Motivation

Early detection of DD is difficult, but is beneficial for animal welfare and productivity because early detection leads to prompt treatment. Moreover, continuously scoring lesions allows for optimized treatment plans that are otherwise unobtainable. Therefore, computer vision can be used to improve early detection of DD on-site at dairy farms and feed yards. Ultimately, YOLO has the potential for real-time sensing such that the proposed tool can potentially be used to monitor the cattle health via surveillance, promote animal welfare, and increase production for large-scale facilities at the herd-level.