Project Title: Leveraging Large Language Models for Advancing Farm Animal Health
Project Team:
MSc Students and Senior Bachelor Students in Computer Science
Supervisor: Prof. Suresh Neethirajan
Starting Date: January 2024
Project Description:
The primary objective of this research project, conducted by MSc students & BSc in Computer Science at Dalhousie University under the guidance of Prof. Suresh Neethirajan, is to develop an innovative approach utilizing Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT-4 or equivalent sources. The aim is to harness the power of these advanced language models to address critical challenges in farm animal health, improve farming operations, and enhance the welfare of farm animals, with a specific focus on dairy cows and poultry.
Project Focus Areas:
Farmer Decision Support:
Objective: Develop a versatile tool for animal handlers, caretakers, and farm managers to enhance the diagnosis, management, and overall health of farm animals.
Specific Tasks:
- Improve the accuracy of farm animal health condition assessments.
- Refine and adhere to farm animal health management and welfare guidelines.
- Detect subclinical symptoms and welfare indicators.
- Address cost reduction and disease outbreak management.
Policymaking Support:
Objective: Assist in farm policymaking by providing timely insights from underutilized data sources, including farm animal vocalizations, movement, feeding, and logistics data.
Specific Tasks:
Identify and leverage data sources.
Reduce time delays in policy implementation.
Optimize resource allocation for effective policymaking.
Develop methodologies for forecasting disease epidemics.
Support for Animal Caretakers:
Objective: Provide tools and solutions to individuals responsible for daily farm animal care, such as feeding, cleaning, and health monitoring.
Specific Tasks:
Create tailored solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of care.
Reduce manual labor and drudgery.
Implement LLM-supported workflow management for data collection and farm animal operations.
Farm Animal Welfare Communications:
Objective: Develop communication tools to bridge language and knowledge gaps when conveying farm animal-related information, messaging, and advice.
Specific Tasks:
Provide timely, trusted, and tailored advice to farmers.
Enhance interoperability of farm animal health data and modern farming systems using LLMs.
Animal Welfare Enhancement:
In addition to the project’s primary objectives, a significant focus will be placed on utilizing LLMs to enhance the welfare of dairy cows and poultry:
Dairy Cows:
- Explore how LLMs can assist in improving the welfare of dairy cows through better health monitoring and early detection of issues such as lameness, mastitis, and stress.
- Develop systems that analyze vocalizations and movement patterns to provide real-time feedback to farmers, allowing for prompt intervention and improved welfare.
Poultry Applications:
- Investigate the application of LLMs in optimizing the living conditions and health of poultry (laying hens and broilers) with particular emphasis on reducing stress and disease susceptibility.
- Create solutions that monitor poultry vocalizations and behavior to provide insights into flock well-being and to ensure optimal nutrition and environmental conditions.
Project Phases:
The project will consist of several phases, including data collection and preprocessing, model development, solution implementation, testing and evaluation, documentation, and post-project assessment. These phases will be executed collaboratively by the student team, with regular guidance and mentorship from Prof. Suresh Neethirajan.
Deliverables:
Throughout the project, the following deliverables will be generated:
- Trained LLM models for each focus area.
- Developed solutions and tools for farmer decision support, policymaking, animal caretakers, and farm animal welfare enhancements, specifically targeting dairy cows and poultry.
- Comprehensive project reports and technical documentation.
- Knowledge transfer sessions to ensure stakeholders can effectively utilize the developed solutions.
- Post-project assessment reports detailing the long-term impact and recommendations for future research.
By addressing these critical challenges in farm animal health and enhancing animal welfare through LLM-based solutions, this research project aims to contribute significantly to the well-being of farm animals while simultaneously improving farming operations and supporting informed decision-making within the agriculture sector.