Animal biometric verification has been a relatively rare technology, unlike its widespread use for humans. However, thanks to the efforts of Syed Umaid Ahmed, a Ph.D. Scholar at FAST-NUCES, Karachi, Pakistan is soon to become one of the few countries successfully implementing this technology.
Syed and his team have completed a project on Animal Biometrics, focused primarily on identifying and verifying cattle such as cows and buffalos, but with the potential to extend to horses, dogs, and other animals as well. The main objective of this project is to address the issue of animal theft in Pakistan.
The technology works through a smartphone app that allows users to capture pictures of animals and save their data, similar to how fingerprints are stored with NADRA for humans. Each animal has unique nose patterns, just as humans have unique fingerprints. The app utilizes these nose patterns to verify the animal’s identity and store it in a directory. The app’s algorithm has been trained using a database of over 4,000 cattle images.
Syed states that the app is approximately 70% complete and will be launched to the public for free during Eid al-Adha. Additionally, it will be an open-source platform, enabling anyone to benefit from its functionality.
