Electronic shepherd - a low-cost, low-bandwidth, wireless network system

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a new novel low-cost, wireless communication network system, called the "Electronic Shepherd" (ES). The system is innovative in the way that it supports flock behavior, meaning that a flock leader monitors the state of the other elements in the flock using low-cost radio communication equipment. The paper addresses both details of the terminal devices and communication protocols, as well as testing of the system in a real environment. The ES system was originally made to address special needs for sheep and reindeer farmers who were seeking a system to keep track of their animals during the grazing season. The system, including GPS receivers, UHF radio communication transceivers and GPRS modems, contributes a new approach for low-cost networking and service implementation, not only for the purpose of animal tracking, but also for other applications where objects are to be monitored at a low cost.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.3 SPECIAL-PURPOSE AND APPLICATION-BASED SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Microprocessor/microcomputer applications

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.3 SPECIAL-PURPOSE AND APPLICATION-BASED SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Real-time and embedded systems

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Performance, Verification

Keywords:
GPRS, GPS, animal tracking, cost-effective communication, low-power equipment, rural computing, short-range communication, wireless network