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UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING
FEB 540: DESIGN PROJECT
DESIGN OF A TEMPERATURE RELAYING SYSTEM FOR A POULTRY HOUSE
BY
VINCENT O. ODHIAMBO
F21/0045/2007
SUPERVISOR: E.B.K. MUTAI
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Biosystems
Engineering
Submitted on: 15/05/2013
1
DECLARATION
I declare that this project is my original work and has not been submitted for a degree in any
other University.
Signature.......................... Date...........................
VINCENT O. ODHIAMBO
This project has been submitted for examination with my approval as a University lecturer.
Signature............................ Date.................................
Mr. E.B.K. MUTAI
2
DEDICATION
I dedicate this project to my family for their commitment, devotion and self-sacrifice towards my
academic progress. I also dedicate to my friends, George Okodo and Jared Ochieng for their
financial support and encouragement when I was almost giving up.
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Moses of FABLAB for his assistance in writing the
program.
I am also grateful to my friends who stood by me during a very difficult period to ensure that I
completed this research.
Finally I am grateful to my supervisor Mr. Mutai E.B.K. for giving me this project idea.
4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................ 1
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................................. 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ 4
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 6
1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .................................................................................. 11
1.1.1 Problem analysis ........................................................................................................... 11
1.2 SITE ANALYSIS AND INVENTORY .............................................................................. 13
1.3 OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................... 14
1.3.1 Overall Objective .......................................................................................................... 14
1.3.2 Specific Objectives ....................................................................................................... 14
1.4 Statement of Scope .............................................................................................................. 14
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 15
3.0 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................... 18
3.1 Factors affecting the in-house temperatures of the poultry house ...................................... 18
3.2 Energy balance analysis ...................................................................................................... 19
3.3 Ventilation air exchange rates ............................................................................................. 21
4.0 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 21
5
4.1 Program development ......................................................................................................... 21
5.0 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS ................................................................................................. 22
5.1 Result ................................................................................................................................... 22
5.2 Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 22
6.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ...................................................................... 29
6.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 29
6.2 Recommendation ................................................................................................................. 29
8.0 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 32
8.1 APPENDIX 1 ...................................................................................................................... 32
8.2 APPENDIX 2 ...................................................................................................................... 33
8.3 APPENDIX 3 ...................................................................................................................... 34
6
ABSTRACT
A computer program was developed to enable temperature data transfer from an enclosed poultry
housing unit to a mobile phone through a GSM module. Sensors were used to read the
temperature and transmit the information to a microprocessor which converted the raw data
received to digital form. This data was then received by the GSM module which transmitted it to
a display unit like a mobile phone or computer. The language used in writing the program was C
and the display of data was enabled through the proteus software.
The program was developed at the University of Nairobi, FabLab and the resulting product was
able to transmit data at one-second intervals.
7
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Poultry farming is the raising of birds domestically or commercially, primarily for meat and eggs
but also for feathers. Although the modern poultry industry didn't begin until sometime in the
late 19th century, geese, ducks and pigeons were bred in China more than 3,000 years ago.
Chickens, which developed from the Asian jungle fowl, were likely domesticated at that time. In
Kenya, the poultry population was estimated at 25.8 million by 2003 (Menge et al., 2005) and
had increased to 30 million by 2006 (Gullet et al., 2006), out of which 80% are indigenous, while
the rest are improved breed.
The hygrothermal environment inside a poultry house plays an important role in the performance
and welfare of the birds. The structure and the ventilation system have to provide an adequate
physical environment for the birds. The physical environment of birds inside the poultry house is
determined by hygrothermal variables of temperature and humidity, with temperature being the
most widely studied variable (Schauberger et al., 2000; Hamrita and Mitchell, 1999). These
variables are affected by the interaction between the outdoor weather conditions and the birds,
the structure and the ventilation and heating system. The most basic and common form of
controlling the poultry housing environment is through maintaining the right temperature by
adjusting the ventilation and heating rates (Mitchell, 1993). The control actions are based on
feedback measurements of ambient temperature collected from one or more locations in the
structure (Hamrita and Mitchell, 1999).
Design of a poultry house is based on the production objective and focused on the standards for
maximum reproduction or growth. Protection from elements like weather , predators , injury and
theft, extremes of heat and cold, lighting, adequate insulation and ventilation and efficient labour
utilization are some of the major objectives of housing poultry (Moreng and Avens, 1986).
8
The basic problem is the design of economical poultry housing systems, which are functionally
efficient in meeting the environmental needs of the birds such as air temperature, humidity,
velocity, lighting and the acoustic environment. Temperature is one of the many aspects of
producing environmental control in poultry buildings. Other aspects include provision of
adequate ventilation, illumination, photoperiod, humidity, noise levels, and aerial pollutant
levels. The environmental control and design of a naturally ventilated poultry house is difficult
due to uncontrolled variables found outside and inside the structure (Randall, 1991; Lacy et al.,
1999).
There has been mixed reactions to agricultural mechanization. Among the arguments commonly
used by the detractors of mechanization include:
• Land and capital are scarce, while labour is abundant and inexpensive.
• Mechanization ignores social problems.
• The possibility of bringing new land under cultivation is limited
• Where it is profitable to mechanise than to employ labour, it is because the private cost
does not reflect the social cost.
• While mechanization increases yields per unit labour, it may not increase yield per unit of
land.
• Agriculture should serve as a sponge to soak up excess labour.
• Holdings are fragmented and inaccessible to mechanization equipment.
Mechanization is not an all or nothing process. One can select appropriate machines to:
• Overcome bottlenecks.
• Remove the greatest drudgery and reduce stress
9
• Relieve labour peaks.
• Do the job faster when the weather or crop characteristics so dictate.
• Achieve efficiency of operation
The use of manufactured tools, implements and machines, combined with irrigation, multiple
cropping, high yield varieties and fertilizers, may actually increase the total labour requirements
on already cultivated land. Besides, a considerable number of jobs may be created indirectly in
the manufacture, distribution, maintenance and repair of agricultural equipment. Where tractors
replace animals, land used for forage production may be used for critically needed human food.
Levels and types of improved mechanization must be developed and promoted which are
compatible with local economic, social and agronomic conditions.
Alarm has also been expressed at the scale of migration from rural to urban areas. The motives
for this migration are:
• The attraction of higher wages, social, cultural and educational facilities and the glamour
of the towns
• The desire to escape from a situation of stagnation that offers only heavy, unrewarding
jobs with little hope of improvement.
• The lack of meaningful employment opportunities in the rural areas.
• The low remuneration for agricultural work.
• The seasonal nature and drudgery of agricultural employment.
• Unattractiveness of rural living under existing conditions.
One way of tackling such migration is by application of mobile technology in agriculture as a
mechanization strategy. Farming is becoming a more time-critical and information-intense
10
business. A push towards higher productivity will require an information-based decision-making
agricultural system. Farmers must be get information at the right time and place. The list of
potential benefits (McNamara, 2009) covers numerous aspects of extension and
agriculture development:
• Increasing smallholder productivity and incomes
• Making agricultural markets more efficient and transparent
• Linking poor farmers to urban, regional and global markets
• Improving services and governance for the rural poor
• Promoting – and including smallholders in – agricultural innovation
• Helping farmers manage a range of risks
• Improving land and natural resource management and addressing environmental
pressures
• Helping poor farmers participate in higher-value agriculture
• Supporting the emergence of a more diverse rural economy, and supporting rural
families‘ decisions about their mix of productive activities
In providing a solution towards the above problem, this design came up with a computer
program designed to transmit internal temperature data of a partially enclosed poultry structure.
11
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Temperature and humidity are the two major issues affecting birds’ performance in terms of egg
production and feeding. The ease of accessibility of information about these variables is an
important tool in persuading people to invest in poultry farming.
1.1.1 Problem analysis
Birds are basically air cooled. Air moving over the birds pick up their body heat and transfers it
to the environment. Although they do get some evaporative cooling effect through breathing and
panting, they rely mainly on direct body to air heat transfer for cooling. For fully feathered birds
to stay comfortable there has to be a substantial difference between house air temperature and
their own internal temperature of about 37.80C. It is possible to lower the birds' body
temperature 300 below normal before death occurs, yet body temperature only six to eight
degrees above normal results in death. This indicates that the bird is living near the top of her
temperature range. At air temperatures of 270C the body temperature of the bird starts to rise and
by the time air temperature reaches 380C to 40
0C the birds begin to die of heat prostration.
Certain sub-lethal air temperatures have harmful effects. Even at as low a temperature as 210C
there is a slight reduction in egg size and the shells become thinner. It is not until a higher
temperature is reached-270C-that this difference becomes noticeable. An increase in water
consumption occurs when the air temperature reaches 240C and above this the droppings become
watery. The birds begin to pant at about 270C in an effort to keep down their body temperature.
In spite of these efforts the body temperature starts to rise. Feed consumption is reduced at this
point. Birds begin to lose weight when exposed for a period of time to temperature in excess of
270C.
12
In temperate and Polar Regions, one of the major factors involved in the summer decline of egg
production appears to be temperature. Egg production is decreased by continuous exposure to
320C air temperatures. There is a breed difference in this susceptibility. The heavy breeds such as
New Hampshire and R. I. Reds are more susceptible than White Leghorns. A difference of about
10 degrees in susceptibility to heat has been observed in experiments when Leghorns did not
show a decline in egg production until the temperature reached 380C.
Air movement may or may not help to reduce the effect of high temperature on hens. Generally,
if the air temperature is below 380C, which is okay within the tropics, increasing air movement
appears to be beneficial. Above this temperature the deleterious effects are accentuated by
increasing air movement. More work needs to be done on this phase.
The problem that faces the poultry farmer is to keep feed consumption up and temperature down.
Experiments have been conducted on the feeding of iodized casein as a means of preventing a
decline in egg production due to high temperatures. It has been reported by researchers that
iodized casein is beneficial.
Whether it is producing meat or eggs, it is well established that the effective management of
environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture reduces the total cost of production.
In broiler production for instance, all components of the production process from parent stock
broiler breeders to broiler progeny benefit from effective environmental control.
Supplemental heating systems play an important role in temperature and moisture regulation
especially during the brooding phase. On the other hand, proper ventilation is needed throughout
a growth period, even when supplemental heating is being provided for control of air quality if
13
not for cooling. Ventilation is therefore the most important tool in managing the in-house
environment for best bird performance.
Except with very young birds or very cold weather, temperature control is the primary goal of
ventilation. At each stage in a bird's life, there is a certain temperature zone in which a surplus of
feed energy above the body maintenance requirements allows the bird to gain weight. Within this
zone, there will be a narrow temperature range in which the bird makes best use of feed energy
for growth. This is the optimum performance zone, which when provided alongside adequate
water and feed, assures that the bird's welfare and economic performance are maximized.
In warm areas like Kenya, humidity is not often a big problem, except in connection with
rainstorms on hot days. Therefore environmental control focus will mainly be on temperature for
this design. It is thus important to develop a mechanism of regularly monitoring the temperature
inside a poultry house for appropriate action by the farmer.
The main objective of this design is to make information about temperature available and easily
accessible to the farmer for ease of management.
1.2 SITE ANALYSIS AND INVENTORY
This design is best suited for the tropical regions. This includes much of the equatorial belt with
hot and humid weather. There is abundant rainfall due to the active vertical uplift or convection
of air that takes place there, and during certain periods, thunderstorms can occur every day.
Nevertheless, this belt still receives considerable sunshine. Because a substantial part of the
Sun’s heat is used up in evaporation and rain formation, temperatures in the tropics rarely exceed
35°C; a daytime maximum of 32°C is more common. At night the abundant cloud cover restricts
14
heat loss, and minimum temperatures fall no lower than about 22°C. This high level of
temperature is maintained with little variation throughout the year.
Due to the high temperatures, there is a tendency of temperatures inside a poultry house going
above the optimum value required by birds. This in turn affects their feeding and growth and
eventually their production. It is therefore important to develop a design that will monitor the in-
house temperature and relay the information to the farmer to determine how much ventilation
required.
This will involve developing a computer program that uses sensors located in the poultry house
to monitor the temperatures, relay the information through a microprocessor to the farmer via a
GSM module device like a mobile phone.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
1.3.1 Overall Objective
To develop a computer program for temperature transmission from a poultry house.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
1. To develop a computer program that transmits temperature data from the poultry house to
the farmer through a GSM module device.
2. To test and verify the program developed.
1.4 Statement of Scope
The scope of this design is to develop an executable computer program that is capable of
transmission of temperature data from sensors placed inside a poultry unit to a GSM module and
then to a mobile phone and also enable the user to query for the same data.
15
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
Studies on the effects of temperature and humidity on the performance of animals especially
birds in terms of feeding and production began in the 1950's. The thermal environment is a
controlling factor in energy metabolism and exchange. Control of heat or cold stress improves
animal health, well being and production efficiency. Thermal comfort indices such as
temperature-humidity index (THI) have over the years been developed to assess the impact of
thermal environment on thermoregulatory status of animals. Thermal comfort indices are species
dependent and have been developed for humans (Thom, 1958), dairy cattle (Buffington et al.,
1981), swine (Ingram, 1964), turkeys (Xin et al., 1992; Brown Brandl et al., 1997), and laying
hens (Zulovich and DeShazer, 1990; Tao and Xin, 2003). The development of THI has mainly
been based upon body temperature response because it affects the overall production.
Gates et al. (1995) adapted THI function for birds and added variation according to the use of
evaporative cooling systems within housing. The results were added to a GIS and helped poultry
producers in decision making according to the forecasted weather.
As ventilation had an important role in the bird's response to heat stress, Tao and Xin (2003)
adapted THI for a function using wind speed as a variable, and called this index as Temperature-
Humidity-Velocity index (THVI). They also adopted several stages of thermal comfort such as:
normal, alert, danger, and emergency based on the bird's body temperature variation.
Mathematical models have also been developed in an effort to find a control in the poultry
environment by Albright and Scott (1974a and 1974b), Esmay and Dixon (1978), Strom (1978),
Gates (1995), Cooper (1998), Yu (2002), Mutai (2002), and Griffith and Chen (2004), among
others.
16
Assessing the impact of temperature on poultry performance is a difficult task. Superficial
general analysis of impacts can be based on the animal response. However combining the
relationship between livestock performance and the thermal environment can give a more precise
assessment and can provide adequate quantitative and qualitative performance evaluation.
There is little documentation about the application of mobile technology in agriculture, although
it is a growing trend within the financial sector. It is possible today, to transfer money, deposit to
or withdraw from a bank account, pay utility bills, request or pay loan, all through the mobile
phone. The following flow chart gives a summary of the various ways in which mobile
technology can be applied in agriculture for increased production and efficiency:
Figure 1: mobile agriculture initiatives (Parikh et al.)
17
With mobile technology, the following areas are available for application development:
� Market information and interaction: a cluster of information flows required to coordinate
the procurement and distribution of produce along the value chain. The use of mobile
technology is expected to improve market transparency and efficiency and strengthen the
farmers’ position as sellers of commodities.
� Support services and systems
a. Operational process management
b. Quality control: communications between sellers and buyers, producers and consumers,
to facilitate exchange of quality of product (e.g. grading) and non- economic values as
external inputs to market pricing (e.g. certification of fair trade products, adherence to
quality standards, ecological footprint, verification of origin of product).
c. Logistics and business process management: Applications that facilitate sound
business processes in rural areas (e.g. transporting agricultural commodities, tracking
goods, organizing seller/buyer accounts).
d. Financial services: Communications and processes to provide financial services such as
payment or insurance to rural farmers and agents involved in the agriculture value chain.
Applications in this area particularly address the issues of distribution, outreach and
business processes that enable dealings with clients in rural areas.
Access to information is an important factor in persuading people especially the youth and the
urban population to invest in agriculture. Because poultry farming is an expensive and
demanding venture, it is important for the investor to access important information such as
temperature variation in the poultry unit for management purposes.
18
3.0 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
3.1 Factors affecting the in-house temperatures of the poultry house
In summary, the indoor temperature of a poultry house is a result of the following parameters:
• Bird heat and moisture production- this is as a result of body metabolism, which includes
maintenance, growth and egg production. It is affected by body weight, species and
breed, level of production, level of feed intake, feed quality and amount of activity and
exercise.
• Solar radiation- direct heating of the structure by the sun
• Building solar orientation and shading: east- west orientation is the best to avoid too
much heat and light in the structure
• Outdoor temperature: a high outdoor temperature affects the moisture removal from the
structure
• Air velocity inside and outside
• Insulation of the structure
• Heat capacity of the structure and floors
• Ventilation rate and air distribution
• Supplemental heating
• Evaporative cooling and other treatments of air
The figure below illustrates some of these factors:
19
Figure 2: Heat and moisture balance for a naturally ventilated broiler chicken house air
space (Esmay, et al; 1986, ASAE, 2003), where: M is mass flow rate of air, kg/h, Ht is
enthalpy transfer, kJ/kg, Wt is moisture transfer rate, kg/h.
3.2 Energy balance analysis
For constant inside environmental temperature to be maintained, there must be a balance
between the source of heat and the exhaust in any livestock housing. The sensible heat balance
20
equation considered for this study was based on that proposed by the ASAE standard EP270.5
DEC01 (ASAE, 2001) and CIGR Report of 2002
qs + qv + qvs + qsu + qcd + qm + qe = 0
Where:
qs = bird sensible heat production (W)
qsu = supplement heating (W)
qvs = sensible heating of the incoming ventilation air (W)
qv = sensible heating of outgoing ventilation air (W)
qm = sensible heat from mechanical equipments and lights (W)
qcd = conduction heat loss from the building (W)
qe = sensible heat change due to latent heat of evaporation or fusion (W)
For steady state conditions the equation is rewritten as
qs + qv + qvs + qsu + qcd + qm + qe = MC(dTi/dt),
Where:
Ti = internal temperature
t = time
M = mass of air in a controlled volume
C = specific heat capacity of air
21
3.3 Ventilation air exchange rates
The analysis and design of ventilation system provides a solution by quantifying ventilation air
exchange necessary in building the heat required to provide air exchange. The inside temperature
is controllable within the limits of available heat with the ventilation air exchange rate being
given by Steven et al. (1994) as:
(qs - Ca.VairdT)/dT
Where:
qs = sensible heat produced by birds (W)
Ca = specific heat of air (WKg-1
K-1
)
Vair = ventilation air exchange per bird (L/s)
dT = temperature difference (K)
A solution for the above equations is possible through the Finite Element Method.
4.0 METHODOLOGY
4.1 Program development
A computer program was developed to interpret the information from the sensor and relay the
same to the GSM module device at one-second intervals, for the purpose of this research. The
computer hardware and software at the University of Nairobi, FABLAB were used.
Programming language used was C with the display enabled through the proteus software.
22
5.0 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
5.1 Result
• Program developed was executable
5.2 Analysis
The computer source code below shows the various commands followed to ensure successful
transfer of data. For the purpose of this research, a computer was used instead of a GSM module
and mobile phone to issue commands and display data.
*
* usart_echo.c
*
* Created: 8/4/2012 9:20:30 AM
* Author: vincent
*/
#include <avr/io.h>
#include <avr/interrupt.h>
#include<util/delay.h>
#include <avr/pgmspace.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdbool.h>
#ifndef F_CPU
#define F_CPU 12000000UL
#endif
23
#define BAUD_RATE 9600
#define BAUD_VALUE ((F_CPU/(BAUD_RATE * 16UL)) - 1)
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
int z;
char buffer[600];
int buffer_size = 600;
char val[];
void usart_init(void)
{
UCSRB |= (1<<RXEN) | (1<<TXEN) | (1<<RXCIE);
UCSRB &= ~(1<<UCSZ2);
UCSRC |= (1<<URSEL) | (1<<UCSZ0) | (1<<UCSZ1);
UCSRC &= ~((1<<UPM0) | (1<<UPM1) | (1<<USBS) | (1<<UMSEL));
UBRRH = (BAUD_VALUE>>8);
UBRRL = BAUD_VALUE;
sei();
}
void send_char(char send)
{
while((UCSRA & (1<<UDRE)) == 0){;}
UDR = send;
}
void send_string(char *word)
{
24
z = 0;
while(word[z] != '\0')
{
send_char(word[z]);
z++;
}
send_char(13);
}
char receive_char(void)
{
char received;
received = UDR;
return received;
}
void fill_buffer(void)
{
buffer[x] = receive_char();
//display();
x++;
if (x == 200)
{
x = 0;
}
}
void clear_buffer(void)
25
{
for (y = 0; y < buffer_size; y++)
{
buffer[y] = 0x00;
}
x = 0;
}
/*void display(void)
{
send_char(buffer[x]);
}
*/
ISR(USART_RXC_vect)
{
fill_buffer();
}
//FUNCTION FOR INITIALIZING ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL CONVERSION
void Init_adc(void)
{
ADCSRA |=(1<<ADEN)|(1<<ADPS2)|(1<<ADPS1)|(1<<ADPS0); //prescaler divider of 16
ADMUX |=(1<<REFS0); //use external 5v as reference voltage
}
//FUNCTION FOR PERFORMING ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL CONVERSION
char Read_adc(unsigned char ch)
{
26
ch &=0b00000111;
ADMUX =(ADMUX & 0XF8)|ch; //clear the previous ADMUXn pins and select new ones
ADMUX |=(1<<ADLAR);
ADCSRA |=(1<<ADSC); // start analogue to digital conversion
loop_until_bit_is_set(ADCSRA,ADIF); //wait for the conversion to complete
ADCSRA |=(1<<ADIF); // reset condition ready for new conversion
uint8_t theLowerByte = ADCL;
uint16_t ADC_result = (ADCH << 8) | theLowerByte;
itoa(ADC,val,10);
return val; //return the converted signal
}
int main(void)
{
DDRA |= (1<<0) | (1<<4) | (1<<7) | (1<<1);
PORTA &= ~((1<<0) | (1<<4) | (1<<7));
PORTA |= (1<<1);
DDRB |= (1<<4);
PORTB &= ~(1<<4);
usart_init();
Init_adc(); //initializing analogue to digital conversion
//variables for storing the digitized signals
uint16_t readone=0;
uint16_t readtwo=0;
uint16_t readthree=0;
uint16_t readfour=0;
27
uint16_t readfive=0;
uint16_t readsix=0;
send_string("READINGS OF THE PARAMETERS.");
send_char(13);
while(1)
{
readone = Read_adc(0); //Reading and storing the digitized signal
readtwo = Read_adc(1); //Reading and storing the digitized signal
readthree = Read_adc(2); //Reading and storing the digitized signal
readfour = Read_adc(3); //Reading and storing the digitized signal
readfive = Read_adc(4); //Reading and storing the digitized signal
readsix = Read_adc(5); //Reading and storing the digitized signal
/*send_string("PARAMETER 1.");
send_char(8);//BACKSPACE
send_char(32);//SPACE
send_char(32);//SPACE
send_char(32);//SPACE
send_string(Read_adc(0));
send_char(13);*/
send_string("PARAMETER 2.");
send_char(8);//BACKSPACE
send_char(32);//SPACE
send_char(32);//SPACE
send_char(32);//SPACE
send_string(Read_adc(0));
28
send_char(13);
_delay_ms(1500);
}
return 0;
29
6.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
6.1 Conclusion
Due to financial constraints experienced during the research period, it was not possible to come
up with a fabricated prototype version of the temperature relaying system. Otherwise the
objectives of the study were achieved. The program developed was executable and if
incorporated into the system, it is expected to run.
6.2 Recommendation
There is still more work that can be done when it comes to mobile technology in agriculture.
With the important data such as temperature, now easily accessible, it is possible to develop
mobile applications to incorporate into the current automation technology
30
7.0 REFERENCES
1. Brown-Brandl, T.M., M.M. Beck, D.D. Schulte, A.M. Parkhurst, and J.A. DeShazer.
1997. Temperature humidity Index for growing Tom turkeys. Trans. ASAE 40(1): 203-
209
2. Buffington, D.E., A. Collazo-Arocho, G.H. Canton and D. Pitt. 1981. Black globe index
as a comfort equation for dairy cows. Trans. ASAE 24(3): 711-714
3. Ingram, D.L. 1964. The effect of environmental temperature on body temperature,
respiratory frequency, and pulse rate in the young pig. Res. Vet. Sci. 5(3): 348-356
4. Gates, R.S., H. Zhang, D.G. Colliver and D.G. Overhults. 1995. Regional variation in
temperature humidity index for poultry housing. Trans. ASAE 38(1): 197-205.
5. Tao, X. and H. Xin. 2003. Acute synergistic effects of air temperature, humidity and
velocity on homeostatis of market-size broilers. Trans. ASAE 46(2): 491-497.
6. Thom, E.C. 1958. Measuring the need for air conditioning. Air cond., Heating and Vent.
53(8): 68-70.
7. Timmons, M.B. 1986. Modeling the interaction between broiler performance and
building environment. Poultry Sci. 65: 1244-1256
8. Timmons, M.B., and R.S. Gates. 1988. Economic optimization of broiler production.
Trans. ASAE 29(5): 1373-1379
9. Clark, J.A., 1981. Environment aspects of housing for animal production. London:
Butterworths, 511p,
10. www.teara.govt.nz/en/poultry-industry/1
11. www.http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/what-history-of-poultry-production
12. www.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultry_farming
13. http://www.enviropedia.org.uk/Climate/Tropical_Climate.php
31
14. Hamrita, T.K. and Mitchell, B. (1999). Poultry environment and production control and
optimization. A summary of where we are and where we want to go. Trans. ASAE 42:
479-483.
15. Mitchell, B.W.(1993). Process control system for poultry house environment. Trans.
ASAE 36:1881-1886.
16. Schauberger, G., Piringer, M. and Petz, E.(2000). Steady state balance model to calculate
the indoor climate of livestock buildings demonstrated for finishing pigs. International
Journal of Biometeorology. 43: 154-162.
17. Cantor, Eric (2009), 'Reaching the Hardest to Reach: Mobile apps for low-income
communities', Mobile Web Africa Conference,
18. Parikh, Tapan S., Neil Patel, and Yael Schwartzman (2008), 'A Survey of Information
Systems Reaching Small Producers in Global Agricultural Value Chains', 11.
19. Esmay, M.L. and J.E. Dixon, 1986. Environmental Control of Agricultural Buildings.
AVI pub. Co. Westport, Connecticut.
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8.0 APPENDICES
8.1 APPENDIX 1
The role of donor funding of mobile applications for development (Cantor, 2009)
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8.2 APPENDIX 2
Function diagram of Kilimo Salama, an example of mobile application in farming.
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8.3 APPENDIX 3
Schematic of the system from proteus program.
