BLE Wireless Sensor Network for Mobile Coop Monitoring as Part of an Ubiquitous Ecosystem

Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) is an approach to animal farming that utilizes advanced technologies and data-driven methods like wireless devices, Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics and industrial automation, to monitor, manage, and optimize various aspects of livestock production, contributing to responsible and sustainable models for enhanced food security. This paper details the deployment of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), integrating Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and 4G/LTE technologies, to create an IoT solution for remotely monitoring environmental conditions in outdoor production environments. The system is designed to be deployed specifically in pastured poultry farming using mobile chicken coops, emphasizing a farming approach that prioritizes the well-being of the poultry by providing access to open fields with vegetation. The system captures parameters like temperature, relative humidity, and lighting levels through wireless sensor nodes in the open-field rearing structure. Captured data is stored locally in an IoT station within the wireless network and concurrently replicated to a remote cloud-based database via cellular data network. Long term environmental measurements of the mobile chicken coop can be analyzed through datasets generated for an Open Data web portal. The system deployment in a real-world production context enabled the observation and analysis of the behavior of the studied environmental parameters at 24-h intervals. These acquired values facilitate comparisons between the ideal environmental levels and the actual conditions experienced by the birds in the rearing space. This, in turn, can aid the decision-making process for implementing corrective measures, ultimately enhancing the welfare, and fostering healthy growth conditions for the animals.