Soon, AI to help identify stray cattle, track owners in Ahmedabad: ‘Each cow’s nose patten is unique, like fingerprint’

The agency’s solution involves computer vision and a deep-learning AI model. “Under this, the AI will scan the face of the cow and the most important identification point will be the cow’s nose. Just as every person’s fingerprint is different, the design of each cow’s nose is unique. Apart from that, if there is any stain or mark on the cow’s eyes and face, it will also be scanned. Based on this, the AI model will identify the cow from the crowd, match it with its database and present the owner’s details,” government authorities stated.

Currently, about 1.1 lakh cows in Ahmedabad have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and microchips. Its database is maintained by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Besides, stray cows are being photographed by cameras at 130 junctions in the city. If this solution proves effective, it will help in quickly resolving traffic and other problems caused by stray cows in the Ahmedabad municipal area. With this, the government aims to increase public safety by preventing accidents caused by stray cattle, and establish a data-based monitoring system.

“The state government is prioritising the use of modern technology and artificial intelligence to make Gujarat’s cities smart. After establishing an AI Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar, efforts are being made to enrich citizen service delivery by incorporating this technology into the state’s governance. Moving in this direction, an important pilot project has been started for the problem covering the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation area, due to which it will be easier to solve the problems caused by stray animals in the coming days,” a government official said.

At present, the municipal corporation team takes photos of stray cows in different areas with the help of CCTV cameras, and identifies the animals based on the microchip and RFID tag attached to it. Since this process is done manually, it takes up much time and energy.