Precision Livestock Farming: Monitoring Pig Behavioral Characteristics by Using Sensors and Data

Dear Colleagues,

I hereby invite you to send in contributions for a Special Issue of Veterinary Sciences titled ‘Precision Livestock Farming: Monitoring Pig Behavioral Characteristics Using Sensors and Data’.

Animal welfare is receiving increasing attention, and this especially applies to the welfare of intensively kept livestock such as pigs. Monitoring behavior forms a basis for measuring and improving pig welfare. Many research groups are working on automating the monitoring of pig behavior, and numerous sensors and data applications are being developed. The focus of this Special Issue is precisely this field of research: monitoring pig behavioral characteristics using sensors and data. The scope of the Special Issue includes measuring behavior using sensors and data in sows, piglets, weaned piglets, and fattening pigs. Studies can focus on data applications using (combined) on-farm data from water, feed, weighing, or climate systems, and group or individual data can be analyzed. It may be useful to focus on a specific moment, process, or event in the pigs’ life, such as farrowing, piglet crushing, or weaning. Specific behaviors can be studied, such as tail biting or play behavior, providing insight into the risk factors or conditions on the farm. Behavioral patterns or time budgets can be studied, such as activity budgets, eating time or rest/sleep, to detect anomalies in behavior as a warning signal for stress or disease. Studies can be on applications of well-known sensors in pig farming, such as cameras, microphones, and accelerometers, or new and innovative sensors such as sound cameras or thermographic cameras. Contributions detailing new and innovative data science applications for pig farm data are also very welcome.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together the state-of-the-art advancements in automated measurement of pig behavior and to gather and publish the latest knowledge and experience in this field. This will give our field of research an extra boost and help the sector move forward. I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Lenny Van Erp-van der Kooij
Guest Editor

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