Gandhinagar, Jan 19: The Gujarat state government announced plans Monday to use CCTV cameras and artificial intelligence to identify stray cattle and trace their owners as part of a broader initiative to deploy modern technology in governance.

Following the establishment of an AI Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, efforts are underway to integrate advanced technologies into public administration to enhance citizen services.

Moving a step further in this direction, a significant pilot project is being prepared for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to address the long-standing issue of stray cattle in urban areas.

The initiative aims to make the identification of stray cows and their owners faster, more accurate, and less resource-intensive.

Stray cattle roaming on Ahmedabad's roads often lead to traffic disruptions and accidents.

At present, AMC teams rely on CCTV footage to capture images of such animals and then manually identify them using microchips and RFID tags.

However, this process is time-consuming and requires considerable manpower.

To streamline this system and reduce both time and effort, the use of AI technology is now being actively explored.

To tackle this challenge, the AI Centre of Excellence at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, has assigned an agency to develop a dedicated AI model.

The agency has proposed solutions based on deep learning and is in the process of finalising a model that will soon be presented to the operational committee.

The proposed system will integrate CCTV camera feeds with the AI model to enable real-time identification of stray cows and disclosure of their owners' details.

The proposed AI model will work based on computer vision and deep learning.

The AI model will scan the cow's face, with special emphasis on the nose pattern, which functions as a unique biometric identifier -- much like a human fingerprint.

Each cow's nose has a distinct design.

In addition, the system will analyse features such as the eyes, facial structure, and any visible marks or scars.

Using these parameters, the AI will be able to identify a specific cow even in a crowd and match it with the existing database to retrieve owner information.

At present, around 1.1 lakh cows in Ahmedabad have been fitted with RFID tags and microchips, and their data is maintained by the city's municipal corporation.

CCTV cameras installed at nearly 130 junctions across the city capture images of stray cattle.

If this AI-based solution proves effective, it is expected to significantly ease traffic management and reduce other problems caused by stray cows within the AMC limits.

Also Read: Major Gas Leak in Cuttack's CDA Area After JCB Ruptures Underground Pipeline

Through this initiative, the state government aims to prevent accidents involving stray cattle, enhance public safety, and establish a data-driven monitoring system -- marking another important step towards AI-enabled smart governance in Gujarat.

(IANS)