Animal Identification Framework for Traceability and Disease Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The beef industry faces challenges in tracing animal movements and identifying diseased animals due to the lack of a fully traceable system, leading to costly inefficiencies and potential health risks, as existing systems like the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) are costly, invasive, and do not protect confidential data effectively.
Innovation Solution
The Animal Identification Framework (AIF) uses computerized data management to track animal locations in real-time, employing multiple identifiers and existing infrastructure, while ensuring data confidentiality, allowing for the differentiation between animals that have commingled with diseased animals and those that have not, thereby reducing unnecessary treatment and maintaining normal commerce operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fully traceable system is implemented to identify and treat diseased animals, then disease control effectiveness is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the livestock population into traceable segments using individual animal identifiers (ear tags, RFID implants) and groups them by location (feedyard, pen, transport vehicle). This segmentation enables targeted disease tracking without requiring a completely new centralized system, reducing overall complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces data trustees and service providers as intermediary entities that collect, store, and manage traceability data. These intermediaries handle the complexity of data management, allowing the core disease control function to remain simple while achieving comprehensive tracking through multiple specialized components.
2Reliability
If all animals are treated when one diseased animal is found, then disease spread is prevented, but economic losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different treatment qualities to different animal groups based on their disease risk. Healthy animals continue normal commerce, animals with confirmed disease receive appropriate treatment, and only animals with potential exposure are quarantined. This localized quality approach prevents unnecessary treatment of healthy animals while maintaining disease prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of treating all animals (excessive action), the system implements partial action by treating only those animals that have been identified as having potential disease exposure through traceability data. This partial approach reduces economic loss while maintaining sufficient disease prevention through targeted intervention.
3Measurement precision
If confidential animal data is collected for tracking, then traceability accuracy is improved, but data security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
Data trustees serve as secure intermediary entities that collect, store, and manage confidential animal traceability data. These trusted intermediaries implement security protocols and controlled access, allowing accurate traceability data collection while mitigating security risks through specialized data management infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts confidential data elements from the general tracking system and stores them in secure, access-controlled databases managed by data trustees. This separation takes out the security-sensitive information from routine operations, maintaining traceability accuracy while protecting confidential data through dedicated security infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a method and system are described for tracking and managing animals and/or food products. These embodiments can include entering into a computer system identification data for animals and location data for locations occupied by the animals. This data can be collected, for example, by a data service provider and transmitted to a data trustee. The data trustee may filter the data into official data and non-official data. The official data may be sent to an official database. When a public health issue arises, such as an occurrence of mad cow disease, the government may use an identifier for a diseased animal or a location identifier to request a trace report from the data trustee. The data trustee may then use the official data to provide a report showing, for example, which animals have commingled with the diseased animal. Based on this report, other sick or potentially sick animals can be treated, quarantined, or slaughtered. As another example, the disclosed embodiments may be used to facilitate commercial transactions by providing data that validates, for example, an animal's health and food quality.