{"id":2242,"date":"2026-02-03T10:58:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/academics\/ogsps\/professional-development\/?p=2242"},"modified":"2026-02-03T10:59:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:59:00","slug":"a-smarter-way-to-watch-over-alpacas-in-peru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/academics\/ogsps\/professional-development\/2026\/02\/03\/a-smarter-way-to-watch-over-alpacas-in-peru\/","title":{"rendered":"A Smarter Way to Watch Over Alpacas in Peru"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the Andean mountains of Peru, alpacas are more than animals; they are a lifeline for entire families who rely on them for wool, food, and a source of income. Alpaca shepherds, many of whom live in remote mountainous areas, spend countless hours watching over their herds. The reality of this work is difficult. Alpacas often roam freely across vast, rugged landscapes in search of grass and water. Without fences or boundaries, they can spread out for miles, sometimes vanishing behind valleys or hills. When this happens, shepherds may spend hours (sometimes days) searching for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern tools like Wi-Fi or cellular tracking apps are of little help here. In these high-altitude and remote areas, phone signals are rare, and internet connections are unreliable. As a result, families face stress, lost time, and even financial losses when animals go missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the question is clear: How can we give shepherds in these remote regions real-time knowledge of where their alpacas are, without relying on cell towers or the internet?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"InnovatED
InnovatED Author, Nicolas Rendon-Arias, master\u2019s student in Engineering Technology at Polytechnic Institute<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

At Purdue\u2019s tinyLab, my research focuses on designing practical, affordable technologies that meet community needs. In this case, we have created a reliable and long-range geolocation system tailored for alpaca herding in Peru, called LoRaWAN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LoRaWAN is a communication technology that uses low-power, long-range radio signals. It\u2019s different from Wi-Fi or cellular networks because it can send information over several miles using very little battery power, making it perfect for places with no traditional coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our approach, small solar-powered transmitters are placed on alpacas. Each transmitter sends out radio signals that include the animal\u2019s GPS position. Using LoRaWAN, these signals travel wirelessly to a portable and solar-powered receiver built around a Raspberry Pi (a small, affordable embedded computer). The receiver displays the alpacas\u2019 locations on an offline map (no internet required). Shepherds can carry this receiver into the field and instantly see where their animals are, represented as dots moving across the map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This solution is not just about convenience. It has the potential to transform rural livelihoods. With the ability to locate their animals in real time, shepherds can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n