UK researchers reveal plans for an “Internet of sheep”
Smart cities might be all the rage here in the USA, but in England the Internet of Things is spreading its tentacles outside of its urban centers, deep into the countryside.
Computer scientists at Lancaster University have just launched an 18-month research project in Conwy, Wales, that’ll see everything from cows and sheep to rivers and streams get hooked up to the World Wide Web. The project, which is government funded to the tune of £170,000 (about $267,000), is just an exploratory one for now, with boffins eager to see how connected devices can help improve the rural way of life.
Some of the problems researchers wish to tackle include agricultural pollution, animal movements, drought and flooding. The idea is that by slapping sensors onto everything that moves (or flows), they’ll be able to get their hands on lots of data that simply doesn’t exist at the moment.
“Cities have been the focus of much of the boom in this type of technology,” says Professor Gordon Blair, who’s leading the project. “It has been used to keep traffic flowing on our roads, monitor air pollution and even help us find a parking spot on a busy Saturday afternoon.”
But the countryside faces just as many problems, argues Professor Blair. “The next step will be to identify exactly what will be of most use in the short term and how we will frame the project,” he says.
Some of the ideas Professor Blair’s team is considering include fitting cows and sheep with digital collars to track their movements, installing rain and riverflow monitors and putting sensors on riverbanks.
The project will face some challenges. As anyone who lives in the countryside will concur, Internet connectivity can be temperamental to say the least, what with mountains, trees and inclement weather often getting in the way.
Nevertheless, Professor Blair for one believes the potential benefits clearly outweigh whatever difficulties are involved. “The possibilities of bringing the Internet of Things to the countryside are limitless,” he insisted.
Photo credit: Hadock_ via photopin cc
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