Optimization of the logistics of agricultural biogas plants = Optimalisatie van de logistiek bij mestvergistingsinstallaties

Within the framework of the EU-AGRO-BIOGAS project, the optimisation model Bioloco has been adapted for the application on biogas plants and was applied on a Dutch example case

Recording of dairy cows behaviour with wireless accelerometers

The daily behaviour of dairy cows reflects the health and well-being status. The behaviour can be monitored with accelerometers (used as a tilt sensor to measure the angle) in a wireless sensor network. The angle of a leg reflects the lying or standing behaviour, the angle of the head might reflect the eating behaviour. An experiment was carried out at an experimental farm during 50 days. Six cows were equipped with two 2D accelerometers, one attached to the neck and one attached to the right hind leg. The accelerometers were attached to wireless sensor nodes. The acceleration of the neck and leg was recorded every halve minute (average of seven measurements with 1 Hz measuring frequency). Based on calibration measurements, the acceleration of the leg and the neck were both transformed to the angle. A cow was standing when the angle of the leg was more than 45°, otherwise lying. The method to transform the acceleration to angle and behaviour appears to be appropriate, it is possible to monitor the cow's behaviour with a wireless sensor network equipped with accelerometers

Trustworthiness assessment of cow behaviour data collected in a wireless sensor network

Wireless sensor networks can be used for automated cow monitoring, e.g. for behaviour and locomotion monitoring. Sensor data should only be used when they can be trusted. The trustworthiness of sensor data can be assessed in a framework, from the acquisition at the node to their delivery to business applications, including any intermediary routing and processing. The trustworthiness assessment method has been evaluated with sensor data collected during one of the experiments within the WASP project. Sensor data are not trusted when the trustworthiness gets below a threshold. An alert is generated then and it is possible to find the cause by tracing back the trust of composing elements. The trustworthiness assessment method results in the detection of problems with nodes (e.g. detached node or exhausted battery). Most of these problems can be classified as true and most of them were not notified on the farm. Therefore trustworthiness assessment is worthwhile to improve automated cow status monitoring

Koe in beeld : Waar is ze en wat doet ze?

Melkveebedrijven worden steeds groter. Deze schaalvergroting mag niet leiden tot minder aandacht voor de gezondheid en het welzijn van de koeien. Daarnaast stelt de samenleving steeds meer eisen aan de veiligheid en kwaliteit van product en productie-omgeving. Draadloze sensortechnologie maakt het mogelijk veel informatie over de productieomgeving (klimaat, weer, huisvesting) en de productiefactoren (dieren, voer, grasland) vast te leggen. Zo wordt het mogelijk diergedrag beter te begrijpen, dieren met gezondheidsproblemen te signaleren en de beweiding te optimalisere

Nieuwe biomassaketens in Noord-Holland : Case 1 : Biomassavergassingsketen

Om na te gaan welke nieuwe biomassaketens tot ontwikkeling kunnen worden gebracht, zijn enkele mogelijke ketens doorgerekend met het computermodel Bioloco. Het doel hierbij is via een gestructureerde aanpak enkele regionale biomassaketens te identificeren die voldoende perspectief bieden op realisatie op korte termijn in de regio Noord-Holland. Voor de biomassaketens is uitgegaan van de biomassasoorten snoeiafval gemeenten, dunningshout bos, snoeihout fruittelers en stro. De conversietechniek is vergassing. Er zijn twee cases bekeken: basis case 1: een centrale vergasser van 40 MWth en basis case 2: twee decentrale vergassers van 20 MWth. Bij elke case zijn drie varianten bekeken: hogere inputcapaciteit, aangepaste prijzen en verminderde beschikbaarheid. De modeluitkomsten geven inzicht in 1) de kosten en opbrengsten (en winst), 2) het energieverbruik en de energieopbrengst en 3) de broeikasgasemissies en de vermeden broeikasgasemissies. De resultaten geven aan dat inzet van biomassa in een vergasser positief scoort, zowel financieel, energetisch als qua reductie van broeikasgasemissies. Er lijkt voldoende biomassa beschikbaar. Bij de kleinschaligere vergassers zijn de logistieke kosten lager, maar dat weegt niet op tegen de hogere conversiekosten

Recording and analysis of locomotion in dairy cows with 3D accelerometers

An automated method for lameness detection can be an alternative for detection by regular observations. Accelerometers attached to a leg of the dairy cow can be used to record the locomotion of a dairy cow. In an experiment the 3D acceleration of the right hind leg during walking of three dairy cows was measured and analysed. Nodes with a 3D accelerometer in a wireless sensor network were applied to measure with a frequency of 50 Hz. After data filtering, the data analysis was in two steps: first step detection and secondly the determination of step parameters. Variance analysis was used for step detection. For each step the parameters step length and step time were calculated. The steps and step parameters can be used in future research for gait analysis of lame and non-lame cows. The aim of this paper is to describe the collection and analysis of data in this experiment and to assess the possibilities for gait analysis. It can be concluded that the application of accelerometers in a wireless sensor network gives promising results. Step detection is possible and step parameters can be derived

Advisering voor vervolg positieflijst zoogdieren

This report describes a quick scan of the most important behavioral requirements of 100 mammal species, as a first step in the assessment procedure for admittance of this species to a list of species that are allowed to be kept legally