Multi-Network Cattle Monitoring System using Wireless Sensor Network

Abstract

The importance of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) in today's technologically driven-life cannot be over emphasized, given it rapid enhancement in data transferring technique as well as having a wide range of application in environmental monitoring, intelligent traffic system geometrics. This research developed a multi-network cattle monitoring system using wireless sensor network to proffer solution to the challenge of cattle rustling that has bedeviled the country. The ‘heartbeat’ of this research is the distance sensors and the Global Positioning System (GPS) module attached to the cattles (nodes) in the herd. The master node, which bears the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) module of all the available networks. The distance sensors monitor the distance between the other nodes and the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the nodes as well and transmit same to the base station when queried or when a preset- conditions are violated. The nodes require power to transmit data to the base station. Dry cell and a mini photovoltaic system (PV) supply the power making it possible to access available information about the herd location from the base station at all-time using the network that has the highest signal strength. It was discovered that within a preset distance of 50 meters the communication within the herd was achieved which lead to a decrease in the voltages of the nodes respectively and when a particular node goes out of the preset distance the voltage of that node did not decrease, hence a message was sent to the base station notifying it of the status of the herd. In this manner, the herd was protected, making it difficult to be rustled. A modular approach was used in this research. Each module was individually developed and everything coupled together to realize a functional prototype.