C02-01 and TIN2011-28435-C03-0. The translation of this paper was funded by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.Calvet Sanz, S.; Campelo Rivadulla, JC.; Estellés, F.; Perles Ivars, A.; Mercado Romero, R.; Serrano Martín, JJ. (2014). Suitability Evaluation of Multipoint Simultaneous CO2 Sampling Wireless Sensors for Livestock Buildings. Sensors. 14(6):10479-10496. https://doi.org/10.3390/s140610479S1047910496146C. M. Wathes, J. B. Jones, H. H. Kristensen, E. K. M. Jones, & A. J. F. Webster. (2002). AVERSION OF PIGS AND DOMESTIC FOWL TO ATMOSPHERIC AMMONIA. Transactions of the ASAE, 45(5). doi:10.13031/2013.11067Homidan, A. A., Robertson, J. F., & Petchey, A. M. (2003). Review of the effect of ammonia and dust concentrations on broiler performance. World’s Poultry Science Journal, 59(3), 340-349. doi:10.1079/wps20030021Krupa, S. . (2003). Effects of atmospheric ammonia (NH3) on terrestrial vegetation: a review. Environmental Pollution, 124(2), 179-221. doi:10.1016/s0269-7491(02)00434-7Kaye, J., Buchanan, F., Kendrick, A., Johnson, P., Lowry, C., Bailey, J., … Lightman, S. (2004). Acute Carbon Dioxide Exposure in Healthy Adults: Evaluation of a Novel Means of Investigating the Stress Response. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 16(3), 256-264. doi:10.1111/j.0953-8194.2004.01158.xNi, J.-Q., & Heber, A. J. (2008). Sampling and Measurement of Ammonia at Animal Facilities. Advances in Agronomy, 201-269. doi:10.1016/s0065-2113(08)00204-6Ogink, N. W. M., Mosquera, J., Calvet, S., & Zhang, G. (2013). Methods for measuring gas emissions from naturally ventilated livestock buildings: Developments over the last decade and perspectives for improvement. Biosystems Engineering, 116(3), 297-308. doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2012.10.005Calvet, S., Gates, R. S., Zhang, G., Estellés, F., Ogink, N. W. M., Pedersen, S., & Berckmans, D. (2013). Measuring gas emissions from livestock buildings: A review on uncertainty analysis and error sources. Biosystems Engineering, 116(3), 221-231. doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2012.11.004Phillips, V. R., Holden, M. R., Sneath, R. W., Short, J. L., White, R. P., Hartung, J., … Wathes, C. M. (1998). The Development of Robust Methods for Measuring Concentrations and Emission Rates of Gaseous and Particulate Air Pollutants in Livestock Buildings. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 70(1), 11-24. doi:10.1006/jaer.1997.0283Calvet, S., Cambra-López, M., Estellés, F., & Torres, A. G. (2011). Characterization of gas emissions from a Mediterranean broiler farm. Poultry Science, 90(3), 534-542. doi:10.3382/ps.2010-01037Calvet, S., Cambra-López, M., Estellés Barber, F., & Torres, A. G. (2011). Characterization of the indoor environment and gas emissions in rabbit farms. World Rabbit Science, 19(1). doi:10.4995/wrs.2011.802Wathes, C. M., Holden, M. R., Sneath, R. W., White, R. P., & Phillips, V. R. (1997). Concentrations and emission rates of aerial ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, carbon dioxide, dust and endotoxin in UK broiler and layer houses. British Poultry Science, 38(1), 14-28. doi:10.1080/00071669708417936Pedersen, S., Takai, H., Johnsen, J. O., Metz, J. H. M., Groot Koerkamp, P. W. G., Uenk, G. H., … Wathes, C. M. (1998). A Comparison of Three Balance Methods for Calculating Ventilation Rates in Livestock Buildings. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 70(1), 25-37. doi:10.1006/jaer.1997.0276Yasuda, T., Yonemura, S., & Tani, A. (2012). Comparison of the Characteristics of Small Commercial NDIR CO2 Sensor Models and Development of a Portable CO2 Measurement Device. Sensors, 12(3), 3641-3655. doi:10.3390/s120303641Low-Power SoC (System-on-Chip) with MCU, Memory, Sub-1 GHz RF Transceiver, and USB Controllerwww.ti.com/product/cc1110f32Sensirion. SHT11: Digital Humidity Sensor (RH&T)http://www.sensirion.com/en/products/humidity-temperature/humidity-sensor-sht11/Bjerg, B., Zhang, G., Madsen, J., & Rom, H. B. (2011). Methane emission from naturally ventilated livestock buildings can be determined from gas concentration measurements. 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Online Learning Algorithm for Time Series Forecasting Suitable for Low Cost Wireless Sensor Networks Nodes

Time series forecasting is an important predictive methodology which can be applied to a wide range of problems. Particularly, forecasting the indoor temperature permits an improved utilization of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) systems in a home and thus a better energy efficiency. With such purpose the paper describes how to implement an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm in a low cost system-on-chip to develop an autonomous intelligent wireless sensor network. The present paper uses a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) to monitor and forecast the indoor temperature in a smart home, based on low resources and cost microcontroller technology as the 8051MCU. An on-line learning approach, based on Back-Propagation (BP) algorithm for ANNs, has been developed for real-time time series learning. It performs the model training with every new data that arrive to the system, without saving enormous quantities of data to create a historical database as usual, i.e., without previous knowledge. Consequently to validate the approach a simulation study through a Bayesian baseline model have been tested in order to compare with a database of a real application aiming to see the performance and accuracy. The core of the paper is a new algorithm, based on the BP one, which has been described in detail, and the challenge was how to implement a computational demanding algorithm in a simple architecture with very few hardware resources.Comment: 28 pages, Published 21 April 2015 at MDPI's journal "Sensors

An energy-efficient internet of things (IoT) architecture for preventive conservation of cultural heritage

[EN] Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can facilitate the preventive conservation of cultural heritage (CH) by enabling the management of data collected from electronic sensors. This work presents an IoT architecture for this purpose. Firstly, we discuss the requirements from the artwork standpoint, data acquisition, cloud processing and data visualization to the end user. The results presented in this work focuses on the most critical aspect of the architecture, which are the sensor nodes. We designed a solution based on LoRa and Sigfox technologies to produce the minimum impact in the artwork, achieving a lifespan of more than 10 years. The solution will be capable of scaling the processing and storage resources, deployed either in a public or on-premise cloud, embedding complex predictive models. This combination of technologies can cope with different types of cultural heritage environments.This work was partially funded by the Generalitat Valenciana project AICO/2016/058 and by the Plan Nacional de I+D, Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y TecnologiA (FEDER-CICYT) under the project HAR2013-47895-C2-1-P.Perles Ivars, A.; Pérez Marín, E.; Mercado Romero, R.; Segrelles Quilis, JD.; Blanquer Espert, I.; Zarzo Castelló, M.; García Diego, FJ. (2018). An energy-efficient internet of things (IoT) architecture for preventive conservation of cultural heritage. Future Generation Computer Systems. 81:566-581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2017.06.030S5665818

Development of a reference method for ventilation rate measurements in a naturally ventilated test facility

Gases produced in animal houses, such as NH3 and CO2, are not only harmful to the animals and farmers, but can also have negative effects on the environment. An optimum has to be found between maintaining a suitable indoor climate and preventing excessive emissions. For indoor climate control and especially emission measurements a reliable estimate of the airflow rate is essential. However, for naturally ventilated animal houses, no generally accepted reference technique exists to measure the airflow rate. Most existing techniques fail to account for the heterogeneous airflow patterns caused by the constantly changing external conditions of wind speed and direction. A new measuring method was developed through a stepwise approach starting from steady state measurements in wind tunnels up to measurements in a real size naturally ventilated test facility. This method, based on the automated traverse movement of a 3D ultrasonic anemometer across a rectangular vent, delivered detailed velocity profiles from which the airflow rate could be calculated. It was proven that the method accounts for both the temporal and spatial variability of the velocity profiles which are characteristic of naturally ventilated openings. The relative measurement error between the total building inflow and outflow rates remained within the range of ±20%. Due to the extensiveness of the experiments under a large range of wind incidence angles and speeds, a unique reference testing platform was created. The in depth knowledge of the velocity profiles and the associated in- and outflow rates through each vent, create possibilities for the development, the calibration and the validation of new and existing airflow rate measurement techniques for natural ventilation

Proceedings of the European Conference on Agricultural Engineering AgEng2021

This proceedings book results from the AgEng2021 Agricultural Engineering Conference under auspices of the European Society of Agricultural Engineers, held in an online format based on the University of Évora, Portugal, from 4 to 8 July 2021. This book contains the full papers of a selection of abstracts that were the base for the oral presentations and posters presented at the conference. Presentations were distributed in eleven thematic areas: Artificial Intelligence, data processing and management; Automation, robotics and sensor technology; Circular Economy; Education and Rural development; Energy and bioenergy; Integrated and sustainable Farming systems; New application technologies and mechanisation; Post-harvest technologies; Smart farming / Precision agriculture; Soil, land and water engineering; Sustainable production in Farm buildings

Precision livestock farming towards broiler welfare

Due to intensification of the livestock system the ratio between number of broilers and number of farmers have been increasing, making impossible the individualized attention to animals without the use of appropriate tools. Increasingly societal concern on broiler welfare requires farmers to find means to improve animal welfare level. Precision livestock farming (PLF) emerges as a possible solution as it enables the monitoring of animals and its environment 24/7. The present study aims to provide information on how PLF technologies can address broiler welfare and to evaluate reasons for their adoption (or non-adoption) by farmers. The results discussions and analysis are based in the three main pillars that guide the present research: animal welfare, PLF technologies and innovation adoption. Methodologically, the study consists of two different steps. Initially, a systematic review of the literature was carried out to identify which are the PLF technologies related to broiler welfare and to assess how they address birds ́ welfare. Results indicate that most PLF technologies are related to image analysis and mainly focused on broiler health improvements. In the second stage, an empirical research was carried out with broiler farmers in the Southern Brazil. From this survey, information on broiler farmers ́ opinions towards broiler welfare and PLF potentialities were assessed as well as on the determinants and limiting factors for technologies adoption. In general, Brazilian broiler farmers attribute great importance to broiler welfare and perceive the current level of welfare as high; however higher scores for importance than for perception indicate that there is room for welfare improvements. In broiler farmers ́ opinions, providing animals food/water and good housing and health conditions are more important than provide means for the animals to express their natural behaviors. Broiler farmers believe that technologies can help them on welfare improvements and are willing to adopt them even when no extra income come from this. Broiler farmers with less experience, producing chicken grillers, having other farm activity besides broiler production and presenting high beliefs on PLF potentialities regarding animal welfare improvements are more likely to adopt PLF technologies. Major limiting factors for PLF technologies adoption are regarding technology high prices, maintenance requirements and to possible financial consequences with technical problems. It is expected the present thesis to be useful to clarify about PLF technologies opportunities in the broiler farmers point of view and that the results obtained to be valuable to increase PLF adoption, which can potentially improve animal and farmers welfare alike.A intensificação do sistema produtivo aumentou a relação entre o número de frangos de corte e o número de trabalhadores rurais, impossibilitando a atenção individualizada aos animais sem o uso de ferramentas adequadas. Em paralelo, a sociedade pressiona os produtores a encontrarem meios para aumentar o nível bem-estar animal (BEA). Tecnologias da zootecnia de precisão (ZP)surgem como possívelsolução, pois possibilitam o monitoramento dos animais e de seu ambiente de forma contínua. O presente estudo objetiva fornecer informações sobre como as tecnologias da ZP abordam o bem-estar de frangos de corte e avaliar os fatores que influenciam a sua adoção pelos produtores. A discussão e a análise dos resultados baseiam-se em três pilares, a saber: BEA, tecnologias da ZP e adoção de inovações. Metodologicamente, o estudo é composto por duas etapas distintas. Inicialmente, uma revisão sistemática da literatura foi realizada para identificar quais são as tecnologias da ZP relacionadas ao bem-estar de frangos de corte e para avaliar como elas abordam o bem-estar das aves. Os resultados indicam que a maioria das tecnologias está relacionada à análise de imagens e principalmente focada na melhoria da saúde dos frangos. Na segunda etapa, foi realizada uma pesquisa empírica com produtores de frangos de corte no Sul do Brasil. A partir desta pesquisa, foram avaliadas informações sobre as opiniões dos criadores de frangos de corte em relação ao BEA e às potencialidades das tecnologias, bem como sobre os fatores determinantes e limitantes para adoção de tecnologias. Em geral, os avicultores brasileiros atribuem grande importância ao bem-estar dos frangos e consideram alto o nível atual de BEA; no entanto, maiores escores para importância do que para percepção indicam que há espaço para melhorias. Na opinião dos produtores, fornecer aos animais comida/água e boas condições de alojamento e saúde é mais importante do que fornecer meios para que os animais expressem seus comportamentos naturais. Os produtores acreditam que as tecnologias podem ajudá-los a aumentar o BEA e estão dispostos a adotá-las mesmo que isso não resulte em maior renda. Produtores com menos experiência, que produzem grillers, que possuem mais de uma atividade agropecuária e que acreditam nas potencialidades das tecnologias em melhorar o BEA são mais propensos a adotar tecnologias. Os principais fatores limitantes para a adoção de tecnologias são os preços elevados, as exigências de manutenção e as possíveis consequências financeiras com problemas técnicos. Espera-se que a presente tese seja útil para esclarecer sobre as oportunidades da ZP do ponto de vista dos produtores e que os resultados obtidos sejam valiosos para aumentar a adoção de tecnologias, as quais podem melhorar o BEA e o bem-estar dos produtores

A novel approach to measure, understand, and assess the thermal environment in grow-finish swine facilities

The thermal environment (TE) inside swine production systems substantially affects animal performance as well as facility natural resource usage; hence, our measurement, understanding, and assessment of the TE must be advanced to sustainably meet the animal-protein demand of the growing global population. The TE describes the parameters that influence heat exchange between an animal and its surroundings, with maximum animal performance achieved when minimal thermoregulatory effort is required. Instrumentation and analysis techniques connecting the impact of the TE on total heat loss and subsequently, to animal performance in intensive housing systems are limited. Therefore, the goals of this dissertation research were to create a novel measurement system for quantifying the TE, develop a mechanistic model to understand the interaction between pigs and their TE, and lastly, establish the methodology to assess the TE for improved management strategies. This dissertation describes the design, validation, and implementation of an innovative TE sensor array (TESA) featuring dry-bulb and black globe temperature, airspeed, and relative humidity measurements. A low-cost omnidirectional thermal anemometer was engineered and calibrated with documented measurement uncertainty for reliable airspeed measurements. These measured parameters were needed as inputs to estimate the convective, radiative, and evaporative modes of heat loss in the developed model, which simulated the cascade of behavioral and physiological thermoregulatory responses of group-housed, grow-finish pigs as a function of the TE. Model results were used to generate a new thermal index for assessing different combinations of the TE and predicting the subsequent impact on animal performance. This index was applied to spatially and temporally analyze data collected from a network of 44 TESAs deployed symmetrically in two rooms of a commercial swine facility. TESA adds a new level of measurement precision greatly needed in modern facilities and goes beyond solely measuring dry-bulb temperature. The testing and calibration of TESA demonstrates the functional performance capabilities of the instrument and sets the standard for animal production sensor development. The mechanistic model provides reasonable agreement with previously published results and can be used to inexpensively explore different combinations of the TE on swine performance. Overall, this dissertation will help the swine industry by providing new technology and methods to quantify the impact of TE on performance for improved housing system management and control decisions. This dissertation will advance the corpus of knowledge required to provide food security for the growing global population through economically and sustainably housed pigs

Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Version 2.0

This Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Version 2.0 (“roadmap”) is an update to version 1.0 of this document published in December 2018. It identifies existing standards and standards in development, assesses gaps, and makes recommendations for priority areas where there is a perceived need for additional standardization and/or pre-standardization R&D. The roadmap has examined 78 issue areas, identified a total of 71 open gaps and corresponding recommendations across the topical areas of airworthiness; flight operations (both general concerns and application-specific ones including critical infrastructure inspections, commercial services, and public safety operations); and personnel training, qualifications, and certification. Of that total, 47 gaps/recommendations have been identified as high priority, 21 as medium priority, and 3 as low priority. A “gap” means no published standard or specification exists that covers the particular issue in question. In 53 cases, additional R&D is needed. As with the earlier version of this document, the hope is that the roadmap will be broadly adopted by the standards community and that it will facilitate a more coherent and coordinated approach to the future development of standards for UAS. To that end, it is envisioned that the roadmap will continue to be promoted in the coming year. It is also envisioned that a mechanism may be established to assess progress on its implementation