Sensors for monitoring environmental and biological variables in livestock operations

• Grant number: 24/13456-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 18, 2025
• End date: December 17, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Ecology of Domestic Animals and Ethology
• Principal Investigator: Vinícius de França Carvalho Fonsêca
• Grantee: Paloma Albino Ribeiro
• Supervisor: Shane Maloney
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Western Australia (UWA), Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/11273-0 - Animal Agrovoltaics in the beef cattle farming industry: Dust deposition of photovoltaic panels and its impact on power generation, BP.IC

Abstract

Remote, continuous, and real-time monitoring of environmental variables (e.g., airtemperature, solar irradiance, precipitation rate, total particulate matter, ammonia, andgreenhouse gases), in addition to behavioral and autonomic responses of animals allowstimeous and best decision-making in livestock operations. Different sensors have beendeveloped for this purpose, which vary according to their physical properties (e.g., size,shape), range of operation, resolution, accuracy, life span, and other technical details.Besides fundamental knowledge of the target variables, an appropriate measurementtaken by a sensor also requires precise calibration and skills concerning data processing.Over the last 30 years, Professor Shane Maloney from the University of Western Australia,has been logging and processing biological and environmental data, by employing anddeveloping reliable ambulatory techniques to develop advances on how animals respondto multiple environmental stressors. The objective of this project is therefore to learn moreabout those advances on the use of sensors to measure, to process, and to interpretenvironmental and biological variables. The beneficiary will spend three months (FromAugust, 2024 to October, 2024) in the Shane Maloney's laboratory to undertake and tocollaborate on the following activities: I) To conduct testing trials to calibrate and setlogging details on temperature, activity, and GPS sensors; II) To collaborate in trials withsheep to validate a communication protocol with Bluetooth to remotely obtain bodytemperature data from implantable biologgers; III) To process, to analyze and to discussbiological and environmental data collected in Brazil and Australia. (AU)