Innovating Ethiopian Agriculture: GPS, EAII and EIAR, Launch Groundbreaking IoT-AI Livestock Pilot
Green Professional Service (GPS) is proud to announce a historic collaboration with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute (EAII). The three institutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch a critical pilot project integrating Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform livestock and poultry management. This partnership, formalized on October 31, 2024, positions GPS as the essential IoT solutions provider, enabling Ethiopia's top agricultural and AI expertise to deliver tangible, measurable impact in a sector central to the nation's economy.
The Projects: EstrusTrack and PoultryVision
Our joint pilot focuses on two high-impact systems designed to boost productivity, ensure animal welfare, and enhance management efficiency:
1. EstrusTrack: AI-Powered Cattle Breeding
The Challenge: Traditional estrus (heat) detection in cattle is challenging and often inaccurate, leading to low conception rates and reproductive inefficiency—a major obstacle for livestock farmers.
The Solution: GPS is deploying specialized IoT sensors to continuously monitor cattle behavior and physiological data. This data is fed into EAII’s AI models to provide farmers with timely, accurate estrus detection. The primary goal is to significantly boost breeding success and overall herd productivity.
2. PoultryVision: Real-Time Chicken Barn Intelligence
The Challenge: Managing large poultry operations requires constant monitoring of environmental factors and flock health, which is labor-intensive and prone to delay.
The Solution: This project utilizes camera-based vision systems and GPS-provided sensors within chicken barns. EAII's AI will analyze this visual and environmental data in real-time, monitoring poultry behavior, health indicators, and ambient conditions to proactively optimize the living environment and enhance productivity.
The Power of Collaboration
This pilot is a perfect synergy of technical strengths:
GPS (Green Professional Service): We provide the robust IoT hardware, software, and field expertise for installation and maintenance, ensuring reliable data collection across research sites.
EIAR (Agricultural Research): They contribute critical agricultural research infrastructure, pilot sites, and subject matter validation to ensure the solutions are scientifically sound and effective in real-world Ethiopian farming conditions.
EAII (AI Institute): They bring the cutting-edge AI models and predictive analytics, turning raw sensor data into actionable, decision-support tools for farmers and researchers.
Future-Proofing Ethiopian Agriculture
While this MoU is focused on a three-year pilot, it establishes a powerful foundation. GPS has secured the primary right to utilize and commercialize the aggregated IoT data and resulting solutions. This means that after the pilot, we will be positioned to take the validated, high-impact EstrusTrack and PoultryVision solutions from the research farm to commercial scale, supporting thousands of farmers across Ethiopia and beyond.
This initiative is a tangible step toward achieving the national goals of food security and technological advancement, powered by local expertise and world-class integrated technology.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – November 5, 2024