Systems and methods for activity verification - Patents.com

Abstract

Provide a system for verifying the activity of animal populations. The system includes a user device that receives one or more chore completion inputs, a pen node that identifies interactions between the pen node and the user device, and a pen hub communicatively coupled to the pen node. The pen hub identifies a spatial relationship between the pen hub and the user device, receives the identified interaction data, and receives the one or more chore completion inputs. The system further includes a server that receives the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data, stores a transaction log in memory, and identifies one or more uncompleted chores in a chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001] (Related Applications) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 769,422, filed November 19, 2018, and entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACTIVITY VALIDATION," by inventor Lucas J. Fricke, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 905,552, filed September 25, 2019, and entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACTIVITY VALIDATION," by inventor Lucas J. Fricke, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. This application also claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 16 / 688,332, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACTIVITY VALIDATION," filed Nov. 19, 2019 by inventors Lucas J. Fricke and Jerry Prange, which is also incorporated by reference herein. [Technical field]

[0002] The present invention relates generally to activity and chore validation, and more specifically to a system and method for validating chores in the agricultural industry. [Background technology]

[0003] Accurate and efficient data collection and distribution is a critical aspect of industries including agriculture, food production industries (e.g., pork, beef, poultry), etc. Also, consumers typically want to be able to obtain data about products before and after purchase to verify the nature and quality of the products they purchase. In an agricultural environment, consumers want to know that the animal products they purchase are from their claimed origin, that the animals are treated humanely, and that the animals are properly managed (e.g., vaccinated, fed regularly, etc.). However, conventional systems and methods, such as PQA+ in the pork industry, are primarily paper-based systems. Thus, a drawback of conventional systems and methods is that data is difficult to collect, share, and maintain. Furthermore, modifying and / or falsifying data often leads to a lack of transparency between producers and consumers. Thus, a system and method that addresses one or more of the problems of the above-mentioned methods is needed. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] A system for activity verification of an animal population is disclosed. In an embodiment, the system includes a user device associated with a user, the user device configured to receive one or more chore completion inputs indicating completion of one or more chores in a chore list. The system may further include a pen node configured to identify an interaction between the pen node and the user device, and a pen hub communicatively coupled to the pen node. In an embodiment, the pen hub is configured to identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub and the user device, receive identified interaction data associated with the identified interaction from the pen node, and receive the one or more chore completion inputs. In an embodiment, the system may further include a server communicatively coupled to the barn hub, the server including one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in a memory, the set of program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to receive one or more signals from the barn hub including a plurality of chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data associated with the identified spatial relationship; store a transaction log in the memory including the chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the spatial relationship data; and identify one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data.

[0005] A system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the system includes a user equipment configured to receive one or more chore completion inputs indicating completion of one or more chores in a chore list. The system further includes a pen hub configured to identify a spatial relationship between a pen hub and the user equipment, receive identified interaction data associated with an identified interaction between the pen node and the user equipment, and receive the one or more chore completion inputs. The system may further include a server communicatively coupled to the barn hub, the server including one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory, the set of program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to receive one or more signals from the barn node, the one or more signals including a chore completion input, the identified interaction data, and identified spatial relationship data associated with the identified spatial relationship, identify one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data, and identify one or more completed chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data.

[0006] A method for verifying activity of an animal population is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes identifying a spatial relationship between a pen hub and a user device, identifying an interaction between a pen node and the user device, receiving one or more chore completion inputs from a user indicating completion of one or more chores in a chore list associated with the identified spatial relationship, and identifying one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, identified interaction data associated with the identified interaction, and identified spatial relationship data associated with the identified spatial relationship.

[0007] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention for which protection is sought. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0008] Many advantages of the present disclosure may be better understood, by those skilled in the art, by reference to the following accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a system for animal population activity verification, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] 1 illustrates a simplified floor plan view of a livestock pen equipped with a system for activity verification of an animal population, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] 1 illustrates a simplified floor plan view of a livestock pen equipped with a system for activity verification of an animal population, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting an application login page in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting an application login page in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting selectable options of an application, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3D] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting an activity / chore checklist in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3E] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting details of a selected activity, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3F]1 illustrates a user device display page depicting an activity / chore to be performed, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3G] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting an animal mortality log, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3H] 1 illustrates a display page of a user device depicting a visitor log, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3I] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting company information, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3J] 1 illustrates a user device display page depicting notifications and contacts in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a flowchart of a method for verifying activity of an animal population, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Reference will now be made in detail to the disclosed subject matter, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Generally, with reference to Figures 1-4, systems and methods for animal population activity verification are shown and described in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Conventional systems and methods for tracking activities related to animal populations are primarily paper-based. Thus, keeping records of various farm activities can be very time-consuming. Animal population activities that may need to be described and recorded include, but are not limited to, animal feeding, injections, administration of vaccines, deaths, disease occurrences, etc. Furthermore, physical paper records can be easily lost and difficult to copy and / or distribute. Furthermore, manual records are easily altered and / or tampered with. Taken together, these shortcomings result in a lack of transparency and traceability between consumers and producers in the animal production process.

[0013] Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods that address one or more of the problems of the above-mentioned methods. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the use of farm and ranch hardware and software that can be used to collect information regarding the status and activities of an animal population. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the use of farm and ranch hardware that can be used to collect, enter and store farm staff activities to verify farm activities performed on or for an animal population. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure relate to storing and verifying farm activities using blockchain technology. As anticipated herein, the use of blockchain technology allows the systems and methods of the present disclosure to collect and store farm activities more efficiently and accurately. This can help facilitate transparency and traceability between producers and consumers in the animal industry.

[0014] Consumers today have demonstrated a desire to know where their food comes from and what their food has been exposed to. This is especially true for animal products. However, even when consumers are provided with reports outlining the details of an animal product (e.g., location, vaccination records, feeding records, etc.), consumers cannot know that these records are complete, accurate, and free of any fraudulent records. In this regard, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the use of farm hardware and blockchain technology to facilitate transparency between consumers and producers throughout the animal production process.

[0015] While much of the present disclosure is described in relation to the agricultural industry, this is not to be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure unless otherwise stated herein. In this regard, the present disclosure contemplates that embodiments of the present disclosure (e.g., activity / chore verification, blockchain facilitating transparency, etc.) may be applied to alternative and / or additional industries, such as, but not limited to, manufacturing, construction, landscaping, food supply, etc.

[0016] 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a system 100 for animal population activity verification in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. System 100 may include, but is not limited to, one or more user devices 102, one or more pens 103 including one or more pen hubs 104 and one or more pen nodes 106, a network 108, a server 110, and a controller 116.

[0017] In one embodiment, one or more user devices 102a, 102b correspond to and / or are associated with users 101 on a farm. For example, on a farm in which the system 100 is implemented, a first farm staff member (e.g., a first user 101a) may be associated with a first user device 102a, and a second farm staff member (e.g., a second user 101b) may be associated with a second user device 102b. As described herein, each owner, employee, or other individual who frequently performs chores or otherwise interacts with the animals and / or equipment on the farm may correspond to and / or be associated with a user device 102.

[0018] The user equipment 102a, 102b may include any user equipment known in the art, including, but not limited to, mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, smart watches, etc. In one embodiment, a particular user 101a may be associated with a particular user equipment 102a based on the IP address or other identifying characteristics of the user equipment 102a. In this regard, a database may be created that associates the user equipment 102 with the users 101 in the system 100. The database in which the users 101 and the user equipment 102 are associated may be stored in memory 114, 120, as described in more detail herein. A user 101 associated with a user equipment 102 in the database may be considered a "registered" user, and a user 101 not associated with a user equipment 102 in the database may be considered an "unregistered" user.

[0019] In another example, the user equipment 102 may include, but is not limited to, a controller, a user interface, a display, and communication circuitry. The controller of the user equipment 102 may include one or more processors and memory, where the one or more processors are configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in the memory, where the set of program instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform one or more steps of the present disclosure. It is contemplated herein that the user equipment 102 may be configured to execute an application (e.g., an "app") that allows a user 101 (e.g., farm staff, etc.) to view, adjust, or modify one or more features of the system 100.

[0020] As described in further detail herein, one or more user devices 102 can be configured to receive one or more inputs and / or control commands from a user. For example, a user device 102 can be configured to display a chore list to a user 101, and the user 101 can input one or more chore completed inputs indicating that one or more displayed chores in the chore list have been completed. As another example, the user device 102 can receive other inputs from the user 101, including, but not limited to, mortality inputs, pictures, notes, etc.

[0021] In another embodiment, the system 100 can include one or more pen hubs 104. The pen hubs 104 can include, but are not limited to, a controller including one or more processors and memory, a user interface, a display, and communication circuitry. In one embodiment, one or more user devices 102 can be communicatively coupled to the one or more pen hubs 104. The one or more user devices 102 can be communicatively coupled to the pen hubs 104 using any communication mechanism or protocol known in the art.

[0022] For example, the barn hub 104 may be configured to identify one or more user devices 102 using any wired (e.g., DSL interconnection, cable interconnection, T9 interconnection, etc.) or wireless communication protocol (e.g., GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, 4GLTE, 5G, WiFi protocols, RF, LoRa, Bluetooth, etc.) known in the art. As another example, the one or more barn hubs 104 may identify and / or be communicatively coupled to one or more user devices 102 via a communication protocol, including, but not limited to, a Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol, a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) remote sensing protocol, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol, an open source radio frequency, etc. Thus, interactions between a user 101 (e.g., user equipment 102) and one or more barn hubs 104 can be identified based on one or more characteristics of the user equipment 102, including, but not limited to, a cellular signature, an IP address, a MAC address, a Bluetooth signature, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, etc.

[0023] In an embodiment, one or more pen hubs 104 are configured to identify a spatial relationship between the one or more pen hubs 104 and one or more user devices 102. The spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user device 102 may be identified when the user device 102 comes within a selected distance from the pen hub 104, when the user device 102 enters a predefined geofence area, etc.

[0024] For example, in the context of RFID, a user may be associated with an RFID tag (e.g., user equipment 102) that may be attached to or otherwise associated with the user 101. For example, the RFID tag (e.g., user equipment 102) may be affixed to the user's 101 name tag, ID card, or uniform. As another example, the user's 101 phone may be used as an RFID tag. The RFID tag may be encoded with identification information (e.g., a serial number) that may be read by a remotely located RFID reader / scanner. In this example, the barn hub 104 may be used as an RFID scanner that is configured to identify one or more users 101 by identifying the RFID tag (user equipment 102) associated with the user 101. In some embodiments, an RFID tag (e.g., user device 102) may operate in a "passive" mode, where the RFID tag transmits a signal containing identifying information in response to an interrogation signal received from an RFID scanner (e.g., barn hub 104). In additional and / or alternative embodiments, an RFID tag (e.g., user device 102) may operate in an "active" mode, where the RFID tag (e.g., barn hub 104) transmits a signal containing identifying information to an RFID scanner (e.g., barn hub 104) without first receiving an interrogation signal.

[0025] In one embodiment, one or more pen hubs 104 are configured to search for and identify one or more user devices 102. In this regard, one or more pen hubs 104 may include any transmitter or transceiver known in the art. In one embodiment, one or more pen hubs 104 are configured to identify user devices 102 within a predefined geofenced area (e.g., pen 103). For example, one or more pen hubs 104 may be configured to "sniff out" the IP address of user devices 102 that come within 100 yards of the pen hub 104. A pen hub 104 that identifies a user device 102 within a predefined geofenced area may be considered to have identified a "spatial relationship" between the pen hub 104 and the user device 102. The barn hub 104 may be configured to actively identify the user equipment 102 using any identifying information of the user equipment 102, including, but not limited to, IP address, MAC address, cellular signature, Bluetooth signature, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, etc. It is contemplated herein that the barn hub 104 may be configured to identify one or more user equipment 102 using any technique known in the art, including, but not limited to, relative received signal strength (RSSI), signal triangulation, etc.

[0026] In one embodiment, one or more pen hubs 104 are configured to collect and store in memory “identified spatial relationship data” associated with an identified spatial relationship (e.g., a spatial relationship between a pen hub 104 and a user device 102). For example, when a user device 102 identifies that it is within a predetermined radius / distance and / or geofence area relative to a pen hub 104 (e.g., when it identifies a spatial relationship between a pen hub 104 and a user device 102), the pen hub 104 stores in memory the identified spatial relationship data associated with the spatial relationship. The identified spatial relationship data may include, but is not limited to, an IP address of the user device 102, the name of the user 101 associated with the user device 102, the time the spatial relationship was identified / entered, the duration of the spatial relationship, the time the spatial relationship ended, etc. In another embodiment, when the barn hub 104 identifies a user device 102 that is not associated with a known user 101, the barn hub 104 may tag and / or store the spatial relationship as an unregistered user.

[0027] It is contemplated herein that a farm on which system 100 is implemented may include a pen hub 104 for each pen 103 or other structure located on the farm. For example, if a farm with three pens 103 were to implement system 100, the farm may include a first pen hub 104a located on / in a first pen 103a, a second pen hub 104b located on / in a second pen 103b, and a third pen hub 104c located on / in a third pen 103c.

[0028] As described herein, all data collected and stored by the system 100 may be time-stamped. In this regard, identifying a spatial relationship between the barn hub 104 and the user equipment 102 may enable the system 100 to identify a particular user 101 as being in a particular location at a particular time (e.g., within a particular geofenced area). Thus, the system 100 may be configured to track the movements of farm staff and employees (e.g., user 101) throughout the farm over a period of time. In another embodiment, the time-stamped spatial relationship information may be stored in memory of the user equipment 102 and / or the barn hub 104.

[0029] For example, the first pen 103a may include a first pen hub 104a, and the second pen 103b may include a second pen hub 104b. The first pen hub 104a may identify a first spatial relationship of a user device 102a (e.g., a smartphone) associated with a user 101a (e.g., farm staff) at a first time period. The first spatial relationship may indicate that the user device 102a (e.g., user 101a) is present in the first pen 103a for the first time period. The second pen hub 104b may then identify a spatial relationship with the user device 102a at a second time period, and the second spatial relationship may indicate that the user device 102a (e.g., user 101a) is present in the second pen 103b for the second time period. In this example, the system 100 may be configured to monitor and / or "track" the location and movements of the user 101 over time.

[0030] Simply identifying a spatial relationship between the user device 102 and the pen hub 104 may not be sufficient to identify that the user 101 associated with the user device 102 encountered (e.g., contacted) a particular group of animals. For example, a pen 103 having a group of pigs may include a pen hub 104a. The pen hub 104a may be configured to identify the user device 102 that has come within 100 feet of the pen 103. In this example, simply identifying that the user device 102a has come within 100 feet of the pen 103 may not be sufficient for the system 100 to identify that the user 101 associated with the user device 102 has encountered pigs within the pen 103. For example, the user 101 may have simply come very close to the pen 103 but not entered the pen 103.

[0031] Thus, in some embodiments, system 100 may further include one or more pen nodes 106 configured to more accurately and definitively identify the location of user device 102 at a defined instance in time. In particular, one or more pen nodes 106 may enable system 100 to verify that user 101 and / or user device 102 were in a particular location at a particular instance in time and / or contacted (e.g., encountered) a particular group of animals. In this regard, in some embodiments, one or more pen nodes 106 may be used to "refine" or narrow down the location of user device 102 during an identified spatial relationship.

[0032] For purposes of this disclosure, the term "encounter" may be used to describe contact and / or potential contact between a user 101 and an animal or group of animals. It is noted herein that the ability to identify an encounter between a user 101 and a group of animals may be valuable in identifying a user 101 who has potentially contacted / encountered an animal that has been exposed to a disease outbreak. It is noted that identifying an encounter between a user 101 and an animal may be used to identify a user 101 who may be a potential vector of a disease, as well as to identify animal groups that are susceptible to a disease outbreak.

[0033] 1, one or more pens 103 of the system 100 may include one or more pen nodes 106 communicatively coupled to one or more pen hubs 104. The one or more pen nodes 106 may include, but are not limited to, a controller, a user interface, a display, and communication circuitry. The one or more pen nodes 106 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more pen hubs 104 using any wired or wireless technology known in the art, including, but not limited to, DSL interconnection, cable interconnection, T9 interconnection, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, 4GLTE, 5G, WiFi protocols, RF, LoRa, Bluetooth, etc.

[0034] Similar to the pen hub 104 identifying a spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user equipment, the pen node 106 can be configured to identify an interaction between the user 101 / user equipment 102 and the pen node 106. In an embodiment, locating the user 101 and / or the user equipment 102 can include a “two-step” verification process. In a “two-step” verification process, the pen hub 104 can identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user equipment 102, and the pen node 106 can then identify an interaction between the pen node 106 and the user equipment 102.

[0035] A two-stage verification process for identifying the location of the user 101 and / or user equipment 102 can be used to more reliably and efficiently locate the location of the user 101 and / or user equipment 102 and refine the identified location of the user 101 and / or user equipment 102. In the first stage, the spatial relationship between the user equipment 102 and the pen hub 104 can identify the location of the user equipment 102 as being within a general area (e.g., within a selected radius, within a defined geofence area). Then, in the second stage, the interaction between the user 101 and / or user equipment 102 can refine the identified location of the user 101 / user equipment 102 from the general area to being located in the vicinity of the pen node 106 (e.g., within 3 feet of the pen node 106). The two-stage verification process is further described in detail herein.

[0036] The one or more pen nodes 106 may include any hardware device known in the art for identifying an interaction between the pen node 106 and the user 101 and / or user device 102. For example, the one or more pen nodes 106 may include, but are not limited to, a QR code scanner, a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a mechanical device (e.g., a mechanical button, a mechanical lever), an ID scanner, a retina scanner, a fingerprint scanner, a voice recognition sensor, a facial recognition sensor, other biometric sensors, a vehicle scanner, a vehicle recognition sensor, etc. Similarly, interactions between the barn node 106 and the user 101 and / or user equipment 102 may be identified using any technology or communication protocol known in the art, including, but not limited to, Near Field Communication (NFC) protocols, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) remote sensing protocols, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) protocols, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, 4GLTE, 5G, WiFi protocols, Radio Frequency (RF), LoRa, Bluetooth, etc.

[0037] Interactions between the pen nodes 106 and the users 101 / user equipment 102 may include, but are not limited to, physical tactile interactions, communication signal interactions, scanning of QR codes, etc. In this regard, interactions between the user 101 (e.g., user equipment 102) and one or more pen nodes 106 may be identified based on one or more characteristics of the user equipment 102 (e.g., QR code, ID code, RFID tag, cellular signature, IP address, Bluetooth signature), the user 101 (e.g., fingerprint, retinal features, facial features, voice features, DNA), the vehicle (e.g., license plate, vehicle type / model), etc.

[0038] For example, the pen node 106 can include a capacitive touch sensor. The pen node 106 can be configured to identify an interaction between the user 101 and the pen node 106 when the user 101 touches the capacitive touch sensor. The interaction can then be used to identify that the user 101 is located in the vicinity of the pen node 106 at the time of the interaction. As another example, the pen node 106 can include a QR code scanner. Thus, the pen node 106 (QR code scanner) can be configured to identify an interaction between the user device 102 and the pen node 106 when the user 101 scans a barcode on the user device 102 with the pen node 106 (QR code scanner). In an embodiment where the pen node 106 is fixed at a known location, the interaction (e.g., scanning a QR code on the user device 102) can be used to identify that the user 101 is located in the vicinity of the pen node 106 at the time of the interaction.

[0039] 2A-2B, the identification of the spatial relationship between the user 101 / user device 102 and the barn hub 104, and the identification of the interaction between the user 101 / user device 102 and the barn node 106 can be further understood.

[0040] 2A shows a simplified floor plan view of a barn 103 equipped with a system 100 for activity verification of an animal population, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 2A shows one illustrative example of the system 100 of the present disclosure.

[0041] In the example shown in Figure 2A, a pen 103 located on a farm in which the system 100 is implemented can include multiple pens 105a-105j that house a group of pigs. The pen 103 can include a pen hub 104 and a pen node 106. In some embodiments, the pen hub 104 can be located on an exterior surface of the pen 103 (e.g., roof top, exterior wall) and the pen node 106 can be provided on an interior wall of the pen 103. As described herein above, the pen hub 104 and the pen node 106 can be communicatively coupled via wireless and / or wired connections.

[0042] 2A, the pen node 106 may be provided on an interior wall of the pen 103 opposite an entrance 107 of the pen 103. The pen node 106 may include, but is not limited to, a QR code scanner, a capacitive touch sensor, etc. In this regard, a user 101 (e.g., farm staff) registering an interaction with the pen node 106 must enter the pen 103 via the entrance 107 and traverse the length of the pen 103 to interact with the pen node 106.

[0043] A simple illustration of the two-stage location verification may prove to be illustrative. Consider a farm staff member (e.g., user 101) drives to a pen 103 where the user 101 is instructed to perform one or more chores / tasks (e.g., feeding pigs, administering a vaccine) within the pen 103. Once the user 101 drives to the pen 103, the pen hub 104 may be configured to search and identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user device 102. For example, the pen hub 104 may be configured to identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user device 102 (e.g., user 101) when the user device 102 enters within the region 111. The region 111 may be defined as a selected distance from the pen hub 104, a defined geofence region, etc. As shown in FIG. 2A, the region 111 may include the pen 103 and / or locations located outside the pen. Herein, the area 111 in which the barn hub 104 is configured to identify spatial relationships may be selectively adjusted by the user 101. In particular, a farm worker may be caused to selectively adjust the area 111 by inputting one or more control commands via the user interface 122.

[0044] Referring to the same example, when the user 101 drives to the pen and enters the area 111, the pen hub 104 can identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user equipment 102 (user 101). The pen hub 104 can be configured to store the identified spatial relationship data in memory, where the identified spatial relationship data includes an initial timestamp indicating that the user equipment 102 (e.g., user 101) entered into a spatial relationship with the pen hub 104 at a first time (t1).

[0045] After parking the truck outside the pen 103, the user 101 can enter the pen 103 and cross to the other side of the pen 103 to interact with the pen node 106. The user 101 can interact with the pen node 106 by scanning a QR code on the user device 102, touching a capacitive touch sensor, scanning their fingerprint, etc. The pen node 106 can identify an interaction between the user 101 / user device 102 and the pen node 106 and send one or more signals to the pen hub 104 indicating that the pen node 106 has identified an interaction with the user 101 / user device 102 at a second time (t2) after the first time (t1). The identified interaction data (e.g., data associated with the identified interaction) and / or the identified spatial relationship data (e.g., data associated with the identified spatial relationship) may be stored in memory of the user device 102, the barn hub 104, and / or the barn node 106. The identified interaction data and / or the identified spatial relationship data may include, but is not limited to, a time of a first interaction (e.g., a time of "check-in"), a time of a second interaction (e.g., a time of "check-out"), a length of an interaction (e.g., a time of check-out minus a time of check-in), an identity of the user 101 in the interaction, and the like. By referencing the timestamp information associated with the identified interactions, the farm owner may verify the occurrence of farm activities and chores.

[0046] In this example, since the user device 102 is the only user device 102 identified as being in a spatial relationship with the pen hub 104, the pen hub 104 can be configured to determine that it is necessarily the user 101 that has interacted with the pen node 106. Thus, the system 100 can be configured to determine that the user 101 was present in the pen 103 at a second time (t2). Note that, as used herein, locating the pen node 106a on the wall opposite the entrance to the pen 103 requires that the user 101 pass by the group of pigs housed in the pens 105a-105j of the pen 103. In this regard, by identifying where the user 101 is present in the pen node 106, the system 100 can be configured to determine that the user 101 has "encountered" (e.g., come into contact with) or at least potentially encountered the group of pigs housed in the pen 103.

[0047] As shown in this example, the system 100 of the present disclosure can enable more efficient location verification of the user 101. Farm staff (e.g., user 101) can be instructed to touch, scan, or otherwise interact with the pen node 106 (e.g., “check in” with the pen node 106) when entering the pen 103, perform their chores within the pen 103, and then touch, scan, or otherwise interact with the pen node 106 (e.g., “check out” with the pen node 106) when leaving the pen. In this regard, the system 100 can be configured to identify the user 101 as being present within a particular pen 103 within a particular time period based on the identified interactions and spatial relationships.

[0048] The two-step location verification process can also solve problems associated with other location verification techniques. For example, a user 101 may have been tasked with performing a chore in a pen 103. If the user 101 simply drives past the pen 103 in the area 111 and initiates a spatial relationship with a pen hub 104, the lack of interaction with the pen node 106 may indicate that the user 101 did not actually enter the pen 103 to perform the chore. As another example, the user 101 may enter a spatial relationship with the pen hub 104, enter the pen 103 and interact with the pen node 106, but then quickly leave without performing the chore. In that example, the system 100 can be configured to identify that the user 101 did not "check out" after performing the chore, and that the user 101 was not within the area 111 for a sufficient amount of time to accurately perform the chore. As described in further detail herein, cross-referencing the identified spatial relationship data, the identified interaction data, and the identified chore completion inputs can be used to identify whether the user 101 completed the chore correctly.

[0049] 2B illustrates a simplified floor plan view of a barn 103 equipped with a system 100 for activity verification of an animal population, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 2B illustrates one exemplary use of the system 100 of the present disclosure.

[0050] Another example may prove to be illustrative. In this example, as shown in FIG. 2B, a barn 103 located on a farm where the system 100 is implemented may include a number of pens 105a-105j, each pen 105a-105j configured to house a group of pigs. The barn 103 may include a barn hub 104 and a number of barn nodes 106a-106j. The barn nodes 106 may be disposed within each corresponding pen 105a-105j. In some embodiments, the barn hub 104 may be disposed on an exterior surface of the barn 103 (e.g., roof top, exterior wall). As described herein above, the barn hub 104 and the barn nodes 106 may be communicatively coupled via wireless and / or wired connections.

[0051] In this example, the plurality of pen nodes 106a-106j can be configured to identify interactions with their respective corresponding pen nodes 105a-105j in their respective corresponding pens 105a-105j. In this regard, identifying interactions between the user 101 / user device 102 with their respective corresponding pen nodes 106a-106j can identify which room / pen 105a-105j of the pen 103 the user 101 is in at a particular time. In this example, a first identified interaction between the user 101 / user device 102 and a first pen node 106a can indicate that the user 101 was in the first pen at a first time, a second identified interaction between the user 101 / user device 102 and a second pen node 106a can indicate that the user 101 was in the second pen 105b at a second time, and so on.

[0052] As farm staff (users 101) perform their chores in each pen 105a-105j in the barn 103, the farm staff may instruct the farm staff to touch, scan or otherwise interact with each barn node 106a-106j, allowing the farm worker to verify that the chore(s) the farm staff performed in (or at least were present in) each corresponding pen 105a-105j.

[0053] In addition to identifying interactions between the barn node 106 and the user 101 / user device 102, one or more barn nodes 106 can be configured to collect data. In this regard, one or more barn nodes 106 can include one or more sensors that collect sensor readings of various characteristics, including, but not limited to, ambient temperature, ambient pressure, ambient humidity, sound level, carbon monoxide (CO) concentration, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, and the like. Thus, the one or more sensors of the barn node 106 can include, but are not limited to, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a composition sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a motion sensor, a LIDAR sensor, and the like. As another example, one or more barn nodes 106 can be coupled to one or more machines or agricultural equipment. In this regard, one or more barn nodes 106 can be configured to collect data regarding feeding rates, watering rates, and the like. Data (eg, sensor readings) collected by the pen node 106 may be time-stamped and stored in memory of the pen node 106 and / or pen hub 104.

[0054] In additional and / or alternative embodiments, one or more pen nodes 106 may include one or more imaging devices, including but not limited to cameras, video cameras, thermal imaging devices, etc. As used herein, imaging devices may be used to collect video and / or images of equipment, users 101, farm facilities (e.g., pens) and animals, which may be processed by system 100 to provide valuable information to the owner / user. For example, one or more imaging devices may determine time spent within a production area within a pen, and identify and verify the identity and time of a user 101 and / or vehicle present within a particular area of ​​the farm in which system 100 is implemented.

[0055] As another example, a pen node 106 including imaging equipment may be used to collect images of groups of animals and / or users. The captured images may then be transmitted to the server 110 and / or controller 116 for processing by facial recognition software / algorithms executed by one or more processors 112, 118. The one or more processors 112, 118 may perform facial recognition using one or more machine learning algorithms to identify individual animals and / or users, verify the location of individual animals and / or users at any given time, etc.

[0056] As another example, one or more imaging sources may be used to collect images / video of animals to monitor certain characteristics of the animals, including, but not limited to, size, behavioral characteristics, health, etc. The images / video of animals may be transmitted from the pen node 106 to the pen hub 104, server 110, and / or controller 116 so that they may be processed by one or more processors 112, 118. The one or more processors 112, 118 may be configured to identify one or more characteristics of a group of animals based on the captured images. For example, the images / video of one or more animals may be transmitted from the pen node 106 to the server 110 and / or controller 116 so that behavioral patterns of one or more animals may be processed and / or learned. As another example, the captured images / video of one or more animals may be processed to identify and flag animals exhibiting abnormal behavioral characteristics indicative of illness or poor health.

[0057] As used herein, machine learning techniques can be used to identify characteristics of a user 101, an animal, a group of animals, and / or a pen 103a. For example, the acquired images of the group of animals can be used to generate a machine learning classifier. The machine learning classifier can then be configured to receive the acquired images of the group of animals and identify one or more characteristics of the group of animals. The machine learning classifier can be trained by supervised and / or unsupervised techniques. It is noted that the machine learning classifier can include any machine learning classifier known in the art, including, but not limited to, conditional generative adversarial networks (CGANs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs) (e.g., GoogleNet, AlexNet, etc.), ensemble learning classifiers, random forest classifiers, artificial neural networks (ANNs), etc. Animal characteristics that can be identified by machine learning techniques can include, but are not limited to, behavioral characteristics, health status, animal identity, etc.

[0058] In another embodiment, one or more of the barn hubs 104 can be directly or indirectly coupled to the server 110 and the controller 116 via the network 108. In this regard, one or more of the barn hubs 104 can include a network interface circuit. It is noted that the network interface circuit (not shown) of the barn hub 104 can include any suitable network interface device for interfacing with the network 108. For example, the network interface circuit can include a wired interface device (e.g., a DSL interconnect, a cable interconnect, a T9 interconnect, etc.). In another embodiment, the network interface circuit can include a wireless interface device, such as GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, 4GLTE, 5G, WiFi protocols, RF, LoRa, etc. The network 108 can be configured to receive data from one or more of the barn hubs 104 and can include any wireless and / or wired network protocol known in the art. For example, the network 108 may include, but is not limited to, the Internet or an intranet (eg, a LAN, a WLAN, etc.).

[0059] In another embodiment, one or more pen hubs 104 can be configured to transmit signals to the server 110 and the controller 116 over the network 108, the signals including data to be stored in memory of one or more pen hubs 104, pen nodes 106, or user equipment 102. For example, the data transmitted to the server 110 and / or the controller 116 can include received chore completion inputs, identified spatial relationship data, identified interaction data, collected sensor readings, captured images, etc. For example, the server 110 and the controller 116 can be configured to receive one or more signals including registered user 101 information (e.g., a database of users 101 associated with user equipment 102), time-stamped spatial relationship information, time-stamped interaction information, information collected by sensors of the pen nodes 106, images collected by the pen nodes 106, etc.

[0060] As discussed herein above, one or more pen hubs 104 may be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly to the network 108. In this regard, one or more pen hubs 104 may be communicatively coupled to one or more devices, which may be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly to the network 108. For example, a farm may include a first pen hub 104a, a second pen hub 104b, and a third pen hub 104c. The first pen hub 104a, the second pen hub 104b, and the third pen hub 104c may be communicatively coupled to intermediate devices, which are communicatively coupled to the network 108. In this example, the intermediate devices may be configured to receive data / information from the first pen hub 104a, the second pen hub 104b, and the third pen hub 104c and transmit the received data to the network 108. As another example, multiple barn hubs 104 may be communicatively coupled to one another, and thus data may be transmitted between the multiple barn hubs 104 and transmitted to the network 108 via one or more of the multiple barn hubs 104.

[0061] In another embodiment, the system 100 includes a server 110, which includes one or more processors 112 and memory 114. In another embodiment, the server 110 is communicatively coupled to one or more barn hubs 104 via a network 108. In this regard, the server 110 may include a network interface device (not shown) suitable for interfacing with the network 108. The network interface device may include any network interface device known in the art. For example, the network interface device may include a wired interface device (e.g., a DSL interconnect, a cable interconnect, a T9 interconnect, etc.). In another embodiment, the network interface device may include a wireless interface device using GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, 4GLTE, 5G, WiFi protocols, etc.

[0062] As another example, the server 110 may include a cloud-based architecture. For example, as used herein, the server 110 may include a hosting server and / or a cloud computing platform, including, but not limited to, Amazon Network Services (e.g., Amazon EC2, etc.). In this regard, the system 100 may include a Software as a Service (SaaS) configuration, where various functions or steps of the present disclosure are performed by a remote server.

[0063] In another embodiment, the system 100 can include a controller 116. The controller 116 can include one or more processors 118 and a memory 120. In another embodiment, the controller 116 can be communicatively coupled to a user interface 122. In one embodiment, the user interface 122 includes a display for displaying data of the system 100 to a user. The display of the user interface 122 can include any display known in the art. For example, the display can include, but is not limited to, a CRT display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) based display, and the like. Those skilled in the art should recognize that any display device that can be integrated with the user interface 122 is suitable for implementation in the present disclosure. In another embodiment, a user can input selections and / or commands in response to data displayed to the user via the user interface 122.

[0064] In another embodiment, the controller 116 may include, but is not limited to, one or more desktops, laptops, tablet computers, smartphones, smart watches, and the like. In one embodiment, a user may use the user interface 122 to view the identified spatial relationship data, identified interaction data, chore completion inputs, and other information generated / received by the system 100 stored in the memory 120 of the controller 116. For example, a farm owner may want to verify that all chores for the farm were completed the previous day. The farm owner may use a computer or smartphone (e.g., the user interface 122) to view all data stored in the memory 114 and determine that the stored transactions indicate that all chores have been completed. In this regard, it is envisioned that the farm owner or manager may use the user interface 122 to view data generated and stored by the system 100 and modify one or more features of the system 100.

[0065] As used herein, a single electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet computer, smart watch, etc.) may be used as both user device 102 and controller 116. For example, a farm owner may have a smartphone, which is treated as user device 102 in system 100. Note that the smartphone may be used as controller 116, allowing the farm owner to view data generated / stored by system 100.

[0066] In one embodiment, the one or more processors 112 of the server 110 are configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in the memory 114. In one embodiment, the one or more processors 112 are configured to execute one or more steps of the present disclosure. For example, the one or more processors 112 may be configured to receive one or more signals from the barn hub 104, the one or more signals including one or more chore completion inputs, identified interaction data, and identified spatial relationship data associated with the identified spatial relationship, store a chore list in the memory 114, store a transaction log in the memory 114, the transaction log including the chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the spatial relationship data, and identify one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data. These steps / functions are performed sequentially.

[0067] In one embodiment, the one or more processors 112 are configured to cause the server 110 to receive data from one or more pen hubs 104. For example, the server 110 can be configured to receive one or more signals from the pen hub 104, the one or more signals including a chore completion input received by the user device 102, identified spatial relationship data, and identified interaction data. In this regard, the data received from the one or more pen hubs 104 can include timestamp data regarding the identified spatial relationship (e.g., initial spatial relationship time, end time of spatial relationship, duration of spatial relationship) and / or the identified interaction (e.g., time of identified interaction, time between “check-in” and “check-out” interactions). The data received from the one or more pen hubs 104 may also include identifying characteristics of one or more users 101 and / or user devices 102 associated with the identified spatial relationship and / or identified interaction, including, but not limited to, an IP address of the user device 102, a MAC address of the user device 102, the name of the user 101, etc. The data received from the one or more pen hubs 104 may further include timestamp data collected by the one or more pen nodes 106, including, but not limited to, temperature data, pressure data, feed rate sensor data, water rate sensor data, captured images, etc. All data received by the server 110 may be stored and timestamped in memory 114.

[0068] The server 110 and / or the controller 116 can be configured to store a chore list in the memory 114, 120. The chore list can include one or more chores to be completed. The chore list can be organized according to the location of each chore. For example, the server 110 can be configured to store a chore list to be completed in pen #1 (pen 103a), and thus the chore list can be associated with a spatial relationship that includes pen 103a. Herein, the chore list can be created and / or edited by a user via the user interface 122. This can be further understood with reference to FIGS. 3A-3D.

[0069] 3A-3J illustrate display pages of user device 102, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As described herein above, user device 102 may include and / or execute applications ("apps") that allow user 101 to view, modify, and adjust one or more features of system 100. Thus, the display pages illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3J may depict display screens associated with applications residing on user device 102.

[0070] 3A-3B show display pages 302, 304 of a user device 102 depicting a login page, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG 3A, the app can open a login page that prompts the user 101 to sign in by entering a username and password.

[0071] 3C illustrates a display page 306 of the user device 102 depicting selectable options of an application, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, when the user 101 approaches and / or enters a pen with a pen hub 104, the pen hub 104 can identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user device 102 to identify that the user 101 is near / inside the pen. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the system 100 can identify that the user 101 is in "Northwest Pen 5" and display that location at the top of the display page 306.

[0072] As shown on display page 306, after the system 100 identifies the spatial relationship between the user equipment 102 and the pen hub 104, the location of the user equipment 102 is known, and the display page 306 can display options related to the user's 101 location (e.g., pen 5, northwest). For example, selecting the "ChorChecklist" button can cause the user equipment 102 to display a list of activities (e.g., chore list) scheduled to be performed at the current location (e.g., pen 5, northwest). In this regard, the user equipment 102 can be configured to display a chore list associated with the identified spatial relationship. As another example, selecting the "Mortality" button can cause the user equipment 102 to display a display screen that allows the user 101 to enter a mortality input and record data related to the mortality input, including, but not limited to, the location, animal ID, time, date, weight, observations, etc., of the dead animal found. These examples are described in further detail herein.

[0073] 3D illustrates a display page 308 of the user device 102 depicting an activity / chore list, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3D, after the user 101 selects a “ChorCheklist” button displayed on the display page 306, the user device 102 may display the display page 308. The display page 308 may display a list of chores or activities to be performed at the current location of the user device 102 (e.g., the current location of the user 101). The displayed chore list may be a chore list associated with a particular spatial relationship and / or interaction between the user 101 and the pen node 106. For example, when an interaction is identified between the user 101 and the pen node 106 located in Northwest Pen 5, the chore list may include chores to be completed in Northwest Pen 5. For example, as shown on the display page 308, the activity / chore list to be performed within Northwest Pen 5 may include checking the roof, closing the electric fence, checking the pigs, measuring feed, etc. For purposes of this disclosure, the terms "activities" and "chores" may be used interchangeably, unless otherwise stated herein.

[0074] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3D , the user 101 may select and / or “check” the chores displayed on the display page 308 by inputting one or more chore completion inputs via the user device 102, thereby indicating that the user 101 has performed / completed the corresponding chore. In this regard, one or more user devices 102 may be configured to receive chore completion inputs from the user 101. The chore completion inputs may indicate that the chore is completed. In one embodiment, the user 101 may not be able to “check” or otherwise input a chore completion input unless the user 101 (and corresponding user device 102) is in proximity to the location where the chore is to be performed. For example, if a group of pigs is in Northwest Barn 5, then the chore “inspect pigs” may not be “checked” (e.g., a chore completion input may not be submitted) unless the user 101 (and corresponding user device 102) is in Northwest Barn 5. In this regard, it is contemplated herein that the system 100 may facilitate some degree of accountability and / or verification among farm employees (eg, users 101).

[0075] The server 110 and / or the controller 116 may further be configured to store a transaction log in the memory 114, 120, the transaction log including data received by the one or more pen hubs 104. For example, the server 110 may be configured to receive one or more chore completion inputs, the identified spatial relationship data, and the identified interaction data from the pen hubs 104 and store the data in the transaction log. In additional and / or alternative embodiments, the server 110 may be configured to store the transaction log in a blockchain.

[0076] In another example, the one or more processors 112 may be configured to validate farm activities / chores. In this regard, the server 110 and / or the controller 116 may be configured to identify one or more uncompleted chores and / or one or more completed chores. The server 110 may be configured to identify the uncompleted chores and / or the completed chores based on the received chore completion input, the identified spatial relationship data, and the identified interaction data.

[0077] As used herein, for purposes of this disclosure, the terms "uncompleted chores" and "completed chores" need not refer to chores that are actually completed or not completed. Rather, the terms "uncompleted chores" and "completed chores" may be used to refer to chores that can be identified or flagged as completed or not completed based on data collected by the system 100. In this regard, the terms "uncompleted chores" and "completed chores" may include the system 100 identifying whether a chore is complete based on data collected by the system 100. Thus, as used herein, while the designations of "uncompleted chores" and "completed chores" in this disclosure may not be complete in practice, they can promote transparency and traceability in an agricultural / ranch environment and provide farm owners with data indicative of the likelihood that required chores will be completed accurately.

[0078] Herein, server 110 may identify completed and / or uncompleted chores by cross-referencing data in the transaction log (e.g., chore completion inputs, identified spatial relationship data, identified interaction data). For example, server 110 may be configured to identify one or more completed chores by determining that user device 102 received one or more chore completion inputs during a time interval of an associated spatial relationship. For example, when user device 102 is in a spatial relationship with pen hub 104 of pen 103a, server 110 may be configured to identify a chore as a completed chore when user device 102 receives one or more chore completion inputs for a chore in pen #1 (pen 103a). Conversely, server 110 may be configured to identify one or more uncompleted chores by determining that user device 102 did not receive one or more chore completion inputs during a time interval of an associated spatial relationship. For example, when the user device 102 is not in a spatial relationship with the pen hub 104 of pen 103a, when the user device 102 receives one or more chore completion inputs for a chore in pen #1 (pen 103a), the server 110 can be configured to identify the chore as an incomplete chore.

[0079] As another example, the server 110 can be configured to identify one or more uncompleted chores based on a lack of a chore completion input, based on a lack of an identified spatial relationship, and / or based on a lack of an identified interaction. As another example, the server 110 can be configured to identify one or more uncompleted chores by comparing the identified spatial relationship data and / or the identified interaction data to data stored in the memory 114, 120. For example, an average duration required to complete each corresponding chore can be stored in the memory 114, 120 with each chore in the chore list. By comparing the duration of the identified spatial relationship and / or the identified interaction to the average duration of the corresponding chore, the server 110 can be configured to identify that the chore flagged as “completed” cannot be completed exactly within the identified time, as indicated by the identified spatial relationship data.

[0080] For example, the total average duration of the chore list in pen 103a may be about 2 hours. In that example, if the identified spatial relationship data indicates that user device 102 has been within a spatial relationship of pen 103a with pen hub 104 for only 10 minutes, server 110 can be configured to identify each chore in the chore list to be completed in pen 103a as an uncompleted chore.

[0081] In another embodiment, server 110 can be configured to receive additional data related to chores and / or spatial relationships from user equipment 102 via pen hub 104. The additional data received by user equipment 102 / pen hub 104 can be stored in memory 114, 120. This can be further understood with reference to Figures 3E-3F.

[0082] According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, Figures 3E, 3F show display pages 310, 312 of the user device 102 depicting details of a selected chore. As shown in display pages 310, 312, after selecting a chore in the list of chores displayed on display page 308, the user 101 may view, select, modify and / or add data related to the particular selected chore. For example, upon selecting the chore "make sure all pens are secure," the user 101 may read the description and / or instructions related to the chore, add comments, add images, add files, etc. As another example, the user 101 may set activity priorities, flag the chore as incomplete, or flag the chore for another user 101 to complete. The user may then request to save or cancel the changes to the chore.

[0083] In another embodiment, one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify a completed list of chores as a single "positive transaction." For example, FIG. 3D illustrates a chore list to be completed in Northwest Barn 5. An employee may be required to complete each chore in the list shown in FIG. 3D each day (or other time range). Thus, the entire chore list should and may need to be completed each day. To reduce duplicate data entries, these entries may indicate that each separate chore has been completed, and the single completed chore list can be stored as one "positive transaction." For example, processor 112 can receive a chore completed input indicating that each chore in the chore list depicted in FIG. 3D has been completed. Instead of storing each separate chore as a separate data entry (e.g., "Chord 1: Completed, Chore 2: Completed, Chore 3: Completed, etc.), which could result in duplicate data, one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify and store the entire list of completed chores as a single "positive transaction" in memory 114.

[0084] Conversely, in another embodiment, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify each uncompleted chore as an individual "negative transaction." For example, the processor 112 can receive data indicating that one of the chores listed in the chore list depicted in FIG. 3D was not completed. For example, if the chore list includes five chores and the user 101 enters chore completion inputs via the user device 102 for only four of the five chores, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify one chore in the chore list as not completed. Rather than storing each chore as a separate data entry (e.g., "chore 1: completed, chore 2: not completed, chore 3: completed, etc.), the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify and store in the memory 114 a single "negative transaction" indicating that the separate chores were not completed.

[0085] In this regard, the completed chore list can be stored as a single positive transaction and the separate uncompleted chores can be stored as a single negative transaction. As another example, one or more processors 112 can be configured to store a first uncompleted chore as a first negative transaction and a second uncompleted chore as a second negative transaction. Conversely, one or more processors 112 can be configured to store the completed chore list as a single positive transaction. As used herein, storing the completed chore list and the separate uncompleted chores as separate transactions allows the system 100 to reduce stored data while allowing a user to more effectively and efficiently search for important data (e.g., all chores completed or a chore was missed).

[0086] Generally speaking, the terms "positive transactions" and "negative transactions" as used herein may constitute different ways of organizing and grouping a transaction log. In this regard, the term "transaction log" may be considered to refer to a list or other database of transactions identified and stored by the system 100 of the present disclosure. For example, a transaction log may include a list of each chore to be completed within the system 100. The transaction log may further include information associated with each chore / activity, including, but not limited to, identified spatial relationship data, identified interaction data, and whether the chore was completed, the time the chore was completed (chore completion input), the identity of the user 101 who completed the chore, etc.

[0087] In additional and / or alternative embodiments, the one or more processors 112 of the server 110 can be configured to “track” animals or groups of animals within and / or between farms / ranches throughout the course of the animals’ lives. In this regard, the system 100 can be used to track animals or groups of animals from birth until the animals are processed. For example, a group of pigs may be born at a first farm on which the system 100 is implemented. Each pig may be assigned a unique identifier and stored in a pen 105a. The unique identifier associated with each pig and the location of the group (pen 105a) may be stored in memory 114, 120. During the care of the group of pigs, chore completion inputs, identified spatial relationship data, and identified interaction data associated with the pen 105a and the group of pigs may be stored in memory 114, 120. In this regard, vaccination records, injection records, feeding / watering records, etc. can be associated with a pig herd and stored in memory 114, 120. Additionally, data associated with a pig herd can be stored in the blockchain.

[0088] Continuing with the same example, a group of pigs may be transported from a first farm to a second farm where the system 100 is implemented. The user 101 may input via the user interface 122 that the group of pigs in the pen 105a has been transported by truck to the pen 105b at the second farm. In this regard, the server 110 may be configured to track and store in memory the location of the group of pigs throughout the life cycle of the group of pigs. In this regard, the server 110 may be configured to promote transparency and traceability in an agricultural / ranch environment. In particular, by storing the location and rearing records of the group of pigs in the blockchain, the end user may know the past location of the products, feeding records, and injection records.

[0089] In another embodiment, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify an encounter between the user 101 and one or more animal groups based on the identified spatial relationship data and / or the identified interaction data. In particular, tracking the movement of the user 101 throughout the system 100 can be used to identify the user 101 who has interacted with or come into contact with a particular group of animals. For example, as described herein with respect to FIG. 2A, if the user 101 must pass a group of animals to interact with a pen node 106 located on an inner wall of the pen 103, the one or more processors 112 of the server 110 can be configured to identify that the user 101 may have come into contact with or encountered the group of animals in the pen 103. As another example, if the server 110 identifies that the user 101 has completed one or more chores associated with a group of animals, the server 110 can be configured to identify that the user 101 has encountered the group of animals.

[0090] In another embodiment, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to receive one or more mortality inputs entered by the user device 102 via the pen hub 104. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the user 101 can select a "Mortality" button shown on display page 306. Selecting the "Mortality" button in FIG. 3C can cause the user device 102 to display display page 314 shown in FIG. 3G. In particular, FIG. 3G illustrates display page 314 of the user device 102 depicting an animal mortality log, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0091] In one embodiment, the user 101 may describe and record the found dead animals on the display page 314. In this regard, one or more user devices 102 may be configured to receive one or more mortality inputs from the user 101 indicating one or more dead animals. The display page 314 may depict the number of animals that have died at a particular location so far. In describing the found dead animals, the display page 314 may allow the user to add comments, add drawings, add files, etc. The display page 314 may allow the user 101 to enter other information related to the mortality input, including, but not limited to, the animal's weight, details of the death, location of death, animal ID number, etc. It is assumed herein that the display page 414 may display available and / or preferred disposition / euthanasia methods, and instructions for carrying out the selected disposition / euthanasia method. The received mortality input and information regarding the received mortality input may be added to a transaction log and stored in memory 114, 120.

[0092] In another embodiment, the one or more processors 112 may be configured to identify a potential disease outbreak based on the received mortality inputs. For example, upon receiving two or more mortality inputs from a single pen 103, the one or more processors 112 may be configured to identify a potential disease outbreak in the pen 103.

[0093] In another example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify one or more users 101 that may be vectors for the spread of a disease. For example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify which users 101 have come into contact with animals susceptible to a potential outbreak, and identify the one or more users 101 as potential vectors for the spread of a disease / outbreak. As another example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to determine where the user 101 has been, which animals (or groups of animals) they have come into contact with (e.g., encountered), etc. based on the identified spatial relationship data and identified interaction data received from the barn hub 104. This information has proven to be highly valuable in tracking and / or preventing the spread of diseases, such as foot and mouth disease (FMD).

[0094] For example, during a day, user 101a may perform activities in pen #1 (pen 103a), pen #3 (pen 103c), and pen #5 (pen 103e), respectively. Interactions between pen nodes 106 in each pen 103 and user 101a may be identified to confirm the presence of user 101 in each pen 103. Based on the identified interactions, one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify a first encounter between user 101 and the group of animals in pen #1 (pen 103a), a second encounter between user 101 and the group of animals in pen #3 (pen 103c), and a third encounter between user 101 and the group of animals in pen #5 (pen 103e). Thereafter, if an outbreak of disease is identified in pen #3 (pen 103c), the one or more processors 112 may be configured to identify user 101a as a potential vector for the spread of the disease.

[0095] In another embodiment, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify one or more groups of animals that may be at risk for a disease outbreak. For example, continuing with the above example, upon identifying the user 101 as a potential vector of the disease based on the identified encounter, the one or more processors 112 can be further configured to identify that the disease may have been spread to pen #5 by the user 101 moving from pen #3 (e.g., the location of the outbreak) to pen #5. Thus, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify animals in pen #5 (pen 103e) as at risk for contracting the disease because the user 101 moved to pen #5 after encountering animals in pen #3 (pen 103c) that had an outbreak of the disease.

[0096] In addition to being able to identify the user 101 as a potential disease vector, the system 100 can also identify visitors as potential disease vectors, which can be further understood with reference to FIG.

[0097] FIG. 3H illustrates a display page 316 on the user device 102 depicting a visitor log, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0098] In one embodiment, selection of a “Visitor Log” button on display page 306 may cause user device 102 to display display page 316. In another embodiment, user 101 may be prompted to enter the visitor's name and business, as well as the reason for the visit, as shown on display page 316. One or more processors 112 may be configured to receive and store such information in memory 114. As used herein, logging a visitor in system 100 may enable one or more processors 112 to potentially identify the visitor (and user 101) as a vector for the spread of disease.

[0099] For example, consider a scenario in which multiple farmers implement system 100 on their farms, where a first farm implements system 100a, a second farm implements system 100b, and a third farm implements system 100c. In this example, one or more processors 112 can be configured to receive and analyze data received from the first system 100a, the second system 100b, and the third system 100c.

[0100] Continuing with the same example, a visitor (e.g., a salesperson, a guest, etc.) can visit a first farm using system 100a. The visitor's user device 102 (e.g., a phone, a tablet computer, a smartwatch) can identify the visitor as having visited the farm. The visitor can then proceed to a second farm (e.g., system 100b) and a third farm (e.g., system 100c), where the user device 102 is used to identify the visitor. In the example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify the visitor as a potential vector for the spread of disease. Similarly, if an outbreak is identified at the first farm (e.g., system 100a), the one or more processors 112 can be configured to identify animal groups at the second farm (e.g., system 100b) and the third farm (e.g., system 100c) as animal groups that may be at risk for an outbreak.

[0101] In another example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to send one or more alerts to the controller 116. The controller 116 can be configured to display the alerts to the user via the user interface 122. The alerts can include, but are not limited to, text messages, automated phone calls, emails, banners, messages via an application ("App"), and the like. As can be envisioned, the one or more processors 112, 118 can be configured to send an alert to the user interface 122 when a change occurs. For example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to cause the user interface 122 to display an alert that a group of animals has been identified as being at risk for the outbreak of a particular disease. As another example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to cause the user interface 122 to display an alert that the user 101 has been identified as a potential vector for the spread of a disease. As another example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to cause the user interface 122 to display an alert of the incompleteness of a particular chore.

[0102] In another embodiment, the one or more processors can be configured to add data generated and / or transmitted by the system 100 to a blockchain. In particular, the server 110 can be configured to share generated transaction logs to the blockchain, including, but not limited to, chore completion inputs, identified spatial relationship data, identified interaction data, mortality inputs, and the like. Herein, for convenience of information distribution and data integrity, information received by the one or more processors 112 can be transmitted and stored in a blockchain or other distributed ledger. For example, the one or more processors 112 can be configured to transmit and store data using Hyperledger version 1.2. In this regard, the server 110 can be considered as a distributed processing node of a cryptographic processing network (CBN).

[0103] In one embodiment, the data of the system 100 can be stored in a private block of the blockchain, which requires a cryptographic key to view and / or share the information between individuals, including but not limited to the farm owner (e.g., producer), consumers, etc. For example, a farmer raising pigs on which the system 100 is implemented can store the data of the system 100 in a private block of the blockchain. The data stored in the blockchain can include but is not limited to transactions (e.g., positive and negative transactions) regarding chores completed / not completed. The data regarding positive / negative transactions can describe the status of the treatment the pig received, including feeding / watering regularity, inspection regularity, vaccination / injection regularity, etc. Upon selling the pig to a buyer (e.g., a consumer or another producer in the food production process), the buyer may want to view the information collected by the system 100 and additional information stored in the blockchain. In order to access the data of the system 100 stored in the blockchain, both the farmer and the buyer are required to provide a cryptographic key. Once the correct cryptographic key is authenticated, the farmer can share the information on the blockchain with the buyer.

[0104] As used herein, one or more components of system 100 may be communicatively coupled to various other components of system 100 in any manner known in the art. For example, user equipment 102, barn hub 104, barn node 106, server 110, and controller 116 may be communicatively coupled to each other and to other components via wired connections (e.g., copper wire, fiber optic cable, etc.) or wireless connections (e.g., RF coupling, IR coupling, data network communications (e.g., WiFi, WiMax, Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, 4GLTE, 5G, etc.).

[0105] In one embodiment, the one or more processors 112, 118 may include any one or more processing elements known in the art. In this sense, the one or more processors 112, 118 may include any microprocessor-type device configured to execute software algorithms and / or instructions. In one embodiment, as described throughout this disclosure, the one or more processors 112, 118 may comprise a desktop, mainframe computer system, workstation, image computer, parallel processor, or other computer system (e.g., networked computer) configured to execute programs configured to operate the system 100. It should be appreciated that the steps described throughout this disclosure may be performed by a single computer system, or alternatively, multiple computer systems. It should be appreciated that the steps described throughout this disclosure may be performed by any one or more of the one or more processors 112, 118. In general, the term "processor" may be broadly defined to include any device having one or more processing elements, which execute program instructions from memory 114, 120. It should be noted that different subsystems of system 100 (e.g., user equipment 102, pen hub 104, pen node 106, server 110, controller 116) may include processors or logic elements suitable for performing at least some of the steps described throughout this disclosure. Thus, the above description should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure, but merely as an example.

[0106] The memories 114, 120 may include any storage medium known in the art suitable for storing program instructions executable by the associated processor(s) 112, 118 and data generated by the system 100. For example, the memories 114, 120 may include non-transitory storage media. For example, the memories 114, 120 may include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic or optical memory devices (e.g., magnetic disks), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives, and the like. In another embodiment, the memories 114, 120 are configured to store data including, but not limited to, chore completion inputs, identified spatial relationship data, identified interaction data, transaction logs, and the like. It is noted that the memories 114, 120 may be housed in a common controller housing with the processor(s) 112, 118. In an alternative embodiment, the memories 114, 120 may be located remotely relative to the physical locations of the processors 112, 118, the server 110, the controller 116, and the like. In another embodiment, the memories 114, 120 maintain program instructions that cause the one or more processors 112, 118 to perform various steps described throughout this disclosure.

[0107] In one embodiment, the user interface 122 is communicatively coupled to the controller 116. In one embodiment, the user interface 122 includes, but is not limited to, one or more desktops, tablet computers, smartphones, smart watches, etc. In another embodiment, the user interface 122 includes a display for displaying data of the system 100 to a user. The display of the user interface 122 may include any display known in the art. For example, the display may include, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) based display, or a CRT display. Those skilled in the art should recognize that any display device that can be integrated with the user interface 122 is suitable for implementation in the present disclosure. In another embodiment, a user may input selections and / or commands in response to data displayed to the user via the user interface 119.

[0108] It should be noted that the various components of system 100 (e.g., user equipment 102, barn hub 104, server 110, controller 116) may include any suitable network interface circuitry or device for interfacing with network 108. For example, the network interface circuitry may include a wired interface device (e.g., a DSL interconnect, a cable interconnect, a T9 interconnect, etc.). In another embodiment, the network interface circuitry may include a wireless interface device using GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, 4GLTE, 5G, WiFi protocols, RF, LoRa, etc.

[0109] 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method 400 for verifying activity of an animal population, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As used herein, the steps of method 400 may be performed in whole or in part by system 100. However, it should be appreciated that method 400 is not limited to system 100, as additional or alternative system-level embodiments may perform all or a portion of the steps of method 400.

[0110] At step 402, a spatial relationship between a pen hub and the user equipment is identified. The spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user equipment 102 may be identified when the user equipment 102 comes within a selected distance from the pen hub 104, when the user equipment 102 enters a predefined geofence region, etc. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the pen hub 104 can be configured to identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub 104 and the user equipment 102 when the user equipment 102 enters region 111.

[0111] At step 404, interactions between the pen nodes and user equipment are identified. Interactions between pen nodes 106 and users 101 / user equipment 102 may include, but are not limited to, physical tactile interactions, communication signal interactions, scanning of QR codes, etc. In this regard, interactions between a user 101 (e.g., user equipment 102) and one or more pen nodes 106 may be identified based on one or more characteristics of the user equipment 102 (e.g., QR code, ID code, RFID tag, cellular signature, IP address, Bluetooth signature) and / or the user 101 (e.g., fingerprint, retinal features, facial features, voice features, DNA).

[0112] At step 406, one or more chore completion inputs are received from the user. The one or more chore completion inputs may indicate completion of one or more chores in the chore list associated with the identified spatial relationship. For example, as shown in FIG. 3D, the user device 102 is in a spatial relationship with "Northwest Barn 5," and the user device 102 may be configured to display a chore list associated with the spatial relationship (e.g., a list of chores to be completed in Northwest Barn 5). In this example, the user 101 may input one or more chore completion inputs via the user device 102 indicating that one or more displayed chores are completed.

[0113] At step 408, one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list are identified. The one or more processors 112 of the server 110 may be configured to identify the one or more uncompleted chores based on at least one of the chore completion input, the identified interaction data, and / or the identified spatial relationship data. The server 110 may be configured to identify the completed and / or uncompleted chores by cross-referencing data in the transaction log (e.g., the chore completion input, the identified spatial relationship data, the identified interaction data). For example, the server 110 may be configured to identify the one or more uncompleted chores by determining that the user device 102 did not receive one or more chore completion inputs during a time interval of an associated spatial relationship. For example, when the user device 102 is not in a spatial relationship with the pen hub 104 of pen 103a, when the user device 102 receives one or more chore completion inputs for a chore in pen #1 (pen 103a), the server 110 can be configured to identify the chore as an incomplete chore.

[0114] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and accompanying discussion described herein are used as examples for conceptual clarity, and that various configuration changes are contemplated. Thus, as used herein, the specific examples described and the accompanying discussion are intended to be representative of their more general categories. In general, the use of any particular example is intended to represent that category, and the absence of a particular component (e.g., operation), device, and object should not be considered limiting.

[0115] The subject matter described herein may depict different components that are included in or connected to other components. It should be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures that achieve the same functionality may be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Thus, any two components combined herein to achieve a particular functionality may be considered to be "associated" with one another such that the desired functionality is achieved, regardless of architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated may also be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" with one another such that the desired functionality is achieved, and any two components so associated may also be considered to be "couplable" with one another such that the desired functionality is achieved. Specific examples of couplable include, but are not limited to, physically couplable and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interacting and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or electronically interacting and / or electronically interacting components.

[0116] It should be understood that the present invention is limited by the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will generally understand that the terms used in this specification, particularly the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally "open" terms (e.g., the term "comprise" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to," the term "have" should be interpreted as "have at least," the terms "include," "include, but not limited to," etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that if a particular number of introduced claims are intended to be recited, such an intention will be explicitly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such a statement, such an intention does not exist. For example, to aid in understanding, the following appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce the recitation of the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as suggesting that introducing a claim recitation with the term "a" or "one" limits any particular claim recited in the claim containing such an introduction to an invention containing only one such recitation, as the same claim may also contain the introduction phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and a term such as "a" or "one" (e.g., "a" and / or "one" should generally be construed to mean "at least one" or "one or more"), which is similarly appropriate for the use of "said" to introduce a claim recitation. Note that even if a specific number of recitations in a claim is explicitly recited, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that such a recitation should generally be construed to mean at least the recited number (e.g., a simple recitation of "two recitations" without other qualifiers generally means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).It should be noted that when a rule similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such a configuration generally means that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the rule (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A only, B only, C only, A together with B, A together with C, B together with C, and / or A, B and C, etc.). It should be noted that when a rule similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, such a configuration generally means that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the rule (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A only, B only, C only, A together with B, A together with C, B together with C, and / or A, B and C, etc.). One of ordinary skill in the art will further understand that virtually all disjunctive words and / or phrases presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, are understood to take into account the possibility of one of the terms, either term, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0117] It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes in form, construction and arrangement of the elements may be made without departing from the disclosed subject matter or sacrificing all of its substantial advantages. The described forms are merely illustrative, and it is intended that the following claims include or encompass such modifications. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A system comprising: a user device associated with the user, the user device configured to receive one or more chore completion inputs indicating completion of one or more chores in the chore list; a barn node configured to identify an interaction between the barn node and the user device, the interaction comprising a physical tactile interaction or a communication signal interaction; a barn hub communicatively coupled to the barn node; a server communicatively coupled to the barn hub; the pen hub is configured to identify a spatial relationship between the pen hub and the user equipment when the user equipment comes within a selected distance of the pen hub or enters a selected geofenced area, receive identified interaction data from the pen node associated with the identified interaction, and receive the one or more chore completion inputs; the server includes one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in a memory; The set of program instructions comprises: receiving one or more signals from the pen hub including the one or more chore completion inputs, identified interaction data, and identified spatial relationship data associated with the identified spatial relationship; storing in the memory a transaction log including the chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the spatial relationship data; identifying one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data; on the one or more processors; the spatial relationship data includes first time stamp information associated with the identified spatial relationship, and the interaction data includes second time stamp information associated with the identified interaction and a length of the interaction; Whether the user has correctly completed the chore can be identified based on the first timestamp information, the second timestamp information, and a length of the interaction.

2. The one or more processors further include:

2. The system of claim 1, further configured to identify one or more completed chores in the chore list based on at least one of the chore completion input, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data.

3. Identifying one or more completed chores in the chore list includes:

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising determining that the user equipment received the one or more chore completion inputs during a time interval of the spatial relationship.

4. Identifying one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list includes:

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising determining that the user equipment has not received the one or more chore completion inputs during a time interval of the spatial relationship.

5. The one or more processors further include: identifying as a positive transaction each chore in the chore list as it is identified as completed; and 3. The system of claim 2, further configured to identify as a negative transaction when at least one chore in the chore list is identified as incomplete.

6. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the barn node comprises at least one of a QR code scanner, a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a biometric sensor, or a mechanical device.

7. The one or more processors further include:

2. The system of claim 1, further configured to identify one or more encounters between the user and one or more animal groups based on at least one of the identified spatial relationship data or the identified interaction data.

8. further comprising a user interface communicatively coupled to the controller; The one or more processors further include:

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting one or more signals to the controller, the one or more signals configured to cause the controller to display one or more alerts indicating one or more identified uncompleted chores.

9. The user equipment further comprises: The system of claim 1 , configured to receive one or more mortality inputs from the user.

10. The one or more processors further include:

10. The system of claim 9, configured to identify one or more disease occurrences based on the one or more mortality inputs.

11. The one or more processors further include:

10. The system of claim 9, configured to identify one or more individuals as potential vectors for the spread of disease based on the one or more mortality inputs.

12. The one or more processors further include:

10. The system of claim 9, configured to identify one or more animal groups at risk for disease outbreaks based on the one or more mortality inputs.

13. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the livestock facility node includes one or more sensors configured to obtain sensor readings, the one or more sensors including at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a composition sensor, or a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor.

14. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the barn hub is configured to receive sensor readings from the barn nodes and transmit the sensor readings to the server, the server configured to store the sensor readings in a memory.

15. The one or more processors further include: receiving from the pen hub one or more images acquired by one or more imaging devices of the pen node; and The system of claim 1 , configured to identify one or more characteristics of a group of animals based on the one or more images.

16. Identifying the one or more characteristics of a group of animals includes: Generate a machine learning classifier, and 16. The system of claim 15, further comprising using the machine learning classifier to identify the one or more characteristics of the animal group.

17. The one or more processors further include:

10. The system of claim 1, configured to store the transaction log in a blockchain.

18. 1. A system comprising: a user device associated with the user, the user device configured to receive one or more chore completion inputs indicating completion of one or more chores in the chore list; With the livestock hub, a server communicatively coupled to the barn hub; The livestock house hub includes: identifying a spatial relationship between the pen hub and the user equipment when the user equipment comes within a selected distance of the pen hub or enters a selected geofenced area; receiving identified interaction data associated with an identified interaction between a barn node and the user equipment, the interaction including a physical tactile interaction or a communication signal interaction; and configured to receive the one or more chore completion inputs; the server includes one or more processors configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in a memory; The set of program instructions comprises: receiving one or more signals from the pen node including the chore completion input, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data associated with the identified spatial relationship; identifying one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data; identifying one or more completed chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, the identified interaction data, and the identified spatial relationship data; on the one or more processors; the spatial relationship data includes first time stamp information associated with the identified spatial relationship, and the interaction data includes second time stamp information associated with the identified interaction and a length of the interaction; Whether the user has correctly completed the chore can be identified based on the first timestamp information, the second timestamp information, and a length of the interaction.

19. 1. A method for verifying activity of an animal population, comprising: a pen hub identifying a spatial relationship between the user equipment and the pen hub when the user equipment comes within a selected distance of the pen hub or enters a selected geofenced area; a barn node identifying an interaction between said barn node and said user device, said interaction including a physical tactile interaction or a communication signal interaction; receiving, at the user equipment, one or more chore completion inputs from a user indicating completion of one or more chores in a chore list associated with the identified spatial relationship; a server identifying one or more uncompleted chores in the chore list based on at least one of the one or more chore completion inputs, identified interaction data associated with the identified interactions, and identified spatial relationship data associated with the identified spatial relationships; the spatial relationship data includes first time stamp information associated with the identified spatial relationship, and the interaction data includes second time stamp information associated with the identified interaction and a length of the interaction; 11. A method for verifying activity of an animal population, wherein whether the user correctly completed a chore can be identified based on the first timestamp information, the second timestamp information, and a length of the interaction.

Images