Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
J Anim Sci. 2024 Jan 3;102. doi: 10.1093/jas/skae253.
The technical aspects of global positioning system (GPS) sensors have been improved substantially over the years, making them valuable and popular tools for livestock tracking. Using GPS sensors allows producers and researchers to locate grazing livestock, monitor their behavior and distribution, and gather referencing information about the health status of the animals and pastures. However, interpreting the behavior of grazing livestock, such as cattle, from GPS data can be difficult due to positioning inaccuracies. Without knowing the positioning accuracy range of GPS sensors, achieving high-level confidence in determining grazing densities and identifying abnormal livestock movement patterns is challenging. In this study, the positioning accuracy of 3 different types of commercial GPS sensors was assessed using a survey-grade real-time kinematics (RTK) device. We outlined the procedures and essential equations and compared the recorded locations from the GPS sensors with reference locations collected from the RTK device. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in positioning accuracy between different types of GPS sensors. The circular error probable (CEP) at 95% probability levels (CEP95) of the 3 sensors ranged from 2.46 to 11.06 m. This accuracy varied among individual sensors within the same brand and across different brands, which underscores the importance of evaluating the positioning accuracy of GPS sensors in livestock tracking. This study provides significant insights for animal scientists, ecologists, and livestock producers engaged in GPS sensor-related research and practices.
多年来，全球定位系统（GPS）传感器的技术方面有了很大的改进，使它们成为跟踪牲畜的有价值和受欢迎的工具。使用 GPS 传感器可以让生产者和研究人员定位放牧牲畜，监测它们的行为和分布，并收集有关动物和牧场健康状况的参考信息。然而，由于定位不准确，从 GPS 数据中解读放牧牲畜（如牛）的行为可能具有挑战性。如果不知道 GPS 传感器的定位精度范围，就很难确定放牧密度并识别异常的牲畜运动模式，从而获得高度的置信度。在这项研究中，使用测地实时动态（RTK）设备评估了 3 种不同类型的商业 GPS 传感器的定位精度。我们概述了程序和基本方程，并将 GPS 传感器记录的位置与 RTK 设备收集的参考位置进行了比较。结果表明，不同类型的 GPS 传感器之间的定位精度存在统计学上的显著差异（P ＜ 0.05）。3 个传感器的 95%概率水平的圆误差概率（CEP95）范围为 2.46 至 11.06 米。同一品牌内不同传感器以及不同品牌之间的精度存在差异，这突显了在牲畜跟踪中评估 GPS 传感器定位精度的重要性。本研究为从事与 GPS 传感器相关的研究和实践的动物科学家、生态学家和牲畜生产者提供了重要的见解。
