ROBOT COWBOY: Ian Miller, Matt Rossbach REVIVING Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, THROUGH ROBOTIC HERDING Louisiana State University

1 Algorithmic System Diagram

ABSTRACT The primary issue in northeastern is the continuing recession of due to the degraded condition of the grassland ecology, which will amplify global warming. The release of ancient gas stored in the permafrost will accelerate the greenhouse effect and catastrophically affect the health of the planet. The restoration of -like conditions can actively combat this potential danger through gas sequestration in the roots of grasses and a stable layer of per- mafrost. Once reintroduced to the region, large herd animals will play an integral role in maintain- ing their own . The use of digital sensing and robotics surpasses capability to create a relationship between these large herding and the grassland tundra landscape in order to help stabilize and reestablish the Siberian permafrost. Robotic herding rovers tirelessly traverse the vast territory of Siberia equipped with instruments and satellite communication to continuously read and adjust to ground conditions, fostering an emergent ecology. These coop- erative technologies aid in the reconstruction of a grassland ecosystem with the ability to prevent permafrost from thawing and potentially mitigate negative consequences of global warming.

147 THE GLOBAL STAKES will: achieve the high transpiration rate of the grasses; increase the to reflect solar radiation; increase drying winds across The proposal investigates the work of Russian geophysicist the region; and expand the depth of the permafrost. All of which at in Cherskii, the Republic of result in a cumulative effort of sequestration —the region commonly known as Siberia. Zimov is actively through the permafrost and in the roots of grasses (Zimov 1995). attempting to recreate the ancient tundra grassland of northeast- ern Siberia by introducing large herd mammals to recalibrate the HERDING IN A LANDSCAPE region to its condition during the Pleistocene epoch. Pleistocene The disappearance of herds at the end of the animals performed an integral role in maintaining their own eco- Pleistocene era effectively ended the nourishment loop, causing system. The climate shift of northeastern Siberia has long been the extinction of the . The ecosystem was a suc- associated with a global change from the Pleistocene to cessful cycle of nutrient replenishment of both flora and fauna. epoch, but further study may indicate an early impact of human , wooly rhinoceroses, , , , musk activity on ecological dynamics. The Holocene shift is not a unique oxen, , , saiga and grazed grasslands with cave li- event yet similar interglacial shifts did not cause catastrophic land- ons and —their predatory counterparts. Grasses use water scape reconstructions. Increasingly efficient techniques resources rapidly and expand into a sustained landscape, which and the advent of agriculture coincide with the decimation of the herbivores then eat and trample, returning nutrients to the soil via animal population that maintained the tundra- land- manure. The soils of northern Siberia are too cold to decompose scape (Andreev et al. 2002, 138). plant litter independently and the existence of herbivores to de- The primary issue in northeastern Siberia is the recession of per- compose organic matter in their stomachs allowed the ecosystem mafrost due to the degraded condition of the grassland ecology, to exist with Pleistocene conditions (Zimov 2005). which will further amplify global warming. Much in the same way that barbed wire fencing facilitated the The global stakes are particularly high for the region in terms settlement of the American west and allowed large tracts of land of . Ancient frozen temperatures resulted in the otherwise unsuitable for agriculture to be grazed by livestock, sequestration of massive amounts of greenhouse gas in the for- emergent technologies may be deployed in Siberia to improve mer grassland ecosystem. The thawing of the permafrost under productivity. Barbed wire simply allocated land in order to maintain continuing greenhouse gas-induced warming will risk the release productive livestock populations; what we glean from the lessons of five hundred gigatons of stored , representing 2.5 times of barbed wire is that an implied boundary can be as effective in the combined amount produced by rainforests worldwide. The herding as in larger fixed structures. Still, this approach will not release of this gas will accelerate the greenhouse effect with a help to direct herd animals to execute their role in the grassland catastrophic impact on the health of the planet (Andreev et al. 2002). ecosystem. Instead, a roving boundary system that directs herds through the tundra is necessary. Reindeer, moose, Yakutian A number of Pleistocene-like conditions can actively combat this horses, and musk oxen will be equipped with geo-location tags catastrophic danger. The deep root system of grasses stabilizes to identify herd type and vegetation preference. Existing radio-fre- the soil and stores atmospheric carbon. The ability of the ecosys- quency identification (RFID) technologies used in traditional agri- tem to reflect solar radiation is high, reducing the absorption of culture, as developed by the Dutch company Sparked, to identify radiation-warming sunlight. The herbivore herds trample the win- and monitor the behavior, movement and health of livestock, can ter snow exposing the ground to colder temperatures and further be adapted for use with the tundra-taiga herds. These implanted preventing the melting of the permafrost. A reconstructed grass- RFID chips have the ability to take body temperature, detect sick- land ecosystem, such as Pleistocene Park in northeastern Siberia, ness and calving. In Siberia, the system can monitor the growth of has the ability to prevent permafrost from thawing and potentially the herd over time and implement herd management decisions. mitigate negative consequences of global warming (Zimov 2005). To develop the ecosystem, individual herds will be dispatched TAIGA to sites based on herd size and maintenance capability. Unlike human interaction in the form of cowboys, this roving boundary Grassland exist as the first evolutionary step of ecolo- is constantly in motion, tirelessly completing tasks and assessing gies with the highest rates of biogeochemical cycling. Transpiration the efficacy of the herd in restoring Pleistocene grasslands. rates are high in productive plants that existed in the pasture land- scape of northeastern Siberia during the Pleistocene epoch. SENSING AN EMERGENT ECOLOGY Dry conditions resulted from grasses with high transpiration, while Using digital sensing and robotics to nurture the relationship the plants stored nutrients to increase productivity. To address between herding herbivores and the grassland tundra land- climate change concerns, the desired effects of this landscape scape, we anticipate that Siberian permafrost can stabilize and

INTERACTIVE ACADIA 2013 ADAPTIVE ARCHITECTURE 148 eventually proliferate. Such an expansion will in turn sequester with narrow parameters in which grassland accretion can occur, exponentially more greenhouse gas and limit the contribution of human herders do not have the equipment or endurance to be the territory to climate change. Under the premise that pasture effective. Robotic rovers are tireless and carry instruments to con- landscapes met destruction due to the decimation of herbivore tinuously read and adjust to ground conditions; the expectation populations by human activity, the return of herbivore commu- for similar effectiveness of a human on horseback is unrealistic. nities may reasonably reconstitute a former and more robust During periods of rapid herd movement, the rovers receive a pri- ecology. The reintroduction of herbivores reestablishes the mary instruction to contain the edges of the herd and recover wan- collective behavior that then works in concert with grasslands to derers. With each member of the herd geographically identified, create and maintain the tundra ecosystem. rovers can easily detect movements like scattering and defecting based on the specific herd formation characteristics of any . The proposed strategy involves two operational layers consisting of sensing and herding. The matrix of data transmits to DRAGO, The reintroduction of herbivore herds will actively create and the Data Requisition and Guidance Operant, a computer script support the very grassland ecosystem in which they live. Feeding choreographing the herding/sampling robots according to gath- satellite and ground data to robotic herders creates a self- ered information. DRAGO collects data via satellite and surface sufficient hybrid ecology that is more effective than a human sensing by the same robots driving the herbivore herd through operation. Data communication and sensing foster cooperation the Siberian tundra. Satellite measurements of the landscape use between herding animals and the emergent grassland ecology to LIDAR technology to calculate vegetation, permafrost coverage recalibrate the landscape to normalized conditions. Restoring the and soil composition—indicators of the tundra-taiga viability. Over taiga biome of northeastern Siberia to conditions that promote a the course of several seasons, DRAGO will identify priority areas sustained permafrost layer will help combat the potentially cata- where the tundra-taiga landscape is expanding and receding. An strophic release of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere. additional benefit of satellite sensing at the territorial scale isthe ability to make seemingly imperceptible changes by on-ground sensors fit into a broad understanding of site conditions. DRAGO uses this information to locate swathes of taiga grassland at risk from shrubs and mosses, thus decreasing surface albedo created by snow pack and raising the temperature of the soil. The herding-sampling rovers determine the root cause of sensed changes in order to gather additional informational fidelity. As the system identifies at-risk areas, the robotic ground operation mobilizes the herd to the area, simultaneously sampling surface and subsurface conditions for soil fertility and permafrost depth, as well as vegetation types. Specific data measurements that the herding-sampling rovers are equipped to capture include concentration, , water vapor, high-fidelity surface albedo, and ground temperature. The on-ground data works in concert with territory-scale satellite data to create a feedback loop of work orders and efficacy reports. This system creates a set of parameters for tundra-taiga proliferation, a logic embedded in the herding-sampling robots to inform the ongoing operation. Much in the way agricultural tractors connect to GPS to direct tilling and harvesting operations, the herding-sampling rovers derive an oper- ational logic of priorities from a perpetual stream of site-condition data. The sensing system aims to identify opportunities for ex- panding taiga-tundra grasslands based on readings of the physical site as well as the proximity of the herd to the priority area. The rovers work the way a human herding operation may move a large group of cows or sheep, forming a perceived but not neces- sarily physical barrier that encourages the animal group to move in a programmed direction. In the vast territory of Siberia, coupled

149 MILLER, ROSSBACH ROBOT COWBOY WORKS CITED IAN MILLER investigates how designed landscapes can Andreev, Andrei A., Christine Siegert, Vladimir A. Klimanov, Aleksandr initiate successional of plants and animals in industrial, Yu. Derevyagin, Galina N. Shilova, and Martin Melles.2002. “Late urban and isolated geographies, which in turn aid, supplement, Pleistocene and Holocene Vegetation and Climate on the Taymyr and augment the effects of human development. Additionally, Lowland, Northern Siberia.” In Quaternary Research 57.1: 138–50. Ian is interested in the ways small urban-scale landscape Zimov, Sergey A. 1995. “Scientific Background.” Pleistocene Park architectural interventions can reflect the influence of large-scale Restoration of the Steppe Ecosystem. Web. http://www. pleistocenepark.ru/en/background. systems through material and program, not just as a narrative exercise but narrative through landscape infrastructure. Ian is ———. 2005.”Pleistocene Park: Return of the Mammoth’s Ecosystem.” in Science 308.5723: 796–98. a Graduate Assistant for the RRSLA and a designer for LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio on focusing on data visualization and representation for speculative projects.

MATT ROSSBACH is a graduate student working on achieving a dual masters degree in landscape architecture and architecture. His focus lies in space-embodied studies where abstract indeterminate systems make contact with the landscape, particularly in an urban context. In addition to his studies, Matt works as part of the faculty for the LSU College of Art + Design Rome Program.

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