How C-Lock Technologies Ensure Data Accuracy and Reliability in Research
C-Lock products—particularly GreenFeed, in conjunction with SmartFeed and SmartScale—are designed to deliver research-grade data on ruminant gas emissions, feed intake, and weight gain. These systems combine high-precision sensors, validated algorithms, and cloud-based analytics to turn complex biological signals—like cow burps—into actionable data for climate, nutrition, and genetics research.
Gas Sensors – Accurate Detection of Emission Gases
- CO₂: Measured using a robust NDIR sensor with 1% accuracy in the 0–20,000 ppm range, ideal for typical cattle respiration output (~10,000 g/day).
- CH₄:
- Tunable Diode Laser (TDL) on GreenFeed SINCE DATE offers 0.3% accuracy and detects methane down to 1 g/day—critical for low-emission cattle studies.
- O₂: Paramagnetic sensor ensures highly stable readings of oxygen consumption—useful in metabolic and respiratory studies.
- H₂: Electrochemical sensor tracks hydrogen as a fermentation byproduct, supporting diet digestibility and rumen health research.s calculation of Average Daily Gain (ADG), which is essential for FCR computation.
High-Resolution Airflow-Controlled Sampling
- GreenFeed uses a precisely controlled airflow system to draw in exhaled air and eructations, maintaining sampling integrity across animals and conditions.
- Integrated flow meters and environmental controls ensure that gas concentrations are accurately translated into grams/day of emissions.ify cows with suboptimal feed efficiency, enabling ration adjustments that improve milk yield per unit of feed.
Advanced Data Analytics and Machine Learning
- All sensor data is transmitted to C-Lock’s cloud analytics platform, where it is:
- Cleaned (removing outliers and artifacts),
- Standardized (adjusted for visit duration, frequency, and animal ID),
- Analyzed using proprietary machine learning models.
- Algorithms integrate gas concentrations + airflow rates + time-stamped visits to calculate daily gas output per animal.
- This ensures data consistency regardless of animal behavior variability (e.g., visit timing or duration).
- Built-in models correct for uneven sampling patterns, such as when dominant or shy animals visit feeders more or less often.
- This leads to balanced, repeatable datasets crucial for peer-reviewed trials and carbon credit methodologies.
Why This Matters to Researchers
Precision Feeding & Ration Optimization in Dairy Cows with SmartFeed
- Reliable, Publication-Ready Data: Used in hundreds of peer-reviewed studies across methane mitigation, genetics, and carbon footprinting.
- Regulatory Trust: GreenFeed data is accepted in IPCC Tier 3 models, Verra protocols, and carbon offset markets.
- Multivariate Linking: When combined with SmartFeed (intake) and SmartScale (growth), researchers can correlate emissions with diet composition, feed efficiency, and genetic traits at the individual level.