The technical aspects of global positioning system (GPS) sensors have been improved substantially over the years, making them valuable and popular tools for livestock tracking. Using GPS sensors allows producers and researchers to locate grazing livestock, monitor their behavior and distribution, and gather referencing information about the health status of the animals and pastures. However, interpreting the behavior of grazing livestock, such as cattle, from GPS data can be difficult due to positioning inaccuracies. Without knowing the positioning accuracy range of GPS sensors, achieving high-level confidence in determining grazing densities and identifying abnormal livestock movement patterns is challenging. In this study, the positioning accuracy of 3 different types of commercial GPS sensors was assessed using a survey-grade real-time kinematics (RTK) device. We outlined the procedures and essential equations and compared the recorded locations from the GPS sensors with reference locations collected from the RTK device. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in positioning accuracy between different types of GPS sensors. The circular error probable (CEP) at 95% probability levels (CEP95) of the 3 sensors ranged from 2.46 to 11.06 m. This accuracy varied among individual sensors within the same brand and across different brands, which underscores the importance of evaluating the positioning accuracy of GPS sensors in livestock tracking. This study provides significant insights for animal scientists, ecologists, and livestock producers engaged in GPS sensor-related research and practices.

中文翻译：

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技术资料：使用实时运动设备评估 GPS 传感器精度以进行牲畜跟踪


多年来，全球定位系统 （GPS） 传感器的技术方面得到了大幅改进，使其成为有价值且受欢迎的牲畜跟踪工具。使用 GPS 传感器，生产者和研究人员可以定位放牧的牲畜，监控它们的行为和分布，并收集有关动物和牧场健康状况的参考信息。但是，由于定位不准确，从 GPS 数据中解释放牧牲畜（例如牛）的行为可能很困难。在不知道 GPS 传感器的定位精度范围的情况下，在确定放牧密度和识别异常牲畜运动模式方面获得高水平的信心是具有挑战性的。在这项研究中，使用测量级实时运动学 （RTK） 设备评估了 3 种不同类型的商用 GPS 传感器的定位精度。我们概述了程序和基本方程式，并将 GPS 传感器记录的位置与从 RTK 设备收集的参考位置进行了比较。结果表明，不同类型的 GPS 传感器之间的定位精度存在统计学上的显著差异 （P < 0.05）。3 个传感器在 95% 概率水平 （CEP95） 下的圆误差概率 （CEP） 范围为 2.46 至 11.06 m。这种精度因同一品牌内和不同品牌的传感器而异，这凸显了评估 GPS 传感器在畜牧追踪中的定位精度的重要性。这项研究为从事 GPS 传感器相关研究和实践的动物科学家、生态学家和畜牧生产者提供了重要的见解。