Gandhinagar: As part of its vision to build smarter and more efficient cities, the Gujarat government is increasingly prioritizing the use of modern technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in governance.
With the establishment of an AI Center of Excellence in Gandhinagar under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, efforts are underway to integrate advanced technology into government administration to improve citizen services.
Taking a further step in this direction, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is preparing a major pilot project to address the perennial problem of stray cows in urban areas.
This initiative aims to make the identification of stray cattle and their owners faster, more accurate, and less resource-intensive.
Stray cows roaming the roads of Ahmedabad often cause traffic chaos and accidents.
Currently, the AMC team uses CCTV footage to capture images of such animals and manually identifies them using microchips and RFID tags.
However, this process is time-consuming and requires significant human resources.
The use of AI technology is currently being actively considered to streamline this system and reduce time and effort.
To tackle this challenge, the AI Center of Excellence at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, has assigned an institution to develop a dedicated AI model.
The agency has proposed a solution based on deep learning and is finalizing a model that will soon be submitted to a steering committee.
The proposed system integrates CCTV camera feeds and AI models to identify stray cows in real-time and enable disclosure of owner details.
The proposed AI model works based on computer vision and deep learning.
The AI model scans the cow’s face with special emphasis on the nose pattern, which acts as a unique biometric identifier, similar to a human fingerprint.
Each cow’s nose has a different design.
Additionally, the system analyzes features such as eyes, facial structure, and visible marks and scars.
These parameters allow the AI to identify a particular cow in a crowd and match it against an existing database to retrieve owner information.
Currently, around 110,000 cows in Ahmedabad are fitted with RFID tags and microchips, and the data is managed by the city corporation.
Surveillance cameras installed at about 130 intersections in the city capture images of stray cows.
If this AI-based solution proves effective, it is expected to significantly facilitate traffic management and reduce other problems caused by stray cattle within AMC limits.
Through this initiative, the state government aims to prevent stray cow-related incidents, enhance public safety and establish a data-driven surveillance system, which is another important step towards AI-powered smart governance in Gujarat.
