Globalstar Europe Satellite Services Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Globalstar, Inc. (NYSE MKT: GSAT) has revealed that FindMy (formerly FindMySheep), the IoT animal tracking pioneer, has cumulatively deployed more than 45,000 satellite-enabled IoT tracking collars for safeguarding sheep, cattle and reindeer.
FindMy relies on Globalstar’s powerful, low-cost STX3 chipset and its worldwide network of satellites in LEO, which deliver reliable, accurate tracking far beyond the reach of mobile GSM and other technologies.
FindMy was originally founded to meet the needs of sheep farmers in Norway whose flocks graze fence-free in the mountains and often range across borders into Sweden and Finland. FindMy’s reputation is now established internationally and today ranchers in Latin America trust FindMy to monitor cattle.
STX3’s small size, ruggedness, long battery life, and ease of integration, as well as its competitive price, remain key compelling features for FindMy.
FindMy’s tracking collars communicate with Globalstar’s satellite network to geo-fence livestock, helping farmers monitor animals to ensure they graze only in designated areas, and to locate those which have escaped or are injured.
With each animal worth hundreds or even thousands of euros, losing livestock to predators or through illness not only affects revenues but can also have a profound impact on the quality of a farmer’s breeding foundation for years to come.
Globalstar's STX3 chipset.
Thanks to the rich data transmitted by the FindMy system, farmers are empowered to manage their stock intelligently, and minimize loss due to inadequate food or water, disease or predators. FindMy provides an informative data trail that enables farmers to analyze where animals that produce the best quality meat are grazing, so farmers can proactively manage herds’ grazing for future seasons.
FindMy’s customized user interface alerts farmers and herd managers when an animal has not moved for some time. With FindMy’s GPS data, they can identify exactly where to go to investigate, saving valuable time and resources. Farmers deploying the collars report a significant reduction in animal loss, with a consequent direct positive impact on their business.
In October 2017, Globalstar announced that its technology is at the heart of SaveMyReindeer, a technology solution that FindMy designed to prevent trains from colliding with reindeer in Norway’s hinterland. Hundreds of kilometres of Norway’s railroads, reaching inside the Arctic Circle, traverse territories inhabited by the region’s indigenous Sami people who keep herds of free-roaming reindeer.
Each year, trains kill about 6,500 of the region’s 600,000 reindeer, with an estimated loss of €8.5 million of livestock. In 2016, the Norwegian mapping authority, Kartverket, sought a solution as part of its annual hackathon series. FindMy emerged the winner and SaveMyReindeer was developed.
SaveMyReindeer, currently in development and testing, uses data from the Norwegian Railway Directorate on the real-time location of each train combined with open data from Kartverket to create a moving geofence 40-50 km. around the train. By comparing the geofence area with GPS data from FindMy collars already keeping tabs on reindeer, the system warns train drivers when they are approaching the animals so they can take evasive action. The reindeer owner simultaneously receives an alert on their smartphone, giving them the opportunity to move the herd out of harm’s way. By introducing SaveMyReindeer, fewer animals would be lost, and the train network would suffer less disruption.
