Using ABODE to analyze animal movement data

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Using ABODE to analyze animal movement data

• Virginia Seamster
• EVSC 796
• University of Virginia
• Spring 2008

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Outline

• Background
• Animal movement data
• Applications
• ABODE
• Example analysis in ABODE
• Benefits and tips for using ABODE

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Animal movement data

• Direct observations in the field
• Animal sign (tracks, scat)
• Camera traps
• Telemetry data
• VHF Collars
• GPS Collars

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Applications

• Habitat use
• Habitat suitability models
• Management implications
• Predicting changes in animal movement or
  geographic distribution
• Home range analysis

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Home range analysis

• Definition that area traversed by the
  individual in its normal activities of food
  gathering, mating, and caring for young.
  Occasional sallies outside the area, perhaps
  exploratory in nature, should not be considered
  part of the home range.

• Questions of interest
• What areas does an animal use more or less within
  their home range?
• What controls the size of an animals home range?
• Do home ranges overlap?

Laver 2005
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GIS analysis

• USGS
• Animal Movement Analyst Extension (AMAE) to
  ArcView 3.0-3.3
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Centre for
  Northern Forest Ecosystem Research
• Home Range Extension for ArcView 3.x
• Home Range Tools for ArcGIS 9.x
• Graduate student (Pete Laver) at Virginia Tech
• ABODE

Hooge and Eichenlaub 2000
Laver 2005
Rodgers and Carr 1998
Rodgers et al. 2007
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ABODE

• Freeware programmed in Visual Basic for
  Applications (VBA) and ArcObjects
• Can be used in ArcGIS 8.x or higher
• Available for download at http//filebox.vt.edu/u
  sers/plaver/abode/download.html

Laver 2005
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Home range analysis in ABODE

• Minimum convex polygon (MCP)
• Home range perimeter defined by a polygon that
  connects the outermost movement data points for
  an individual

Laver 2005
Laver 2005, White and Garrott 1990
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Example Serengeti cheetahs

• Data collected 1969-1994
• Over 500 cheetahs
• Direct observation and radiotelemetry

Kelly et al. 1998
Data from Pete Laver
Caro 1994
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Set up

• Selected data for 3 female cheetahs

Data from Pete Laver
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Program output
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Benefits and food for thought

• Benefits
• Easy access to the program and its code
• Thorough user manual
• Good descriptions of program algorithms
• Good list of home range references
• Food for thought
• Fewer functions than other programs (e.g. 40
  functions in Animal Movement Analyst Extension)
• Outside reading and prior knowledge of home range
  analyses and ArcGIS may be helpful
• Garbage In Garbage Out

Laver 2005
Hooge and Eichenlaub 2000
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Tips

• Make sure data are in UTMs
• Select subset of data that you want to analyze
• READ the user manual!!

Laver 2005
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References and acknowledgements

• Caro, TM. 1994. Cheetahs of the Serengeti plains
  Group living in an asocial species. Chicago
  University of Chicago Press. pps. 49-75.
• Hooge, P.N. and B. Eichenlaub. 2000. Animal
  movement extension to Arcview. ver. 2.0. Alaska
  Science Center - Biological Science Office, U.S.
  Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK, USA.
  http//www.absc.usgs.gov/glba/gistools/
• Kelly, M.J., M.K. Laurenson, C.D. FitzGibbon,
  D.A. Collins, S.M. Durant, G.W. Frame, B.C.R.
  Bertram, and T.M. Caro.1998. Demography of the
  Serengeti cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population
  the first 25 years. J. Zool. Lond. 244 473-488.
• Laver, P. 2005. Kernel Home Range Estimation for
  ArcGIS, using VBA and ArcObjects. User Manual
  (Beta v. 2- 7 February 2005). http//filebox.vt.ed
  u/users/plaver/abode/download.html
• Rodgers, A.R., and A.P. Carr. 1998. HRE The Home
  Range Extension for ArcView. Ontario Ministry of
  Natural Resources, Centre for Northern Forest
  Ecosystem Research, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
  http//blue.lakeheadu.ca/hre/
• Rodgers, A.R., A.P. Carr, H.L. Beyer, L. Smith,
  and J.G. Kie. 2007. HRT Home Range Tools for
  ArcGIS. Version 1.1. Ontario Ministry of Natural
  Resources, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem
  Research, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
  http//blue.lakeheadu.ca/hre/
• White, G.C. and R.A. Garrott. 1990. Analysis of
  wildlife radio-tracking data. San Diego Academic
  Press. pps. 145-182.
• Websites
• ABODE http//filebox.vt.edu/users/plaver/abode/do
  wnload.html
• SDSU http//wfs.sdstate.edu/wfsdept/courses/WL20
  411/RADIO20TELEMETRY.pdf
• Wildlife trust http//www.wildlifetrust.org/news/
  2005/images/1_cameratrap.jpg
• Thank you to Pete Laver for the data and much of
  the information presented here

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Questions?
Picture taken by Anna Estes