Module 4: Using Data for the Early Detection of Disease/Illness

Learn how to examine the impact of management factors on animal health and disease, improve data skills for creating and interpreting data visualisations, and discover ways to monitor and enhance health using both simple and advanced methods.

Picture of a calf and a cow

Data for the early detection of illness or disease

Data can not only help us understand what is happening with our animals, but also why. By collecting, analysing, and interpreting data on factors that impact livestock wellbeing, we can be alerted to indicators of potential problems before they impact the productivity of the system, or the welfare of the animals. In this module, you will find out how to use data to obtain this important information. 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • Explain the benefits of optimal animal health and welfare to farm productivity, economics, and animal wellbeing

  • Determine which management factors impact indicators of health and disease in your own system

  • Understand how technology can be used to automatically detect subtle changes in animal performance and welfare

  • Develop data visualisation skills including creating and reading bar graphs

Why is the health and wellbeing of livestock important?

This may seem like a basic question with a straightforward answer. However, as our panel of experts discuss in this video, there are many reasons why happy and healthy animals are the foundation of a successful farming operation: 

 

The power of data to detect subtle changes 

Data to detect pneumonia in calves

In this video, Animal Welfare Professor Marie Haskell discusses research conducted at Scotland's Rural College that took a data-driven approach for the early detection and treatment of pneumonia in calves. 

Early detection of dairy cow disease

As discussed in the previous video, data can detect changes in welfare indicators before they are otherwise observable. Professor Alastair Macrae, veterinarian and Head of the Dairy Herd Health and Productivity Service (DHHPS) at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies explains how these same principles apply to detecting early stages of disease in dairy cows.

Using technology to monitor livestock

Case study: CowAlert activity sensors for the early detection of lameness

As you have seen in the above videos, research often makes use of technology to collect and analyse robust quantities of data. This automated approach to data manipulation is available to industry, as well. Commercial sensors, such as those produced by Peacock Technology, can automatically alert you to any changes in your herd, providing you with the information you need to take action. 

Data Tutorials

Assessing the influence of different variables on performance and health

Many factors can influence the performance of animals individually, and collectively. Data can help us understand not only what is happening, but also, why. This tutorial will explain how to identify relationships between variables.

As with all the data tutorials, the process will be shown using the free online version of Excel. 

We suggest you watch the data tutorials in the previous modules before starting this one, as they provide the foundations we continue to build upon.  

Visualising summarised data using bar graphs

In the previous video, you learned how to use pivot tables to assess the influence of independent variables, or predictor variables, on dependent, or response, variables. The following tutorial will show you how to visualise these relationships to make them easier to understand, interpret, and act upon. 

Additional Material

 

Back to Module 3   Go to Module 5

 

When you are finished engaging with the course, please take a moment to fill out this post-course questionnaire to provide feedback and be awarded your digital badge: 

 Course Feedback Form 

This article was published on