The Open Source Range GPS collar was developed to be a low-cost solution to collecting GPS telemetry data for livestock in open range pastures. The primary driver for this project was the need to deploy a large number of GPS collars to characterize actual herd usage of large landscapes. The goals of this project were to develop an open-source Arduino-based GPS tracking device and collar for less than $40 each and that could be easily sourced and constructed.
This project has gone through several iterations, and each of these is described here. All design files, sources, and assembly instructions are included.
Information is divided into sections for:
- Hardware - GPS tracking device itself
- Firmware - Arduino code that runs on the device
- Battery - one of several battery options for powering the devices
- Housing - two options for low-cost housings
- Collar - materials and construction of the collar
- Data - information on the structure of the recorded GPS data and scripts for processing and merging the GPS files
For full example videos, check out the following links:
- Zumwalt Block A pastures, 2019 - 52 collared cows (26 yearling heifers, 26 cows with calves)
- Pahsimeroi, ID pasture - 50 collared cows with calves
Estimates of grazing intensity
The core of these low-cost GPS units is an ATMEGA328P Arduino microcontroller. For the COTS units, this is an Arduino Pro Mini clone. For the Version 2 and 3 collars, it is an ATMEGA328P chip with the Arduino bootloader installed. The GPS is a standard UBLOX Neo GPS. Data are recorded to either a Micro SD card or a flash memory chip. The COTS GPS device uses an AdaFruit low-power timer breakout board for simple low-power operation/cycling. Versions 2 and 3 use software timing for low-power operation. The whole device is powered by a 3.7V lithium ion battery running through a voltage regulator.
Specifications, design information, and build instructions are available in the folder for each version.
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Karl, Jason W., and James E. Sprinkle. “Low-Cost Livestock Global Positioning System Collar from Commercial Off-the-Shelf Parts.” Rangeland Ecology & Management, October 2019, S1550742419300582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2019.08.003.
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Laurence-Traynor, Alexander, Jason W. Karl, and Vincent S. Jansen. 2020. "Determining appropriate utilization measurements for multiscale spatial analysis of Greater Sage-grouse habitat in southern Idaho." Poster presented at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.
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Karl, J.W. 2020. Livestock GPS collars for $40 - development of an open-hardware location tracker. Presentation at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.
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Fletcher, Taylor., Jason W. Karl, Courtney Conway, Vincent Jansen, Eva Strand, Shane Roberts, and Paul Makela. 2020. Use of Global Positioning System Collars to Assess the Impact of Livestock Grazing on the Greater Sage-Grouse. Poster presented at the Idaho Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. Moscow, ID.
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Alexander Laurence-Traynor. 2020. Determining appropriate field-based grazing intensity measurements for multi-scale rangeland management. MS Thesis. University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.
Development of the Open Source Livestock GPS Collar was supported in part by a Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (grant number NR193A750008G005). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.