Social Network Analysis in Farm Animals: Sensor-Based Approaches

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Social behaviour of farm animals significantly impacts management interventions in the livestock sector and, thereby, animal welfare. Evaluation and monitoring of social networks between farm animals help not only to understand the bonding and agonistic behaviours among individuals but also the interactions between the animals and the animal caretaker. The interrelationship between social and environmental conditions, and the subtle changes in the behaviours of farm animals can be understood and precisely measured only by using sensing technologies. This review aims to highlight the use of sensing technologies in the investigation of social network analysis of farm animals. ABSTRACT: Natural social systems within animal groups are an essential aspect of agricultural optimization and livestock management strategy. Assessing elements of animal behaviour under domesticated conditions in comparison to natural behaviours found in wild settings has the potential to address issues of animal welfare effectively, such as focusing on reproduction and production success. This review discusses and evaluates to what extent social network analysis (SNA) can be incorporated with sensor-based data collection methods, and what impact the results may have concerning welfare assessment and future farm management processes. The effectiveness and critical features of automated sensor-based technologies deployed in farms include tools for measuring animal social group interactions and the monitoring and recording of farm animal behaviour using SNA. Comparative analyses between the quality of sensor-collected data and traditional observational methods provide an enhanced understanding of the behavioural dynamics of farm animals. The effectiveness of sensor-based approaches in data collection for farm animal behaviour measurement offers unique opportunities for social network research. Sensor-enabled data in livestock SNA addresses the biological aspects of animal behaviour via remote real-time data collection, and the results both directly and indirectly influence welfare assessments, and farm management processes. Finally, we conclude with potential implications of SNA on modern animal farming for improvement of animal welfare.