An agent-based wireless sensor network simulation for dairy cattle breed selection in Kenya

Abstract

With dairy farming an important activity in Kenya, it is logical that there is need to increase productivity of the sector in order boost the country's economy. In an effort to realize this, it is important that the farmers are able to easily make right choices when looking for cattle breeds to rear. This can be achieved by closely monitoring health status of the animals in an environment. With the combination of the agent and wireless sensor networks technologies, such health monitoring applications have been made a reality. In this study, we designed and built a model for monitoring dairy cattle health with focus on body temperature variations. A wireless sensor network simulation was used to generate temperature readings for input into the model. The model consists of a team of intelligent agents that receive the simulated temperature readings, work collectively to analyze it and then display the health status of the animal to the user.