GSE Blog 

Herd Data Insights

For the past few months, GSE has been extolling the virtues of its brand new GSatSolar Series devices, lauding this disruptive technology for introducing data services to an industry otherwise starved of technological solutions for data reporting. Of the many uses identified for all devices in the series, the least-yet-discussed has been herd tracking and herd intelligence that comes from the introduction of the GSatRancher, a compact, rugged, solar-powered tracking terminal designed specifically for the ranching industry.

It's easy to get lost in the excitement of being able to track each individual animal, especially when considering the benefits of added traceability to the value of livestock, and the benefits of that increased traceability when it comes to food safety and quality standards. Beyond that, however, is an entire subset of livestock monitoring data that has yet to be collected for analysis of patterns and life cycles, and that's herd data. Understanding the fact that each individual animal is an asset, and that the value of that asset is increased tremendously by the value of the data it reports, consider the herd an asset as well. In this scenario, a world of information and insights exists in watching the entire cattle mob's movement patterns.

Hotspots

Tracking the entire herd provides an opportunity to identify "hotspots" in the range area, which will display as heavily trafficked locations with many reported positions nearby. This can help ranchers identify potential water sources animals may have encountered, or particularly rich grazing areas, or even just shaded areas that are good places to escape extreme heat. Identifying major congregation areas like this can be a powerful tool when it comes to the prevention of the spread of disease by contact or waterborne illness.

Land Stewardship

Understanding how a herd moves from place to place on stretches of land that span hundreds of miles is critically important to outlining and measuring both the positive and negative effects of grazing. This can include added insights to measure the effects of grazing on riparian zones, and also increased accountability for proof of observance of protected areas. Ranchers will be able to make direct ties between their animals' grazing activity and positive effects on the ecosystem (reduction of fire risk, among other things).

Comparative Analytics

Tracking an entire herd and tracking each individual animal at the same time provides bountiful opportunity for intraherd comparative insights, and for time-series holistic stats. For example, understanding the herd's average miles of motion in a given lifetime, it becomes possible to compare the market price and other important financial indicators of animals above and below those herd averages. Aggregated herd data also gives ranchers the ability to adjust things and compare year over year changes over time.

More Info

Herd data insights are just the tip of the iceberg for possibilities that the GSatSolar Series unlocks, not just for ranchers, but for everyone. Low cost asset tracking via satellite has never been an option, but now, thanks to the GSatSolar Series, people have the ability to track anything. For more information, and to order units, please visit the GSatSolar Series website.