With the aid of the early-warning system “DigiSchwein”, animal welfare is to be promoted. In addition, our goals are to increase efficiency when using crucial operating resources as well as the protection of the environment through nutrient reduction. Moreover, the use of modern technologies will further expand sustainable agriculture.

By developing specific data products, the farmer should also be supported in their daily work activities. A recurring task is, for example, the daily inspection of the own livestock. The farmer is legally obliged to do this twice a day and also to do self-monitoring-activities in regular intervals. With the help of these measures, problems or defects are to be identified at an early stage so that appropriate measures can be taken. He is supported in his decision-making process by regularly collected data based on different sensor technology. These diverse, heterogeneous data offer great potential and are to be recorded and processed in the form of the farm management software “DigiSchwein”, so that they can support farmers even more profoundly in their daily work with recommendations for actions.

In addition to finding suitable sensor systems for the acquisition of different data streams, a suitable data management and data analysis platform will be developed. This platform is the basis for the application of different analysis methods and also serves to generate specific key figures. These systems are developed, designed and elaborated in close cooperation with various partners from science and industry.

By involving experts from different fields and innovation partners, specific data products will be developed based on the collected information, which address existing problems in animal husbandry. The focus is on current and practical problems of modern pig farming:

• Plausibility analyses of existing sensor technologies
• Decision support for the early detection of diseases
• Reduction of tail biting
• Monitoring system for birth management
• Analysis of nutrient flows to create digital transparency in the pigsty

The joint project is coordinated and evaluated by the Chamber of Agriculture of Niedersachsen, UB Tier. Further project partners are LWK Nds. FB 3.2 Energy, Construction, Technology (Dr. Drücker); Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Faculty II - Department of Computer Science (Prof. Dr-Ing. Jorge Marx Gómez); OFFIS e. V. (Dr. Jan Reinkensmeier); Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Institute of Agricultural Technology (P. Hölscher), Foundation of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Institute of Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Ethology (Prof. Dr. N. Kemper), Georg-August-University Göttingen, Department of Farm Animal Sciences (Prof. Dr. Traulsen).

01.04.2020 – 31.08.2024

• Prof. Dr-Ing. Jorge Marx Gómez
• Jan-Hendrik Witte
• Pascal Säfken​​​​​​​

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