SmartCatalonia Challenge with Cos d’Agents Rurals

Awards:

• Best solution award: 15.000 € + Pilot of the solution with Cos d'Agents Rurals + To present the proposed solution in the Smart City Expo World Congress 2021
• Second prize: 3.000 € + To present the proposed solution in the Smart City Expo World Congress 2021
• Third prize: 2.000 € + To present the proposed solution in the Smart City Expo World Congress 2021

What should I submit to participate?

To participate you must present a file in ppt or pdf format (about 10 slides), in which the proposal is clearly stated (technical aspects, usability, implementation, etc.) and where it is carefully described how this proposal responds to the call the participant has been worked on.

Optionally, participants may add other value points they consider appropriate for the jury evaluation (for example, a link to a video presentation or a brief summary of the business plan).

It should be remembered that the elements that are most valued in this competition are: degree of viability (it is advisable that the proposal contains elements that show the tangibility of the idea, for example a pilot), degree of innovation (creativity and originality) and degree of adaptability to the call (it is imperative that the document details how the call was approached in a personalized manner).

Calls:

Call 1: Improving wildlife monitoring

How to improve wildlife monitoring and monitoring systems?

Systems for monitoring the positioning of wildlife specimens for study are already being used. In Catalonia, emitting collars are the most used systems, which have a limited use as they depend on batteries. These, on average, have a lifespan of approximately 2-3 years and once exhausted it is needed to recapture the specimen in order to place a new collar.

The aim of this call is to find an innovative solution that allows to achieve a long durability of these systems, while allowing to obtain data with a much higher frequency, ideally including the possibility of real-time monitoring, it is also desirable to have the capacity to remotely modify the programming so you can filter the information recieved, in real time as well.

Call 2: Automated predator expulsion systems for extensive livestock

How can we ensure the safety of large herds (especially bovine and equine cattles) against the possible attack of a predator?

The recovery of populations of predatory mammals such as bears or wolves in Catalonia represents an improvement in the biodiversity of our ecosystems, however, at the same time, it implies a bigger problem for the country's extensive livestock.

Nowadays, some aversive animal conditioning procedures have already been tested against these predators (continuous and persistent direct deterrence techniques). The purpose of these systems is to eliminate or reduce the frequency of these problematic behaviors through teams of specialized and trained people. There has also been some testing with the use of repellents. However, the application of these techniques requires a thorough manual monitoring of the situation of the animals and the permanent presence of speciallized aversive conditioning teams in grazing areas, with all the difficulties that this entails (unpredictability of the place where damage will occur, nightfall, etc.). In the case of sheep herds, the grouping of cattle, the presence of shepherds, night fences and the use of protective dogs are showing good results. But for cows and horses these solutions are not working with the same level of efficiency, that means that we require new and innovative measures able to mitigate this problem.

The aim of this challenge is to develop an automated system for expelling predators from extensive livestock (mainly brown bear and wolf).

Call 3: Control of access to natural spaces

How to optimize and automate the process of access control in natural spaces?

Ensuring a proper compliance and control of access to natural spaces through conventional surveillance points is complicated. During the last decades, different environmental protection levels have been implemented in a third of the Catalan territory, thus it is convenient to have systems that facilitate, automate and improve access control in these spaces.

For example, having a vehicle detection system with a license plate reader, capable of sending real-time data and alerts to the communications rooms of the Agents Rurals would facilitate this function. However, such a solution would require being able to do the installation on the ground in a simple and discreet way, with an alternative power supply system.

The aim of this call is to develop an innovative solution capable of optimizing and automating the process of access control to certain natural spaces.

Call 4: Use of drones or other technologies to control and capture ungulates

How to optimize the control and capture processes of wild boars and other ungulates?

The increase in wild boar populations and, to a lesser extent, other ungulate species is causing losses in the yield of some agricultural crops, as well as a significant increase in the number of traffic accidents due to collisions with specimens of these species.

To this problem is added the growing concern about the dispersal effect that would occur in the case of a possible outbreak of African swine fever, as a result of the high densities of wild boar in the territory.

To facilitate the management of this problem, it would be necessary to develop a system for locating and identifying specimens of these species, georeferencing their location in relation to terrestrial capture units. This solution should allow real-time monitoring, preferably with the use of drones. These operations must be able to be carried out at night.

Thus, the aim of this call lies in the development of a system to improve the processes of monitoring, control and capture of these animal populations. Although the challenge makes a special appeal to those drone-based solutions, proposals capable of tackling the challenge with other techniques and technologies are also accepted.

We remind you that the participation in different calls is not incompatible, so the same participant can provide solutions to all the calls in which they are interested as long as they offer innovative and adapted solutions to the proposed calls.

Want to know more about the calls? You can rewatch the Calls Presentation Act or send us a message.

For further information please visit the rules of the contest.